It was Howard Keel day on TCM here recently - and a great opportunity to catch up on some well-loved musicals. Today I'd like to give a shout out to "Kiss Me Kate", starring Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson. It's a totally fun show, about two ex-spouses battling each other while starring in a musical version of "The Taming of the Shrew".
The music and lyrics are by Cole Porter. Generally when one thinks of Porter's music, words such as witty, sophisticated, and perhaps cynical, come to mind. But here he's that and then some - in fact, he seems downright sincere, especially on what I believe is the finest song he ever wrote, "So In Love".
The movie is filled with terrific dance sequences, and has a host of some of the finest dancers ever to appear on film - Ann Miller, Tommy Rall, Bob Fosse, Bobby Van, and Carol Haney. And it also has some of the most well-known tunes in Cole Porter's lexicon - Wunderbar, Another Openin', Too Darn Hot, Why Can't You Behave?, and Brush Up Your Shakespeare (gleefully sung by James Whitmore and Keenan Wynn). And the acting is first-rate. In fact, the entire cast looks as if they're having the time of their lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment