We watched "The Jazz Singer" this past weekend, it being an interesting supplement to the usual enlightenment one normally gets from watching General Conference.After all, who among us hasn't felt ostracized by our ultra strict and orthodox Jewish father when we told him we were moving to Venice beach to record some schmaltzy middle of the road songs and have an affair with Lucille Arnaz? Which of us hasn't donned blackface to sing in a quartet called "The Four Brothers," only to get called out by a pre Ghostbusters Ernie Hudson for being a "white boy," and then starting a fist fight? And tell me you've never grown a beard and hitchiked your way across the Southwest, performing "You are my sunshine" in cowboy bars while wearing a hat that's much too small for your enormous hair?
That's right: we've all been there.
I hadn't seen this movie since I was a kid, and I must confess that I loved the soundtrack at that young age. Truth be told, there are still many of the songs that I know by heart, whether it be the anthemic "America," the mournful "Love on the Rocks," or the saccharine "Hello Again."
Seeing the film as an adult allowed me to see it in a different perspective than when I was 8. The most obvious moment was the scene where everyone parties it up at Lucille Arnaz's beachside pad, joyfully singing about "The Robert E. Lee."
First of all, this may very well be the lamest party scene ever committed to film. There's a couple of unkempt white guys with banjos, four black guys, Neil Diamond, and one woman. That doesn't even work on paper, folks. Not to mention the fact that they're singing a song whose namesake is the most famous Confederate general.
And will someone please tell me what cosmic lottery Lucille Arnaz lost that forced her to have a love scene with Neil? I mean...were the 80's really THAT hairy? I'm surprised the fire in the fireplace didn't ignite all the Aquanet and Drakkar that must have been permeating that scene.
I will say this, however: I demand that more rock stars employ the sequined pirate shirt with white scarf look. More, I say!
4 comments:
So I LOVE this soundtrack!! My sister and I used to sing all of the songs into our Marie Osmond microphones. I , of course, think "Love on the Rocks" is an amazing song....and one of my guilty pleasures is "Amazed and Confused." But even better is Kev's impersonation of Neil....classic!
I really remember this movie AND soundtrack being a really big deal during my childhood. Maybe it was because our moms were all moist over Neil Diamond and made it an event for the lot of us. I also remember going to the Crossroads Mall Cinemas (remember The Fun Factory or Brandon Hodges' family's failed restaurant attempt, cleverly titled "Lettuce Entertain You?") to see this movie with my mom, sisters, and grandmother. Can't imagine why we thought it was so good, but we went out and bought the LP that very day. Maybe this was that generation's "Saturday Night Fever"? You tell me.
Oh, and by the way, Neil couldn't have been wearing Drakkar Noir (or "Nightswept: A Designer Clone of Drakkar" which is the scent of choice for Michael Gary Scott because he is not paying for the label.) I picture him more during that era being an Ice Blue Aqua Velva man, or maybe even Old Spice or English Velvet. Something that captures the essence of rich Corinthian Leather, brown vinyl furniture, or Mahogany accented cases holding many leather-bound books.
To paraphrase Leslie Nieslen in Airplane!: "I don't know what I'll be wearing, doc, he said, but one thing I know for sure... I won't smell too good."
Also: "Lettuce Entertain You." Holy blast from the past, Batman! Yikes.
You know what I miss? Being able to see movies at the mall. Back when Fashion Place Mall was all tricked out in 70's browns and oranges, and you could go sneak into Aliens or Back to the Future II while your mom shopped at Lady Foot Locker...
Post a Comment