Musicals—11

As we start the 4^th year of blogs here at A Screenwriter’s Path, we’re continuing our look at film musicals. The goal is to understand the genre more so that you, too, can take a crack at writing a film musical.

We’re about in the mid-50s and this is the point at which the Broadway musicals start sweeping themselves onto the screen. And three that come out in the mid-fifties are Guys and Dolls [1954] by Joseph Mankiewicz, Oklahoma! [1954] by Sonya Levien and William Ludwig, and The King and I [1955] by Ernest Lehman. All of these musicals were big hits on Broadway and all continue to be revived today—they’re classics.

Adapting a stage musical to the screen is a different animal than writing an original film musical. If you look at all three of these films you may find yourself put off by the ‘staging’ if you will. Because as you watch them you can see that someone just tried to convert the stage success of the various songs and dance numbers to the screen. And sometimes, it seems like they did little more than put a camera in front of the singers and dancers and just start shooting!

Guys and Dolls tells the story of a gambler who makes a bet that changes his life—romantically speaking. Oklahoma! tells the story of cowboys and farmers who vie for the affections of the ladies in their lives. And The King and I takes us to Siam where a widow becomes the governess to the king’s children and will her life be changed too?

All three of these films focus on love stories… of sorts. And though The King and I is the one most lists rank the highest, for my money, the best of the bunch is Guys and Dolls.

Why? Well, maybe it’s because Marlon Brando plays the lead. Marlon Brando—who can’t really sing—singing. Marlon Brando—who always plays the tough guy—we see a softer side of. This film is light and fluffy but it’s also full of fun and heart. Here’s a bit to tempt you to watch. In this scene, Brando needs a bunch of gamblers to do what he wants so he rolls them for “their souls”… why? Because he has a thing for the do-gooder who runs the mission he wants the guys to go to. Watch and enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmEwtWBte84.

There’s something to casting someone who can act and letting the songs sort of take care of themselves [heresy to some, but it works here for me]. Woody Allen would say the same thing when, decades later, he cast non- singers in his musical Everyone Says I Love You.

But as a writer? Well, you probably can’t be expected to write a Broadway musical and then adapt it as a film! So this is an area that, while interesting in terms of seeing what musicals are popular, what trends are happening, it’s not something you can be expected to do. But learn those trends as you look at what’s on Broadway today and ask yourself if the musical format is evolving in such a way that you can spot a trend… and then ask yourself if that trend is something you can use as a jumping point off of which to write your original musical.

Copyright © Diane Lake

06Oct19

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com