DNF @ 11%

What makes a person that hasn't seen a single musical try to read a book about how musicals went to Hollywood production throughout the whole 20th century?

(Me. That person is me.)

Curiosity, I guess. And ultimately, stupidity?

(Yup, still me.)

I don't know what I expected - perhaps a more accessible history, because I love history even about things I have no clue about. But Broadway Goes to Hollywood is actually meant for people who not only have a deep love of musicals, but have a mountain of knowledge about their history, from the very beginnings of the 20th century.

This is precisely why I'm not rating this book [on Goodreads, I have to rate on NetGalley unfortunately] - I'm simply not qualified to (as funny as it sounds!) I'm sure someone who knows a lot about musicals would enjoy it - it talks about the history, actors and even analyzes musical and tonal sequences - it's very in depth. But it's simply not for me.

I thank the publisher for giving me a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

This book really really needs a sub-title to let the reader know what the focus is, because this is just a little bit misleading. This book examines the transformation of the songs and the songwriters (music and lyrics) of the Hollywood musical when their work was being courted by Hollywood. That's just a little bit different concept than the generic 'Broadway to Hollywood' theme.

That said, author Ethan Mordden offers up some interesting tidbits that might make one pause to reflect if the reader is as interested in the 'Musical' as an art form, such as I am. But given the tighter focus of the book, it's a pretty narrow readership I would think.

While I consider myself a fan of the genre, I would not presume to think of myself as particularly knowledgeable about it, other than what I enjoy listening to and watching. Mordden clearly has a passion and knowledge about the men (and women) who've made this journey and has done a respectable amount of research and condenses it to give the reader a rather thorough picture of how Hollywood capitalized on the Broadway respectability.

Mordden's style is very casual and - well - unfiltered. Mordden doesn't separate fact from opinion very much, blending the one to the other, and vice versa. Take, for instance, this passage:
<blockquote>“Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” (the “you say eether and I say aither” song) isn’t especially innovative, but “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” Astaire’s solo, is masterly in the way the melody smoothes its way over startling harmonic changes. This is Harms creativity at its height, as far from Tin Pan Alley as a composer can get while respecting the limits of pop. Yet George does it so suavely that a Hollywood producer, by nature wary of too much New York “cleverness,” would be not dubious but entranced. Then, too, Astaire’s way with a song is as artless as his dancing is elaborated. This is pop music experimenting while pretending it isn’t.</blockquote>
Anyone want to pick out the fact from the opinion here? Clearly Mordden is not afraid to share his opinion, but given his knowledge in the area, we bear with it, even if we don't always agree with it. He also comes up with little gems that make you appreciate his personal take while being annoyed with it at the same time. Take this quick passage:
<blockquote>By the 1950’s, operetta had turned zombie in New York. Except for the sexy Kismet (and some might say Candide, though the latter scoffs at operetta's essential component, romantic longing), the form was walking dead, still around after its life was over.</blockquote>
His snarky comments make it fun to keep reading. In writing about Camelot, Mordden comments:
<blockquote>Franco Nero, the Lancelot, also wanted to do his own singing, and let us say that, as a singer, he looked splendid ... The only genuine vocal tone we hear from a lead is that of Gene Merlino, and he isn't in the movie: he dubbed Nero.</blockquote>
One thing that was noticeable and rather interesting, was how we spend almost as much time on some of the talent that isn't as well-recognized as we do with the big names in the industry. Johnny Mercer and Frank Loesser and Harold Arlen get almost as much time as the Gershwins or Rodgers and Hart.
I learned a few things (I think) and I generally found this to be an interesting read and anyone wanting to know more about the transfer of Broadway musicals to the big screen should find this a valuable read.

Looking for a good book? <em>When Broadway Went to Hollywood</em> by Ethan Mordden is a narrow-focused book on the song-writing teams of Broadway musicals and their work in Hollywood that will prove interesting to those already attracted by the topic.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This engagingly written, witty, and stunningly knowledgeable book took me over six months to read.

That's because, especially in the early chapters, I kept stopping--sometimes every paragraph--in order to scramble through YouTube and every other access to film clips I could find in order to see as much of the now-obscure, once famous (and also not so famous) films, performers, and songs mentioned as I could.

Mordden has been writing about Broadway and film for many years, and it shows. His grasp of the makers and performers of show and film is masterful, effortlessly presented. Daunting, too, if one wants to get visuals and audial evidence of what he's talking about. I kept wishing that I'd encountered this text about five years from now, when such books will no doubt have hypertext links so one can pause the text and watch film clips.

Anyway, the thrust of this book is an examination of the Broadway-identified songwriters who came to Hollywood, and how they fared there. Many other musicals, non-musicals, operettas, and so forth are mentioned along the way, including vivid, fascinating biographical snips, and musically erudite analyses of famous songs and how they work. (These sent me scrambling for a musical dictionary.)

Mordden begins when film was beginning to experiment with sound. It was inevitable that someone would put music into the equation. From the surprisingly melodious Desert Song up to twenty-first century Broadway musical films, Mordden examines songwriters and teams chapter by chapter. My tastes isn't always his but I appreciated seeing them through his sophisticated eyes, especially as it's obvious how much he loves Broadway, its stars, and the people who wrote for them and directed them.

I never miss a new Ethan Mordden book, especially when he writes about musical theatre. "When Broadway Went to Hollywood" gives you his take on Broadway composers who also wrote for movies. That means all the big names like Kern, Gershwin, Porter, Berlin are present. It's a little bit of a scattershot affair though, sometimes touching on their movies, sometimes on bios about their lives, sometimes on transfers from Broadway (like "Dreamgirls"). But it's good to get Mordden's take on stars like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly and their movies as well as on some obscure pics (like the operettas from the 30's). Mordden is always fun to read (even when I don't agree with him) and he seems to have softened on some people (like Al Jolson). But don't get him started on comedian Billy Gilbert!
Fun read all around, the title might be a little bit misleading (it's not a book on movie versions of Broadway shows per se) but still very much recommended for fans of film musicals...