MY FIVE FAVORITE MOVIE MUSICALS OF ALL-TIME

One of my favorite genres of movies are musicals. I was close to my grandfather, and he instilled in me a love of the movies and music of the 1930s and 1940s. Today is my birthday - I can not believe I am 52 now, so I wanted to share the list of my favorite movie musicals for my birthday entry this year. I did this list one before, way back in 2011 so it is good to update it. I am not looking at the old list before I make this new list.

Here are my five favorites:

5. SILK STOCKINGS (1957) - This movie was one of htel ast big budget musicals Fred Astaire did for MGM. MGM sure new how to make a musical back then. Fred was paired up with the wonderful Cyd Charisse for this musical set in beautiful Paris. Rounding out the cast was Janis Page, Peter Lorre, and Jules Munshin. The stand out songs for me was "Sterophonic Sound" (performed by Fred and Janis) and "The Ritz Roll And Rock" (which made fun of Fred's top hat and tales personna). The movie is a lot of fun! (#5 in 2011)

4. THE MUSIC MAN (1962) - My wife absolutely hates this movie, but I do not care. Robert Preston originated the role on Broadway, and he made this movie version as well. The songs were from Meredith Wilson, and I have had a foundness for the film since my music teacher had us watch the movie in the 7th grade. In the cast as well were top notch performers like Shirley Jones and Buddy Hackett. My wife hates Preston's singer, but I like the movie! (#3 in 2011)

3. HIGH SOCIETY (1956) - This movie was one of the last great musicals that Bing Crosby starred in, and it is one of the best msuicals of the 1950s. The music is provided courtsey of Cole Porter and rounding out the cast was Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Celetse Holm, and Louis Armstrong. On a personal note, I enjoyed Grace Kelly's character Tracy Samantha Lord so much, that we named our daughter "Samantha", and I used to sing the song "I Love You Samantha" to her. The story is great. The dialogue is witty. This musical is top notch in every way. (new to list)

2. HAIRSPRAY (2007) - It is odd for me that I have two modern musicals in my top five musicals, but I love this film. My daughter, and I have watched it countless times, and the film is nearly perfect. Another Broadway transformation, the film starred John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Michele Pfeifer, and Jerry Stiller among others. Seeing John Travolta sing and dance as a woman is amazing, and the film had a serious tone dealing with 1960s racism. (new to list)

1. SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (2007) - I am a huge fan of the movies of director Tim Burton, and Johnny Depp rarely makes a bad movie. Depp is not a singer, but he pulls of the role of Sweeney Todd perfectly. Tim Burton films the movie in such a way that you are transported back in time to the slums of London, and he uses colors in a way that the movie is nearly black and white. I am not a fan of the music of Stephen Sondheim, but they are presented in a way that they are woven effortlessly into the fabric of the movie. The movie is a little bit violent of course, but the story and the film itself is flawless - for a modern musical that is saying a lot. (#1 in 2011)

HOLLYWOOD FEUDS: CHEVY CHASE AND BILL MURRAY

Their animosity began in the chill backstage corridors of Saturday Night Live in February 1978. Chevy Chase, having risen to instant fame as SNL's original "Weekend Update" anchor, had departed after season two, confident his movie career awaited. Bill Murray, brought on in the next season, was dubbed the “new Chevy,” a tag that felt more like a weight than an honor to the quieter performer.

When Chevy returned to host the 11th episode of the third season, the air was already thick with tension. John Belushi, a close friend of Murray's, had been spreading veiled critiques of Chase to stir the pot. Things reached a boiling point one afternoon when Murray confronted Chase, accusing him of being universally disliked by the cast and crew. Their argument ignited with Murray mocking Chase’s personal life—“Go f**k your wife, she needs it”—to which Chase retorted with a biting insult about Murray’s appearance, likening it to lunar terrain.

Moments before airtime, the verbal rigmarole escalated into shoving and wild slaps in the hallway. Bill Murray cursed out Chevy as SNL writers and even Belushi intervened to pull them apart. Filmmaker John Landis later described them slapping and screaming, with Murray calling Chase a “medium talent,” evidence that their feud carried raw emotions and barbed humor.

In reflecting on the clash, Murray would later call it a “Hollywood fight,” a melodramatic eruption driven by shifting seasons, wounded pride, and collective resentment over Chase’s departure. He said it represented an “Oedipal thing”—a symbolic betrayal where he became the avenging voice for the ensemble.

Despite the heat of the moment, neither emerged with serious injuries. Chevy later shrugged, “Billy Murray and I came to fisticuffs, but we never really ended up hitting each other... we tried, but Belushi got in the middle and we both ended up hitting John”. The fight subsided under a flurry of intervention—John Belushi, Brian Doyle‑Murray, writers Michael O’Donoghue and Tom Davis—restoring pre-show calm and ensuring the broadcast proceeded as planned.

 
Time, oddly enough, became the balm. In 1979, at a party, Chevy delivered one of the wildest peace offerings in comedy lore: he drunkenly approached Murray, unzipped his fly, and mimed an oral gesture. Both burst into laughter, and just like that, the ice cracked. Their subsequent friendship was sealed on the set of Caddyshack (1980), where their camaraderie on-screen—smoking pot together—mirrored the thawing of their earlier hostilities.

Over the decades, their relationship transformed from fiery rivalry to mutual respect. Bill would later acknowledge that Weekend Update wouldn’t exist without Chevy, ranking him a worthy fourth among its anchors—humble praise tucked into a tribute that concluded with warm acknowledgment. Chevy, for his part, would lean on Murray’s subtle kindness even during tense moments, paying homage at SNL’s 50th anniversary with genuine picture-posting camaraderie.

Their feud, once a product of wounded egos and high-stakes comedy, ultimately became a testament to reconciliation. A loud hallway fight fades into the lore of showbiz; their later friendship, captured in film and shared history, reminds us that even the bitterest clashes can give way to something deeper and enduring...

CELEBRITY ADS: ELIZABETH TAYLOR

Here is a great print ad that Elizabeth Taylor did for Lux soap, a popular soap during the classic years of Hollywood. The ad referenced her appearance in the classic film Giant from 1956...

TWO JOURNEYS THROUGH OZ: THE WIZARD OF OZ vs WICKED

For more than eight decades, the yellow brick road has stretched across film, literature, and musical theatre, guiding audiences through two very different visions of the Land of Oz. On one side stands the 1939 MGM classic The Wizard of Oz, a near‑mythic Technicolor masterpiece that shaped generations. On the other is Wicked, a 2003 Broadway phenomenon and now a major two‑part film adaptation, which reframes Oz not from Dorothy’s eyes, but from the perspective of the misunderstood green girl who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. Though they share the same world, these stories diverge in tone, moral complexity, and cinematic legacy, offering two distinct entry points into the same enchanting land.

Both works trace their roots back to L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum's book introduced readers to Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion, establishing the Emerald City and the fantastical geography of Oz.

More than a century later, author Gregory Maguire reimagined Baum's world in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995), offering a revisionist backstory to the infamous Witch—whom he named Elphaba—and examining moral gray areas the original never explored. This novel inspired the blockbuster Broadway musical Wicked in 2003, and ultimately led to the 2024 film adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. 

One of the starkest differences between the two tales lies in how they treat the reality of Oz itself. In the 1939 film, much of Oz is framed as Dorothy’s dream—a technicolor fantasy she awakens from after a blow to the head in Kansas.

In Wicked, Oz is no dreamland. It is a fully lived‑in world with politics, hierarchies, history, and moral complexity. The story follows Elphaba and Glinda from their years at Shiz University through a tangled web of friendship, ambition, and public perception. Oz becomes not a child’s fantasy but a society with injustices and agendas—one in which Elphaba is branded “wicked” for resisting corruption. 

The Wizard of Oz paints a clear moral world: Dorothy is good, the Wicked Witch is evil, and the Wizard—though flawed—is ultimately forgiven. But Wicked shatters these binaries. It reframes Elphaba as a sympathetic protagonist shaped by discrimination and betrayal. Even Glinda, the Good Witch, is shown to be more complex than her bubbly exterior suggests.

This shift in perspective challenges audiences to question the narratives handed down by history and authority—a theme central to Maguire’s novel and the musical. While Dorothy’s journey is one of self‑discovery wrapped in a simple moral arc, Elphaba’s is a tragedy of perception, politics, and power.

MGM’s The Wizard of Oz thrives on whimsy: flying monkeys, ruby slippers, and vibrant musical numbers. Its charm lies in its innocence and dreamlike wonder.
By contrast, Wicked strikes a more emotionally layered tone, balancing humor with themes of social injustice, identity, and friendship. Its tagline—“So much happened before Dorothy dropped in”—signals its desire to deepen the emotional and narrative texture of Oz. Performing giants like Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth originally brought Elphaba and Glinda to life, helping Wicked amass over 100 awards internationally and cement its global popularity. 

The Wizard of Oz remains one of the most beloved films in cinematic history—a cornerstone of the Golden Age of Hollywood, famous for its groundbreaking use of Technicolor and songs like “Over the Rainbow.”

Wicked, however, has carved out its own cultural legacy, becoming one of Broadway’s most successful productions and inspiring millions with its themes of friendship and defying expectations. Its long‑awaited film adaptation, released in 2024, has renewed interest in the story, bridging generations of Oz fans. 

While often marketed as a prequel, Wicked doesn’t simply lead into The Wizard of Oz. It reshapes the narrative, offering alternate interpretations of events and motivations. It intersects with Dorothy’s timeline only in its second act, and even then, it contradicts key elements of the 1939 film's portrayal.
Rather than fill in backstory, Wicked stands as its own narrative universe—an emotionally rich companion piece that expands and complicates Baum’s original world. 

Ultimately, The Wizard of Oz and Wicked are less competing stories and more complementary visions of the same mythos. One captures childlike wonder; the other reveals the fractures beneath the emerald‑green gloss. One asks us to believe in magic; the other asks us to question what we’re told about witches, wizards, and the meaning of “good.”

Together, they keep the Land of Oz evergreen—an ever‑expanding universe that invites new generations to follow the yellow brick road from different angles, each path revealing new truths about courage, friendship, and the stories we choose to believe...

COOKING WITH THE STARS: GLORIA STUART

 Gloria Stuart's career spanned decades and decades. From making movies like Kid Millions in 1934 with Eddie Cantor to her stunning appearance in 1997's Titanic, Stuart was a part of Hollywood for a long long time. Here is her receipe though for her dessert called Cream Vermont...

Cream Vermont

Ingredients:

1 cup pure maple syrup
8 egg yolks

2 cups whipped cream
½ chopped nutmeats (I used walnuts)

Heat syrup in a double boiler until a slight coating forms on the surface.Beat yolks with rotary beater until thick and lemon-colored.

Pour one-third of syrup over yolks, stirring constantly.
Pour this mixture slowly over remaining syrup in the double boiler, stirring constantly until mixture coats a metal spoon.
Place in freezer tray until frozen to a mush.
Fold in whipped cream and nuts and return to freezer tray.
Freeze without stirring. Serves 10.

RIP: CHUCK NORRIS

Actor Chuck Norris, best known for his starring role on the television series Walker, Texas Ranger, has died at the age of 86, his family confirmed in a post shared on his Facebook account Friday.

"It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning. While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace," the Norris family wrote. "To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength. To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family.

"He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved. Through his work, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives.

"While our hearts are broken, we are deeply grateful for the life he lived and for the unforgettable moments we were blessed to share with him. The love and support he received from fans around the world meant so much to him, and our family is truly thankful for it. To him, you were not just fans, you were his friends.

"We know many of you had heard about his recent hospitalization, and we are truly grateful for the prayers and support you sent his way.

"As we grieve this loss, we kindly ask for privacy for our family during this time.

"Thank you for loving him with us."

TMZ had previously reported that Norris, 86, a black belt in several disciplines of martial arts, was reported to have been hospitalized in Hawaii after experiencing a medical emergency while training in Hawaii on Thursday (March 19). A friend who said they spoke to Norris claimed he was in good spirits and was cracking jokes at the time of the report.

Norris celebrated his birthday earlier this month, sharing a video of himself sparring.

"I don’t age. I level up," Norris wrote in the caption of the Facebook post. "I’m 86 today! Nothing like some playful action on a sunny day to make you feel young. I’m grateful for another year, good health and the chance to keep doing what I love. Thank you all for being the best fans in the world. Your support through the years has meant more to me than you’ll ever know."

Norris is a veteran of the United States Air Force who won many martial arts championships before having founded his own discipline, Chun Kuk Do, and later trained numerous celebrities. The 86-year-old made his film debut with a minor role in The Wrecking Crew (1968) before playing one of the main villains in friend and fellow martial artist Bruce Lee's movie The Way of the Dragon (1972).

Norris was advised to continue acting by his friend and student, late legendary actor Steve McQueen, before taking on his first starring role in the action film Breaker! Breaker! (1977) followed by Good Guys Wear Black (1978) before a string of bankable independent and martial arts films including A Force of One (1979), The Octagon (1980) and An Eye for an Eye (1981). Norris' most iconic role came in the 1990s playing the titular character on the long-running CBS television series Walker, Texas Ranger from 1993 to 2001 and continued to appear in action movie roles until 2006, with his last major film appearance coming in The Expendables 2 (2012).

Norris found new fame when 'Chuck Norris facts,' which documented his fictional and absurd feats of strength and endurance, became a popular internet meme, as well as out of context clips of Walker, Texas Ranger being played on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in the mid-2000s after USA Network, which aired Walker, Texas Ranger in syndication at the time, merged with NBC...

THE BOX OFFICE STARS: 1959

The decade of the 1950s ended with a lot of great movies and great stars. It was still the golden years of Hollywood. Here are the top box office stars of 1959...

1. Rock Hudson
2. Cary Grant
3. James Stewart

                                                 

4. Doris Day

5. Debbie Reynolds

6. Glenn Ford

7. Frank Sinatra

8. John Wayne

9. Jerry Lewis

10. Susan Hayward.