Showing posts with label 1900s. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1900s. Show all posts

Monday, 31 October 2011

1909

"I'm Alabama bound, I'm Alabama bound, I've tried you out, I've got to turn you down."


(L-R Errol Flynn, Dana Andrews, James Mason)


Oh my, this is no good! Unfortunately, we're missing a post highlight this month. No hot chickadees! That better be addressed in next months post, or I may lose interest in this blog. Anyway...

Actors Dana Andrews, James Mason, Burl Ives, Errol Flynn and Michael Rennie, and Directors Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Marcel Carné and Elia Kazan were born in 1909. Also songwriter Johnny Mercer, "King of Swing" jazz clarinetist/bandleader Benny Goodman and pianist Art Tatum.


A Corner in Wheat
Dir: D.W. Griffith
Time: 14mins


Le locataire diabolique [The Devilish Tenant]
Dir: Georges Méliès
Time: 6mins


Princess Nicotine; or, The Smoke Fairy
Dir: J. Stuart Blackton
Time: 5mins


The Lonely Villa
Dir: D.W. Griffith
Time: 8mins


The Airship Destroyer
Dir: Walter R. Booth
Time: 7mins


Le voyage sur Jupiter
Dir: Segundo de Chomón
Time: 8mins


The Country Doctor
Dir: D.W. Griffith
Time: 14mins


Une excursion incohérente [A Panicky Picnic]
Dir: Segundo de Chomón & Camille de Morlhon
Time: 8mins


Clair de lune Espagnol [The Moon-Struck Matador]
Dir: Émile Cohl
Time: 2mins

1909 has been my favourite year for movies so far, and I think the best of the bunch stand out as some of the great movies of the decade. Griffith's work really stands out, and here we get to see a 23 year old Florence Lawrence, and a 17 year old Mary Pickford (in her first year of movie acting). The 3 DW Griffith shorts I've seen share much in common. There's an impressive variation of indoor sets, and outdoor locations. The cross-cutting techniques have not really been applied to anything prior to these, and there's many more modern methods starting to take shape. The long(ish) final shot of A Corner In Wheat with the fade, the similar opening and closing shots used in The Country Doctor etc.

Biograph (Griffith's employers) were lucky enough to partner with Edison under the "Motion Picture Patents Company", which would keep the "Edison Trust" out of the way. As many other smaller studios opposed Edison's grip on the american movie industry, legal wranglings and violence from Edison's goons caused much disruption, and I believe this advantage proved a significant reason for Biographs success, and its' filmaking to flourish unfettered.

Beatles side-note: George's dad, Harold Hargreaves Harrison born 1909. 

My film ratings for 1909.

My music ratings for 1909.


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Friday, 30 September 2011

1908

"Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd."

(L-R Fred MacMurray, Carole Lombard, Rex Harrison, Bette Davis, John Mills)



Movie births in 1908 include John Mills, Rex Harrison, Michael Redgrave, David Lean, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Mel Blanc, Edward Dmytryk, Carole Lombard, Burgess Meredith, Lew Ayres, Fred MacMurray. Also James Bond author Ian Fleming, and James Bond 'M' actor Bernard Lee.

In music, Stephane Grappelli (of Quintette du Hot Club de France) and US jazz bandleader Louis Jordan were born. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov became the third composer of Могучая кучка (The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie) to pass away.



El hotel eléctrico
Dir: Segundo de Chomón
Time: 9mins


Fantasmagorie [A Fantasy]
Dir: Émile Cohl
Time: 2mins


Moscou sous la neige [Moscow Clad in Snow]
Dir: Joseph-Louis Mundwiller
Time: 7mins


Excursion dans la lune [Excursion to the Moon]
Dir: Segundo de Chomón
Time: 7mins


The Thieving Hand
Dir: J. Stuart Blackton
Time: 5mins


Sculpteur moderne [Modern Sculptors]
Dir: Segundo de Chomón
Time: 6mins


The Adventures of Dollie
Dir: D.W. Griffith
Time: 12mins


Понизовая вольница [Stenka Razin]
Dir: Vladimir Romashkov
Time: 9mins


Magic Bricks
Dir: Segundo de Chomón
Time: 3mins

Émile Cohl's very short Fantasmagorie is quite a fantastic early example of an animated cartoon, and The Thieving Hand is a genuinely funny short, and makes me think this could be a comedic version of 1981's The Hand.

Contrary to the previous years, I would assume by now the nickolodeon flocking public may have grown tired of the majority of trick films. Whilst interesting and original in the 1890s, I can only imagine audiences were wanting something a bit more out of the movie-going experience. Plus, the movie companies were now trying to appeal to a much wider audience. Soon, audiences were no longer just made up of the lower classes. Stories (however simple) were becoming more popular on screen, and together with longer screenings (1-2 reels would equal 10-20 minutes), a trip to the 'pictures' was more of an event than a quick cheap laugh.

It was around this time that film pioneering took another step forward, with directors such as D.W. Griffith focusing on creating and improving new filming techniques. Griffith had failed as a playwright and, by the sounds of things, was not setting the world alight with his acting. He was luckily offered an opportunity to direct a film for Biograph, due to the original directors illness. Although The Adventures of Dollie is far from great, I'm surprised at its relatively low rating on many websites. I know plenty of people associate much of DW Griffiths work with racism (and yes, one could argue the portrayal of the gypsies in this film is racist), but the film does do a job. Taking a simple story, from start to finish, and giving Griffith his first experience behind the cameras, this was the start of his successful career as a director. And certainly a welcomed diversion from the current crop of trick films.

We catch our first glimpse of early Russian cinema here. The short documentary, Moscow Clad in Snow, shows winter life throughout the capital, and manages to generate an equally interesting look into this fascinating country. Maybe I'm just a sucker for most things "Pусский". Then again, I feel Понизовая вольница [Stenka Razin] doesn't fare as well. Although the scenes are filmed well enough (especially on water), and the negative is in prime condition for its age, I can't read Russian, nor did I find I was able to follow the French subs with much success, and as I'm unfamiliar with this story, it just didn't make it for me.

My film ratings for 1908.

My music ratings for 1908.


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Wednesday, 31 August 2011

1907

"Budweiser's a Friend of Mine."

(L-R Katharine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, Rosalind Russell, John Wayne, Fay Wray)


Births include Cesar Romero, Fred Zinnemann, Katharine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, John Wayne, Rosalind Russell, Fay Wray, Gene Autry and Barbara Stanwyck.


I've only seen a handful of Barbara Stanwyck movies, and they're all from the 40's onwards. When I think of her, it's usually Double Indemnity's Phyllis Dietrichson that springs to mind, so I was quite happy to find some pictures of her from the 1920's and 30's before she was blonde. Not that I have anything against blondes. But I do like a variety of looks for any one individual. The whole aim of this blog is to learn more about those great moments and people in recent artistic history, and Ms. Stanwyck and her work ranked high on my potential list of discoveries. Below are some great photos:



Left to right:- 1) 1924 - as a Ziegfeld girl. 2) 1933 colourised pic of Barbara looking gorgeous from Ladies They Talk About. 3) Later picture, more in common with the Barbara I know.






Satan s'amuse
Dir: Segundo de Chomón
Time: 10mins


La course des sergents de ville [The Policemen's Little Run]
Dir: Ferdinand Zecca
Time: 6mins


La maison ensorcelée
Dir: Segundo de Chomón
Time: 6mins


L'éclipse du soleil en pleine lune [The Eclipse]
Dir: Georges Méliès
Time: 9mins


Le Farfalle [The Butterflies] - excerpt only ~ Click here for full version
Time: 2mins (6mins FULL version)


Le scarabée d'or [The Golden Beetle]
Dir: Segundo de Chomón
Time: 3mins


Le spectre rouge
Dir: Segundo de Chomón, Ferdinand Zecca
Time: 10mins


Kiriki, acrobates japonais [Kiri-Kis]
Dir: Segundo de Chomón
Time: 3mins


Le Tunnel sous la Manche ou le Cauchemar franco-anglais [Tunneling the English Channel]
Dir: Georges Méliès
Time: 15mins

1907 looks to be dominated by the works of Georges Méliès and Segundo de Chomón once again. The films are fine, but unlike audiences in 1907 (I have hindsight to assure me that great things follow quite soon in the history of cinema), I have started to find the work to be much of the same, and not really refreshing enough to keep my interest to a maximum.

La course des sergents de ville [The Policemen's Little Run] seems quite fresh for its time. A few different techniques applied whilst following the same principle of many early comedic shorts. This definitely looks like an influence of Mack Sennett's Keystone Kops (who would appear in 1912).

Wikipedia's entry on movies for this year did lead me to El Sartorio. The earliest surviving "adult" film. A few quick searches haven't got me anywhere. God knows what a porno from 104 years ago looks like. I'll just have to imagine!

My film ratings for 1907.

My music ratings for 1907.


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Sunday, 31 July 2011

1906

"A circus light keeps flashing. A stone fumbled and fell. Steel beams snap like toothpicks. I don't feel well."

(L-R George Sanders, John Huston, Louise Brooks, John Carradine)


No big names for me in music, but many greats of the film industry were born this particular year. Directors: Roberto Rossellini, Billy Wilder, John Huston, Otto Preminger, Carol Reed. Actors: John Carradine, Lon Chaney, Jr, Lou Costello, George Sanders, Mary Astor and Janet Gaynor.


Louise Brooks (pictured left), also born in 1906, is nowadays remembered as one of the most famous silent film actresses, despite her rather short career in the USA. After a few years in California, loathing the "Hollywood" scene, she came to Europe to make a number of films in Germany. These pre-code era titles were considered shockingly "adult". She looks fantastic, and is generally credited to popularizing the "bob cut". The style has seen so much popularity throughout the past century. The sixties, the nineties (Mrs Mia Wallace anyone?) and plenty in recent years <----


Often referred to as "The First Movie Star", Florence Lawrence made her film debut in 1906. She was the first "Biograph Girl" (soon to be replaced by Mary Pickford), after which she was lured away to Carl Laemmle's Independent Motion Picture Company. Her salary rose, and she became the first actor to receive on-screen billing. And if that wasn't enough, she was also an inventor, creating the first automobile turn signal. Tragically, like quite a few stars of her era, her life ended with suicide after her career had faded.

Florence Lawrence 1905

What a difference a year (or in this case - a month) makes. It could be the claritry of the recordings, the genuine improvement on the past years or just that my ears are finally starting to adapt to the early 1900's, but I must admit RYM's top few records including Razzazza Mazzazza (Arthur Pryor) and Buffalo Rag (Vess Ossman) sound a lot better than what I was prepared for. But I am still wating for that first bite of true excitement.


7mins
Dream of a Rarebit Fiend


3mins
Humorous Phases of Funny Faces


9mins
San Francisco: Aftermath of Earthquake


4mins
La révolution en Russie


6mins
Le théâtre électrique de Bob [Bob's Electric Theatre]


7mins
A Winter Straw Ride



16mins (Lost film - remaining segments)
The Story Of The Kelly Gang


10mins
Aladin ou la lampe merveilleuse


3mins
The (?) Motorist


3mins
Les affiches en goguette [The Hilarious Posters]


4mins (segment)
Les quatre cents farces du diable [The 400 Tricks of the Devil]


7mins
Les résultats du féminisme


3mins
Alchimiste Parafaragamus ou La cornue infernale


12mins
A Trip Down Market Street Before the Fire (Documentary)


Nothing really remarkable about this year in film, but I did enjoy the antics throughout "A Winter Straw Ride". Students, both male and female, falling over one another, starting snow fights, and falling backwards out of horse-drawn carriages.

A Trip Down Market Street Before the Fire, provides a fascinating snapshot of day-to-day life along Market St, San Francisco over 100 years ago, shot only days prior to the famous earthquake of '06 that devastated the city.

Les résultats du féminisme was an interesting concept for 1906. Men being women, and women being men. It seemed suitable material for a Monty Python sketch, or even something more recent. Infact, from the first minute I couldn't help but visualise David Walliams in the lead role (the guy on the far left at the start).

The year ends with the release of Australian movie "The Story of the Kelly Gang", the longest running to date and the world's first feature film. The 1st 10 mins (of the remaining footage) has been kept and restored wonderfully, but some of the last 5mins are in a terrible state.

My film ratings for 1906.

My music ratings for 1906.


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Thursday, 30 June 2011

1905

"Girl we gotta get out of here, we gotta find a solution. I'm a twentieth century man but I don't want to die here."


(L-R) Joseph Cotten, Clara Bow, Henry Fonda, Myrna Loy, Ray Milland

(Instead of trying to document everything I find during the history of cinema & music, I'm instead relying on the following links to provide a chronology, as they do a far better job than I can in summing up the relevant years. My posts will focus on anything that's taken my fancy)


It's 1905 and finally, the wheels are in motion, with plenty to mention during this sixth month post.  Lots of significant births, with actors such as Henry Fonda, Joan Crawford, Thelma Ritter, Myrna Loy, Greta Garbo, Joseph Cotten, Ray Milland, Clara Bow, Takashi Shimura, Robert Donat and Kay Francis. Directors/Producers Howard Hughes, Otto Preminger, Michael Powell and Robert Stevenson also.

Kay Francis in the pre-code comedy Jewel Robbery (1932)
(Click here for a great post on Ms. Francis)

Jules Verne passed away in March 1905. A major contributor to the earliest days of cinema, despite not working in-front or behind the camera's. His work in the sc-fi genre proved very inspirational to the film industry (especially to French pioneer Georges Méliès), and his novels continue to be popular around the world.

RYM user novocaine69 provides a fantastic list of silent movies here, from which I've obtained most of my youtube links. Again, nothing too significant, but Méliès work is the best. The Black Imp is a rather amusing short, whilst the longer Le palais des mille et une nuits suffers a little from being too long, but still has some worthwhile moments. The stunts and effects are decent, and the costumes and sets are good for their time.

The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog (Edwin S. Porter)


New York Subway


Le roi des dollars AKA The King of Dollars (Segundo de Chomón)


Rescued by Rover (Cecil M. Hepworth)


The Night Before Christmas (Edwin S. Porter)


Le diable noir AKA The Black Imp (Georges Méliès)


Le palais des mille et une nuits AKA The Palace
of a Thousand and One Nights (Georges Méliès)


Meanwhile, a small railroad town is established in the sparse Mojave Desert, NV, USA. Over the next 60 years it will grow into the gambling capital of the world, providing many milestones in the background, inspiration, and showcasing of numerous pieces of music and film.

Las Vegas 2005

Things start sounding a little more familiar (to the modern ear) in music land. The first extensive research in the field of "The Blues" was performed by Howard W. Odum, who published a large anthology of folk songs in the counties of Lafayette, Mississippi and Newton, Georgia between 1905 and 1908.

'Chick' Webb and Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup are both born during 1905, and around this time, child vaudevillian Fred Astaire begins performing with his sister on stage. Arthur Collins' hit The Preacher & The Bear becomes the first song to sell a million copies.

"Well now we're getting somewhere!" Jerry Seinfeld
"C'mon Elaine, let's take a ride. I was about to pop in some Verdi" Bob Cobb (The Maestro)
 
To my surprise, there is actually a little something to discuss of 1905's music. I can't say I'm a fan of RYM's #1 - Arthur Pryor's The Whistler and His Dog, but #2 is quite good. Billy Murray's vocal's on The Yankee Doodle Boy is the most fun so far, and the production is good considering the conditions would have been rather primitive. Hardly the definitive version, Enrico Caruso's La donna è mobile is still worthy enough, especially being one of the earliest recorded versions of the Verdi classic.


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Tuesday, 31 May 2011

1904

"At eight o'clock a girl she wakes, at five past eight a bath she takes. At ten-past eight my ladder breaks, when I'm cleaning windows."

(L-R) Count Basie, Jean Gabin, George Formby, Peter Lorre

The demise of Czech classical composer Antonín Dvorák was the most significant death in music for 1904. Coleman Hawkins (american jazz tenor saxophonist) and Glenn Miller (trombonist/bandleader) were born in america's mid-west whilst Count Basie was born in New Jersey. Across the atlantic, in Lancashire, England an unlikely hero (& influence to those who followed) was born. George Formby.

Formby began performing on stage as a teenager. By 1926 he began making records, and by 1932 started appearing in films. For years Mr Formby was the highest paid entertainer in Britain, remaining the UK's top comedian throughout most of the 30's & 40's. After signing with Columbia in 1941 he became the fifth highest-paid movie actor in the world, ahead of superstars like Errol Flynn and Bing Crosby! 150,000 people lined the streets during his funeral in 1961, and his more famous fans included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ray Davies. I once read somewhere that Harrison spent an entire evening playing Formby's records to Bob Dylan. From what I remember, Dylan wasn't overly impressed. He just just didn't "get" it.


George Formby

From 1904, we also start seeing some of cinemas biggest names appearing from here onwards, and this particular year brought us Cary Grant (see previous post), Peter Lorre, John Gielgud, Robert Montgomery, Jean Gabin, Dick Powell, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers. Also directors George Stevens & Jacques Tourneur.

This months featured year seems to start and end with the work of Georges Méliès, who continues to be a major contributor. Conceived as a sequel to 1902's Le voyage dans la lune, An Impossible Voyage has some great sets and effects, and now becomes the longest film mentioned so far (at 24mins!?! Is the world ready to devote this amount of time to the passing fad that is the motion picture?). Méliès also made Le bourreau turc, Les cartes vivantes, The King of the Mackerel Fishers, La sirène and Sorcellerie culinaire all achieving a respectable 6+(/10) on imdb.

Following on from 1901's Fire! and The Big Swallow, James Williamson offers some slapstick in An Interesting Story.


Les cartes vivantes
(This negative has been preserved very well, or an
excellent job has been done on its restoration)


The King of the Mackerel Fishers

James Williamson pops up again with An Interesting Story.

An Impossible Voyage

The shortlived Art movement 'Fauvism', led by Henri Matisse and André Derain, appears in France.

During some youtube searches, I happened upon TheBirthOfFilm and their wonderful collection of early movies. Many b&w's from the 1890s through to the 1940's. Certainly worth a visit if you're into that kind of thing.

Alas, I was unable to find any noteworthy songs from 1904.


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Sunday, 1 May 2011

Cary Grant (1904 - 1986)

I've got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don't intend to disappoint them all by getting myself "slightly" killed."


Archie Leach was born in Bristol, UK in 1904. He joined a stage troupe after being expelled from school at 14. The group would perform various acts (mime, dancing, tumbling and stilt-walking), and in 1920 (at the age of 16) he travelled with them to perform in the USA (first New York, before Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston etc). In 1922, after a final performance in New York, the The Bob Pender Comedy Troupe returned to Britain, with Archie opting to stay in America to seek his fortune. Over the next 10 years or so, he performed with various outfits, on Broadway and throughout the country, perfecting his comedic skills & timing with acrobatics and juggling etc.

In 1931 he found himself in impressing the studios of Hollywood, CA, and at the insistence of Paramount Pictures, renamed himself Cary Grant shortly before his debut picture This Is The Night. He particularly disliked his role and it left him disillusioned with the film industry and ready to quit the business before a friend intervened. During his first few films, he was given supporting roles to many successful actors, such as Fredric March, Sylvia Sidney, Carole Lombard, Tallulah Bankhead, Gary Cooper and Charles Laughton, before his first lead role in 1932's Blonde Venus opposite Marlene Dietrich. This was followed by Mae West's successful She Done Him Wrong, which she would claim discovered Cary despite it being his 3rd year in film. His lead performances got off to a good start, as 1933 produced a further 2 notable movies (I'm No Angel, again with Mae West, and The Eagle and the Hawk).


The decade would see Cary appear in up to 4 films per year, but his next real success didn't come until '37, with Topper. With the great response to the film, Cary proved himself as box-office gold (quite literally), as his contract also allowed him a percentage of the profits. This was immediately followed up by an impressive string of major successes (The Awful Truth, Bringing Up Baby, Holiday, Gunga Din, Only Angels Have Wings, His Girl Friday, My Favorite Wife, The Philadelphia Story).

1941 marked his first of four collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, Suspicion. He would later star in the fantastic Notorious (1946) and the equally awesome North By Northwest (1959), as well as To Catch A Thief with Grace Kelly.


By now, Cary had limited himself to just 1 or 2 movies per year, but that didn't stop his continuing success. CG was nominated for his first oscar, for his performance in Penny Serenade, but lost out to a 'GC', one Gary Cooper who won for Sergeant York. His second (and last) oscar nomination was for None But the Lonely Heart in 1945 (which he this time lost out to Bing Crosby). From 1942, the next 10 years would see him maintain an average of a 'hit' per year (The Talk of the Town, Mr. Lucky, Destination Tokyo, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Bishop's Wife, Bachelor Knight, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, You Can't Sleep Here, People Will Talk, Monkey Business).

In 1953, it was a different kind of 'hit' that would impact Cary Grant's life. The research for this post provided me with some unbelievable, but fascinating information regarding Mr. Grant's experiences with LSD. There's some really good reading out there, readily available if googled. Certainly recommended for anyone interested.

"You know, we are all unconsciously holding our anus. In
one LSD dream ..... I imagined myself as a giant penis
launching off from earth like a spaceship." - Cary Grant

His final dozen movies were all successful enough, and included the popular An Affair to Remember, Operation Petticoat, Charade, and Father Goose. His final film Walk, Don't Run was released in 1966, whilst still at the height of his career, but he retired at 62, as he felt his audience would not want to see him drop down to supporting roles. His only child, Jennifer, was also born this year, and he remained a devoted father for the remainder of his life. He died, at the age of 82, in November 1986.

I remember Cary Grant being a bit of a hero for me as a kid. I think it was my dad who first introduced me to his work (as he was also a hero to him as a child too). I've only ever seen about 15 of his movies, and I would assume they are his most popular, but I'm looking forward to seeking out the other great ones I've not yet seen.

"Good morning, darling. I trust you slept well.
I hope I wasn't too much of an animal."
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Saturday, 30 April 2011

1903

"Sing a song of long ago. When things were green and movin' slow."

1903 sees the birth of both halves of the comedy duo Bob Hope & Bing Crosby, aswell as 1934 Academy Award winner Claudette Colbert.

Bing & Bob dig Claudette

During the earliest years of the 1900's, New York City predated Hollywood as America's film capital. Starting on 27th May on BBC2 (UK), Paul Merton looks at the Birth of Hollywood, which delves into the humble NYC beginnings of the USA's film industry, and the reasons for the sudden move to California. Not to be missed!

New York City (by day & night 2005)




shows how Lower Manhattan looked 108 years ago. If you're interested in the history of New York City, and its' visual importance/thematic inspiration to cinema, I can highly recommend the book "Celluloid Skyline: New York And The Movies" by James Sanders.



Borrowing heavily from James Williamson's "Fire", two years previously, Edwin S. Porter makes "
", which continues the evolution of cinema through establishing narrative and pursuing techniques such as cross-cutting, which would play a large part in the appeal and acclaim throughout the work of D.W. Griffith.



This was then followed by his most popular work (and the most important film release to date),
. Aside from the rotation used in the 1900's short 'Champs de Mars', Porters work features the earliest use of camera movement I've seen so far. The sets/scenery are impressive for its time, and the casting/acting is well done. The little amount of "over-acting" is only as bad as many films made post-war.



Another highly rated film from this year, is Cecil Hepworth's "
", although unlike the work of Porter, I found a flaw in its production. The plot seems a little flimsy, and results in a confusing experience, and unless you're familiar with the book or any of its major adaptations, this can be quite a awkward film to follow and make sense of.



Georges Méliès pops up once again with another remarkable piece, "
". It's almost a "silent musical", showcasing camera trickery and some fine dancing and acrobatics captured on this early example of fantasy film.

In Pennsylvania, four brothers (Albert, Harry, Jack & Sam) open their first theatre. Within afew years the Warner brothers began film distribution, eventually merging with First National Pictures, Inc. and later acquiring their studio lot in Burbank, California.

Warner Bros. 'Brothers' (left) and 'Studios' (in 2005)

The popular music of 1903 seems to consist of the same faces from 1902. The year itself doesn't fare too well on RateYourMusic, and it appears to be the weakest year represented in the top 100 of the decade.

But those rated highly are worthwhile enough. #3 for 1903 (#58 for 1900s) is Arthur Collins with the ragtime 'Any Rags?'. The tune is the most interesting so far, and almost ahead of its time. Forgetting the lyrics, the structure of the song would not be out of place in a 1940's Disney musical.

Mississippi John Hurt begins performing. His niece would become the wife of Skip James (see earlier post).

Delta blues-guitarist Big Joe Williams and influential Jazz musician Bix Beiderbecke were born in 1903.


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Thursday, 31 March 2011

1902

"No tears. No fears. No ruined years. No clocks. She's a twentieth century fox."



Le Voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon) is a fantastic piece of fiction, showing Méliès was improving with each movie. Based on Jules Verne's De la Terre à la Lune and the recently published The First Men In The Moon by H. G. Wells, it could well be the first true 'classic' of this blog. Most people will recognize the scene where the rocket lands in the eye on the face of the moon. It's also the first movie to feature in Films101 top 2000 at #1257. Infact, it's the only film of the centuries first 20 years to appear in any of imdb's "Top 50 by genre", by hitting #19 in IMDB's "top rated shorts".

I also watched Charleston Chain Gang, Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show and another Méliès film "Man With The Rubber Head". All fine, but don't really add much to what's already been discussed.

1902 seems to have been a quiet year for births in the movie/music industry, with no actors I'm familiar with having been born. However, filmmakers William Wyler, David O. Selznick, Darryl F. Zanuck all entered the world during this time. The only music name that rang a bell was Skip James, the influential Delta Bluesman, born in Mississippi in June '02. Both Cream and Deep Purple would cover his "I'm So Glad" on each of their debut albums. He would later provide the inspiration to (in my opinion) the best song from the
soundtrack, a re-recording of a James original titled "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" (have a listen here).


Me with a cold, trying "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues"
(complete with mistakes, breakdown and a chuckle)

Scott Joplin published his most popular work in 1902, the instantly recognisable "The Entertainer" (enjoying a revival in the 70's due to its use in
), and by the age of 14, one young fella named Lead Belly had started to perform.

Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 premiered in 1901, but was amended in 1902 into the piece we now all know. And it is a great piece. Without wanting to venture too far into patriotism, I think this would make a far greater national anthem for the British, than the boring, lackluster, God Save The Queen.

Books by Joel Whitburn ('A Century Of Pop Music 1900-1999' and 'Pop Memories 1890-1954') suggested the most popular American artists of 1902 were J.W. Myers, Arthur Collins and Harry MacDonough. However, I feel that throughout most modern history, it has been proven that "popular" does not generally mean "great". It is actually often the opposite, so the 1900's may not be so different from the 2000's. These ratings are based on 'Billboard' rankings, and we know the Americans can be just as bad as anyone else in the world for dishing out unjustified praise to the talentless.

That said, 1902 proves to be RYM's most prolific year of the decade, and the #1 for 1902 is a tune sung by Arthur Collins and Byron Harlan (Feat. Vess Ossman on Banjo) and it's quite good. Because of the tempo, it felt like the first proper song thats managed to flow, without getting too busy. From what I've heard up until now, many records were there to simply amuse or showcase a specific talent. I found alot of them during this time to lack the 'soul' that illuminates records in the decades that follow. #2 is Fred Van Eps' "The International Cakewalk", which again isn't bad, due to having an enjoyable melody. Overall, an improvement on 1901, but how long till these recordings start speaking to me? Only time will tell...


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Monday, 28 February 2011

1901

"Friends say it's fine. Friends say it's good. Everybody says it's just like Robin Hood (or is it Rock n Roll?)"

1901 proved quite a tumultuous time for the economic powers of the world, what with the assassination of U.S. President McKinley, attempted assassination of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and the year beginning with the death of Queen Victoria. But it proved another notable year for cinema's infancy. By this time Britain has proved itself an important part of the early film industry. The first film textbook to be published is from an English filmmaker, Cecil Hepworth. In 1901 Scottish born film pioneer James Williamson directs noteworthy films "Fire!" and "The Big Swallow" (which includes cinema's very first close-up).

Shortly after Charles Pathé began film production, France's Pathé becomes the dominant international studio.


Barbe-bleue (AKA Bluebeard) by Georges Méliès
The Big Swallow by James Williamson


Fire! by James Williamson

Fire by James Williamson proved very inspirational to US director Edwin S. Porter (as you will see in an upcoming post). At 4 minutes, it matched Georges Méliès "Rêve de Noël" for length, but Méliès raised the bar with 1901's ten-minute Barbe-bleue (Blue Beard).

1901 saw the birth of Filmmakers: Walt Disney and Vittorio De Sica, and Actors: Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich (pictured left), Melvyn Douglas and acclaimed acting coach Stella Adler.

The death of C19th Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi coincides with the birth of C20th Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo, as well as Jazz superstar Louis Armstrong (pictured below) and the influential Chicago Blues player Kokomo Arnold. During this time we see Ragtime grow in popularity.

With feet in both audio & visual camps, "America's sweethearts" Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald (actors and singers) and famed variety show host Ed Sullivan were also born in this year.

RateYourMusic's top release for 1901 proves that atrocious titles don't necessarily mean atrocious music. Vess Osman's A Coon Band Contest is a decent enough banjo tune, but I can't see myself returning to it anytime soon. Having listened to a few more in the top 20, I'm still uncertain if I will find anything of interest in this decade. However, I shall continue listening.

Louis Armstrong statue
(taken during a visit to New Orleans in 2005)



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Monday, 31 January 2011

1900

"And so the story begins..."

The start of the new century brought us the birth of such directors as Luis Buñuel, Robert Siodmak, Mervyn LeRoy, and actors as Jean Arthur, Spencer Tracy, Agnes Moorehead, Alastair Sim and 'First Lady of the American Theater' Helen Hayes.

(L-R = Helen Hayes x2, Spencer Tracy, Jean Arthur)


No film I've seen from 1900 has featured in Films101 top 2000, although the I've listed a few that fared ok at IMDB and RYM, and/or got a mention in the AFI Desk Reference.


Champs de Mars - Edison


Grandma's Reading Glass - George Albert Smith


Why Mrs. Jones Got a Divorce - Edison


Rêve de Noël - Georges Méliès

At 4 minutes long "Rêve de Noël" is the longest film so far, and it isn't bad for its time. It's the most entertaining film I've watched so far.

1900 also saw the birth of Aaron Copland and American jazz clarinetist George Lewis. The only artists to feature in RYM's top 50 of the 1900s are Sousa's Band (with Hu-La Hu-La Cake Walk) and Arthur Collins (with You're Talking Rag-Time).

I wouldn't mind some suggestions for popular music from 1900 as, apart from classical compositions (Jean Sibelius' Finlandia in particular), I haven't really enjoyed what I have heard so far. So let's move on...


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