Katherine Suarez
Cinematic History: Films 1950’s
Prof. M
February, 28 2016
Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra 's life was linked to music since childhood, becoming one of the most important figures ever known. Selling thousands of records and achieving recognition from the industry. Sinatra 's reputation as a singer made it easy for him to get into the action, he came to the movies in the fervor of his musical career in the early 40s. Sinatra soon showed he was an excellent actor. Offerings very good melodramatic records like “From Here to Eternity”, “The Man with the Golden Arm” among others.
From Here to Eternity is an American film based on the novel written by James Jones and directed by Fred Zinnemann. This work of over 800 pages was reduced
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First, at the Golden Globes for Best Actor Comedy or Musical for his role as Joey Evans in Pal Joey .Then at the Oscars for Best Original Song for "All the Way" , included in “The Joker Is Wild” a film that also starred. In this film Sinatra plays as Joey Evans (the "friend Joey ," according to the title), a nightclub singer with trend to be womanizing and shameless. The role of Joey Evans was played on Broadway by Gene Kelly and according with Frank was the role with which he had always dreamed of, after having given life to soldier Maggio in “From here to eternity”. It really looked a role made for Sinatra. In the film we see Joey behaving alternately as a scoundrel or a gentleman while two beautiful women totally different from each other fall in love with him. Joey works as a club singer in San Francisco where all choristers pining for him, until he meets the owner of the club (Rita Hayworth). She is a wealthy widow, she wants to close the club but Joey have to convince her not to do it. So while Joey flirts with the cheerful and rich widow, the poor chorus girl (Kim Novak) still pining for him. Sinatra 's performance was so natural because his life was not so different. At the moment filming "Pal Joey", he had a small "affair" with Kim Novak and continued intermittently for years, after all the role was not so far from reality. In addition Joey Evans is one of those characters who by his personality always wants to look good with the audience, unaware of his bad behavior. One of the most famous anecdotes of filming happened between Frank Sinatra and Harry Cohn. Harry did not want any trouble with Frank Sinatra that, at that time, he was a big star. But the truth is that Rita Hayworth was going to be heading the cast because she was already well established actress. Frank Sinatra who warned the problem before Harry commented it, he said . "Look, Harry, place me in the cartel between Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak I do not
Eleanora Fagan (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), professionally known as Billie Holiday, was an American jazz artist and artist musician with a vocation traversing almost thirty years. Nicknamed "Woman Day" by her companion and music accomplice Lester Young, Holiday affected jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, firmly propelled by jazz instrumentalists, spearheaded another method for controlling stating and rhythm. She was known for her vocal conveyance and improvisational aptitudes, which compensated for her restricted range and absence of formal music instruction. There were other jazz vocalists with equivalent ability, however Holiday had a voice that caught the consideration of her crowd.
Woody Harrelson. He portrayed Woody Boyd in the 1985 television sitcom Cheers, and also played Haymitch Abernathy for The Hunger Games series. But Harrelson has his own fair share of scandals as well that shattered our faith in humanity. In 1982, prior to his breakthrough in Cheers, Harrelson was arrested for disorderly conduct when he was seen dancing mid-street. He also has a record of resisting arrest, yet he was able to bail out himself from it and avoided jail.
Marc Anthony is not only known to be a singer, but also an actor. According to IMDB.com, Anthony has 17 credits of being an actor. Some movies that he is seen in include: El cantante, Man on Fire, Con la música por dentro, and East Side Story, just to name a few.
The success of Pal Joey started his numerous collaborations with Stanley Donen. Kelly and Fred Astaire were considered the brains and heart of the drama. His success in Singin’ in the Rain made him known to the world. He was remembered for his excellent dancing skills and natural humor in his performance. He received many awards from Hollywood for his contributions to the performance industry.
The Life of Billy Joel Billy Joel was born on May 9, 1949 in Bronx, New York. He moved at the age of four to a small town on Long Island. This is where at the ripe age of four he discovered the art of music. Originally a classical music fan, Billy Joel honed his skills with classical piano training. This undoubtedly has had a major influence on his life and certainly his music.
AIDS is the one of the most devastating diseases known to man as of today. “At the EJAF (Elton John AIDS Foundation) we believe that AIDS can be beaten” (Elton). Elton John AIDS Foundation is one of the most well-known charities in it’s field and is well respected throughout the world. Elton John decided to start this organization after losing two of his close friends, Freddie Mercury and Ryan White, to the disease. The foundation was initially set up in the United States (New York) in 1992, and then the United Kingdom (London) in 1993 (Elton). The principal advocacy of the foundation is to improve the quality of life of those diagnosed with or at high risk for HIV/AIDS.
In the years of 1952 and 1950, Hollywood released two incredible films; both films incorporate many of the same elements, just shown to different sides. Both films surround the shift in film technology from silent films to talkies. The first, Singin’ in the Rain, surrounds a film studio thrown into the midst of talking films. Stanley Donen created a lighthearted musical which showed how the transition was not as easy as it seemed. The film industry was not only about looks and actions anymore, it became about voice and its usage on-screen. This shift led to the downfall of certain actors and actresses who could no longer hold their own. The second, Sunset Boulevard, presented the idea of what happens to these actors, or in the case of this film, actresses, who were proven to not hold their own. Surrounding a young writer and a washed up silent film actress, the film showed the madness of an actress who believed her career ended much too early.
“Just because a man lacks use of his eyes doesn't mean he lacks vision”said Stevie Wonder in 1964 said Stevie Wonder in 19601 as a blind pianist,singer,and songwriter he was one of the most famous men in the 1960´s he made many people believe in themselves because they saw that he was blind since birth and had still made his career shot up and followed his dreams. Stevie Wonders was an inspiring role model in the singing and songwriting industry, because he overcame a physical disability
The fifties was a learning year and the 60's became the time to express everything that they learned. The 60's was a time for new and innovative ways to entertain the people. Since the blacklisting continued in Hollywood, the making or films became very difficult to express. The restrictions, such as the production codes, kept the big corporations to produce films that had no interesting subjects. These films also had to be films that show no signs of communistic values. The film industry was failing to bring in the audience to the theaters. With the TV making a big wave all over, the U.S. the film industry was losing it is money. Then in 1961 something big happened, 20th Century Fox took apart its lot. This act was one that led to a chain reaction. Studios were assuming the role of distributors. This would allow the independent companies to come in and add a new flavor to the silver screen. During this time films changed it's traditional film making ideas. Things started to get graphic, more violent, sexual and more expressive. Movies had found a new look and with the production codes now gone and the blacklisting ending, there was an explosion of ideas that would be presented to the United States.
"The 1950s Arts and Entertainment: Headline Makers." UXL American Decades, edited by Julie L. Carnagie, et al., vol. 6: 1950-1959, UXL, 2003, pp. 6-7. Research in Context, libraries.state.ma.us/login?gwurl=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=MSIC&sw=w&u=mlin_s_stoughs&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CCX3436900292&asid=bd732d62e619603058adafcd63c4f7d3. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.
It was a sad and tragic end to a life that had so deeply affected the evolution of the big band music era. His life was considered to be valued amongst the famous vocalists of the 1940’s, ranging from the great Bing Crosby to the first lady of jazz, Ella Fitzgerald. Frank Albert Sinatra, a passion driven and timeless soul, became the voice of a century thanks to his authentic, charismatic voice suited with such clarity and beloved dictation. He was a man who expanded a young nations love for the craft of jazz music, and by using such a craft he was able to show his “true colors” on and off the stage. He was 82 years old when he had passed away on May 14th, 1998 because of a second heart attack that derived from a combination of heart and kidney diseases along with his gravely growing dementia that had come with age.
Another major contender in the comedy genre was Harold Lloyd. He had an unpredictable style of comedy at first. For a long time he wanted to model himself after Charlie Chaplin until he came into his own unique style. Chaplin’s clothes were too big for him, so Lloyd wore clothes that were too small for him. However, it was not as simple as reversing Chaplin’s style. One day someone put him in oval wire glasses and it somehow became part of his persona. Lloyd eventually evolved on his own and claimed his own unique style. “At times he would seem meek but then would explode suddenly with force and anger” (Cousins, p. 73). He became most famous for his incredible stamina and ability to perform outrageous stunts, known as his “human fly” act. In Safety Last he is seen climbing the side of a building, along the way running into many obstacles that would threaten to push him off. He was unparalleled in the way he performed such dangerous stunts all for the sake of comedy.
I want to analyze who he associated himself with, assuming the possibility that these people had an effect on his music and persona. I believe that while his music changed as did his personality. I trust that when Sinatra originally started singing with the glee club of Demarest High School, he had no idea of where his life was heading, nor the legend he was going to become. Thus, as his fame progressed and evolved so did his music and disposition. In my own opinion, there is no one archetypal Sinatra song or album; honestly I don’t even believe that there is even one true Frank Sinatra style.
Alexis Ewing Mr. Brown British Literature 6 May 2016 The Evolution of David Bowie The many talents of David Bowie helped his career thrive and truly make him an icon. From youth concerts to having tributes made after him. David Bowie has changed his style and music type for many years to keep his music new and exciting.
The introduction of sound to film started in the 1920’s. By the 1930’s a vast majority of films were now talkies. ‘If you put a sound consistent to visual image and specifically human voice you make a “talkie”’ (Braun 1985 pg. 97). In 1926 Warner Brothers introduced sound to film but, other competing studios such as FOX, didn’t find it necessary to incorporate sound to their motion pictures production, as they were making enough money through their silent movies. Warner Brothers decided to take what was considered a risky move by adding sound to their motion picture, a risk taken, as they weren’t as successful in the silent movie department. But this risk paid off with the hit release of ‘The Jazz Singer’ in 1927. Though sound in films was then acceptable and successful it wasn’t until the 1950’s that it became feasible to the public as sound was introduced to cinema by the invention of Cinerama by Fred Waller. The Cinerama used 35mm film strip and seven channels of audio.