Summer Stock
Encyclopedia
For the article about the theatre genre, see Summer stock theatre
.
Summer Stock (known as If You Feel Like Singing in the UK) is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
musical
made in 1950
. The film was directed by Charles Walters
and stars Judy Garland
, Gene Kelly
, Eddie Bracken
, Gloria DeHaven
, Marjorie Main
, and Phil Silvers
. Nicholas Castle Sr was the choreographer.
Judy Garland
struggled with many personal problems during filming, and Summer Stock proved to be her last MGM movie and also her last pairing with Gene Kelly
onscreen. MGM terminated Garland's contract in September 1950.
stars as Jane Falbury, a farm owner whose actress sister Abigail, played by Gloria DeHaven
, arrives at the family farm with her theater troupe. They need a practice stage, and Jane and her housekeeper Esme (Marjorie Main
) reluctantly agree to let them use their barn. The actors and actresses, including the director Joe Ross (Gene Kelly
), repay her hospitality by doing chores around the farm. Although Joe is engaged to Abigail, he begins to fall in love with Jane after Abigail leaves him in an angry fit. Similarly, although Jane is engaged to Orville (Eddie Bracken
), she falls in love with Joe. The movie ends in a spectacular final show in the barn itself, with the new leading lady, Jane.
(music) and Mack Gordon
(lyrics) except where noted. Orchestration chores were divided between Conrad Salinger
and Skip Martin
. Order of songs per Track listing amazon.com
Audiences noticed that in the last number "Get Happy
" she appears thinner than in the rest of the film. Before performing the number, she had taken two months off and lost between 15-20 pounds. Garland finished filming the movie, and embarked on a long promised vacation from the studio. Soon, however, she was called back to star with Fred Astaire
in the upcoming film Royal Wedding
. Once again, Garland struggled to perform at her absolute best in the face of exhaustion and overwork. She was fired from the film, and her contract with MGM
was terminated through mutual agreement. Even though Summer Stock took six months to film, it was a box-office success and proved to be a fitting farewell for Garland at M-G-M.
" performed by Judy Garland
in a tuxedo jacket, black fedora, and black nylons to an arrangement by Skip Martin
. This sequence was choreographed by Charles Walters and filmed two months after the rest of the movie, after Garland sought the help of a hypnotist in Santa Barbara and lost 20 pounds. With the sedative-hypnotic paraldahyde on her breath, which the number's male dancers described as sickeningly sweet, Garland performed the number perfectly in one take, and the rest is history. According to New York Times critic Bosley Crowther
: " 'Get Happy' finds Miss Garland looking and performing her best."
In another notable sequence, Kelly performs a solo dance in a darkened barn, using a newspaper and a creaky board as partners and props; the musical accompaniment reprises "You Wonderful You". The dance "turned out to be one of the breakthrough numbers" of his career.
In the film 'Summer Stock', Garland and Kelly share what may be Garland's best dance duet on screen, the swinging "Portland Fancy" where a square dance turns into a heated challenge dance for the two stars.
and the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards
(but in every performance of the song), Michael Jackson
performed Dangerous
, and the beginning of the performance was clearly inspired by the movie. Jackson and his dancers wore suits, and a dancer stood in front of Jackson until the beginning of the song, just like in the movie, in which Judy is covered by a dancer at first. Some excerpts from the song can be heard of Jackson's performance.
Duffy
's "Rain on Your Parade
" music video was also inspired by that sequence, and Duffy can be seen wearing an outfit similar to Garland's, and dancing against a white background along some male dancers dressed in suits.
Katie Holmes
paid homage to Judy Garland, performing "Get Happy" on the television show So You Think You Can Dance. She wore a similar outfit and danced alongside male dancers in suits in front of a match-painted background.
Summer stock theatre
Summer stock theatre is any theatre that presents stage productions only in the summer within the United States. The name combines both the seasonal time of year with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes...
.
Summer Stock (known as If You Feel Like Singing in the UK) is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
made in 1950
1950 in film
The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
. The film was directed by Charles Walters
Charles Walters
Charles Walters was a Hollywood director and choreographer most noted for his work in MGM musicals and comedies in from the 1940s to the 1960s....
and stars Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
, Eddie Bracken
Eddie Bracken
Edward Vincent "Eddie" Bracken was an American actor.-Life and career:Bracken was born in Astoria, New York, the son of Catherine and Joseph L. Bracken. Bracken performed in vaudeville at the age of nine and gained fame with the Broadway musical Too Many Girls in a role he reprised for the 1940...
, Gloria DeHaven
Gloria DeHaven
Gloria Mildred DeHaven is an American actress and a former contract star for MGM.-Early life and career:DeHaven was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of actor-director Carter DeHaven and actress Flora Parker DeHaven, both former vaudeville performers.She began her career as a child...
, Marjorie Main
Marjorie Main
Marjorie Main was an American character actress, mainly at MGM, perhaps best known for her role as Ma Kettle in a series of ten Ma and Pa Kettle movies.-Early life and career:...
, and Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers was an American entertainer and comedy actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah." He is best known for starring in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S...
. Nicholas Castle Sr was the choreographer.
Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
struggled with many personal problems during filming, and Summer Stock proved to be her last MGM movie and also her last pairing with Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
onscreen. MGM terminated Garland's contract in September 1950.
Plot
Judy GarlandJudy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
stars as Jane Falbury, a farm owner whose actress sister Abigail, played by Gloria DeHaven
Gloria DeHaven
Gloria Mildred DeHaven is an American actress and a former contract star for MGM.-Early life and career:DeHaven was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of actor-director Carter DeHaven and actress Flora Parker DeHaven, both former vaudeville performers.She began her career as a child...
, arrives at the family farm with her theater troupe. They need a practice stage, and Jane and her housekeeper Esme (Marjorie Main
Marjorie Main
Marjorie Main was an American character actress, mainly at MGM, perhaps best known for her role as Ma Kettle in a series of ten Ma and Pa Kettle movies.-Early life and career:...
) reluctantly agree to let them use their barn. The actors and actresses, including the director Joe Ross (Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
), repay her hospitality by doing chores around the farm. Although Joe is engaged to Abigail, he begins to fall in love with Jane after Abigail leaves him in an angry fit. Similarly, although Jane is engaged to Orville (Eddie Bracken
Eddie Bracken
Edward Vincent "Eddie" Bracken was an American actor.-Life and career:Bracken was born in Astoria, New York, the son of Catherine and Joseph L. Bracken. Bracken performed in vaudeville at the age of nine and gained fame with the Broadway musical Too Many Girls in a role he reprised for the 1940...
), she falls in love with Joe. The movie ends in a spectacular final show in the barn itself, with the new leading lady, Jane.
Soundtrack
All songs were written by Harry WarrenHarry Warren
Harry Warren was an American composer and lyricist. Warren was the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song eleven times and won three Oscars for composing "Lullaby of Broadway", "You'll Never Know" and "On the Atchison,...
(music) and Mack Gordon
Mack Gordon
Mack Gordon was an American composer and lyricist of songs for the stage and film. He was nominated for the best original song Oscar nine times, including six consecutive years between 1940 and 1945, and won the award once, for "You'll Never Know"...
(lyrics) except where noted. Orchestration chores were divided between Conrad Salinger
Conrad Salinger
Conrad Salinger was an American arranger, orchestrator and composer, who studied classical composition at the Paris Conservatoire. He is credited with orchestrating nine productions on Broadway from 1931 to 1938, and over seventy-five motion pictures from 1931 to 1962...
and Skip Martin
Skip Martin
Lloyd "Skip" Martin was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and music arranger....
. Order of songs per Track listing amazon.com
- Overture
- "If You Feel Like Singing, Sing" – Judy Garland
- "(Howdy Neighbor) Happy Harvest" – Gene Kelly, Garland, Phil Silvers and company stock members
- "Dig-Dig-Dig Dig For Your Dinner" – Kelly
- Mem'ry Island" – Gloria DeHaven and Hans ConriedHans ConriedHans Georg Conried, Jr. was an American comedian, character actor and voice actor.-Early years:He was born on April 15, 1917 in Baltimore, Maryland to Hans Georg Conried, Sr. and Edith Beyr Gildersleeve. His mother was a descendant of Pilgrims, and his father was a Jewish immigrant from Vienna,...
(dubbed by Pete Roberts) - "Portland Fancy" – (traditional New England contra danceContra danceContra dance refers to several partnered folk dance styles in which couples dance in two facing lines...
tune) stock company members, Kelly and Garland - "You, Wonderful You" (Jack BrooksJack Brooks (lyricist)Jack Brooks was an English-American lyricist.Brooks was born in Liverpool, England. He wrote a large number of lyrics of popular songs, including "Ole Buttermilk Sky" "That's Amore" and " Wagon Train" the second theme used on the television program, Wagon...
and Saul ChaplinSaul ChaplinSaul Chaplin was an American composer and musical director.He was born Saul Kaplan in Brooklyn, New York.He had worked on stage, screen and television since the days of Tin Pan Alley...
, lyrics and Warren, music) – Kelly and Garland - "Friendly Star" – Garland
- Newspaper Dance ("You, Wonderful You") – Kelly
- All for You" (Chaplin) – Kelly and Garland
- "You, Wonderful You" (Reprise) – Kelly and Garland
- "Heavenly Music" (Chaplin) – Kelly, Silvers and dogs
- "Get HappyGet Happy (song)"Get Happy" is a song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler.It was the first song they wrote together, and was introduced by Ruth Etting in The Nine-Fifteen Revue in 1930....
" (Harold ArlenHarold ArlenHarold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
(music) and Ted KoehlerTed KoehlerTed L. Koehler was an American lyricist.-Life and career:Koehler was born in Washington, D.C. He started out as a photo-engraver but was attracted to the music business, where he started out as a theater pianist for silent films. He moved on to write for vaudeville shows and Broadway, and he also...
(lyrics)) – Garland and chorus - "(Howdy Neighbor) Happy Harvest" (finale) – Kelly, Garland, Silvers and company stock members
Behind the scenes
The filming of this movie was sometimes a struggle for Garland. She was facing many pressures in her personal life, including a heavy reliance on prescription medication.Audiences noticed that in the last number "Get Happy
Get Happy (song)
"Get Happy" is a song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler.It was the first song they wrote together, and was introduced by Ruth Etting in The Nine-Fifteen Revue in 1930....
" she appears thinner than in the rest of the film. Before performing the number, she had taken two months off and lost between 15-20 pounds. Garland finished filming the movie, and embarked on a long promised vacation from the studio. Soon, however, she was called back to star with Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
in the upcoming film Royal Wedding
Royal Wedding
Royal Wedding is a 1951 Hollywood musical comedy film known for Fred Astaire's dance performance on a ceiling and another with a coat rack. The story is set in London in 1947 at the time of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and stars Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford, Sarah...
. Once again, Garland struggled to perform at her absolute best in the face of exhaustion and overwork. She was fired from the film, and her contract with MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
was terminated through mutual agreement. Even though Summer Stock took six months to film, it was a box-office success and proved to be a fitting farewell for Garland at M-G-M.
Highlights
The film's most famous scene is the final song-and-dance number "Get HappyGet Happy (song)
"Get Happy" is a song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler.It was the first song they wrote together, and was introduced by Ruth Etting in The Nine-Fifteen Revue in 1930....
" performed by Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
in a tuxedo jacket, black fedora, and black nylons to an arrangement by Skip Martin
Skip Martin
Lloyd "Skip" Martin was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and music arranger....
. This sequence was choreographed by Charles Walters and filmed two months after the rest of the movie, after Garland sought the help of a hypnotist in Santa Barbara and lost 20 pounds. With the sedative-hypnotic paraldahyde on her breath, which the number's male dancers described as sickeningly sweet, Garland performed the number perfectly in one take, and the rest is history. According to New York Times critic Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
: " 'Get Happy' finds Miss Garland looking and performing her best."
In another notable sequence, Kelly performs a solo dance in a darkened barn, using a newspaper and a creaky board as partners and props; the musical accompaniment reprises "You Wonderful You". The dance "turned out to be one of the breakthrough numbers" of his career.
In the film 'Summer Stock', Garland and Kelly share what may be Garland's best dance duet on screen, the swinging "Portland Fancy" where a square dance turns into a heated challenge dance for the two stars.
Trivia
The film has been referenced many times, mostly the "Get Happy" sequence. Most notably at the 1993 American Music AwardsAmerican Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
and the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
(but in every performance of the song), Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
performed Dangerous
Dangerous
Dangerous describes something that encompasses danger. It may also refer to:-Artists:*Dangerous!, an Australian hardcore punk band currently signed to Epitaph Records-Albums:*Dangerous...
, and the beginning of the performance was clearly inspired by the movie. Jackson and his dancers wore suits, and a dancer stood in front of Jackson until the beginning of the song, just like in the movie, in which Judy is covered by a dancer at first. Some excerpts from the song can be heard of Jackson's performance.
Duffy
Duffy (singer)
Aimée Ann Duffy , known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her 2008 debut album Rockferry entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold...
's "Rain on Your Parade
Rain on Your Parade
"Rain on Your Parade" is a song by Welsh recording artist Duffy from her debut studio album, Rockferry. Written by Duffy and Steve Booker, the song was released as the first single from the album's deluxe edition, and fifth overall, on 9 February 2009, by A&M Records...
" music video was also inspired by that sequence, and Duffy can be seen wearing an outfit similar to Garland's, and dancing against a white background along some male dancers dressed in suits.
Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes
Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
paid homage to Judy Garland, performing "Get Happy" on the television show So You Think You Can Dance. She wore a similar outfit and danced alongside male dancers in suits in front of a match-painted background.