cultural literacy 12 Flashcards
“Blue Moon”
Rogers and Hart song sung by Elvis Presley
“Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered”
Rogers and Hart song from the musical Pal Joey
Moss Hart
American playwright, librettist, and theater director
George S. Kaufman
American playwright, theater director, humorist, and drama critic, often collaborated with Moss Hart
“Anvil Chorus”
English name for the “Coro di Zingari” (lit. “chorus of gypsies”) from Verdi’s opera Il Trovatore (“the troubador”) (“Chi del gita-a-no i giorni abbella?)
Hard to Get
1938 romantic comedy starring Dick Powell and Olivia de Havilland
“You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby”
Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer song sung by Dick Powell in movie Hard to Get
Julius
real first name of Groucho Marx
Irving Thalberg
American film producer in early Hollywood
“You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me”
song sung by Maurice Chevalier in The Big Pond (1930)
Duck Soup
1933 Marx Brothers’ movie
basic premise of Duck Soup
Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) becomes the dictator of Freedonia as a condition of the wealthy widow Teasdale’s giving the country the money needed to save it from ruin; meanwhile, neighboring Sylvania schemes to provoke political chaos in the country so it can annex it; to do so, it sends two bumbling spies (Chico and Harpo) to accomplish the task
“The Sailor’s Hornpipe”
a traditional hornpipe melody and linked dance with origins in the Royal Navy
“The College Hornpipe”, “Jack’s the Lad”
two other names for “The Sailor’s Hornpipe”
Fantasia on British Sea Songs
medley of British sea songs first performed by Henry Wood that mirrors the course of the Battle of Trafalgar from the point of view of a British sailor; included in the Last Night of the Proms; includes “The Sailor’s Hornpipe”
use of “The Sailor’s Hornpipe” in popular culture
introduces Popeye’s theme song in the 1930s cartoon
“promenade concert”
full term for “Prom” (UK)
The BBC Proms
an eight-week summer session of daily orchestral classical music concerts and related events held annually
main site of the BBC Proms
Royal Albert Hall in central London
“Stars and Stripes Forever”
best-known Sousa march
the mirror scene
famous sight gag in Duck Soup involving Groucho and Harpo dressed as Groucho looking at each other in what they take to be a mirror
All God’s Chillun Got Wings
a 1924 expressionist play by Eugene O’Neill about miscegenation inspired by the old Negro spiritual of the same name
“Light Cavalry Overture”
instrumental overture composed by Franz von Suppé; often used in horse riding sequences in movies, similarly to Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” (it has a galloping rhythm followed by that “gotta get up in the mooorning” rhythm)
“Ain’t She Sweet”
1927 Milton Ager song, later recorded by The Beatles
Chitlin’ Circuit
network of live venues in eastern half of the U.S. at which African-American musicians and performers were welcome and thrived in the period of segregation (1930s to 1960s)
A Night at the Opera
1935 Marx Brothers’ movie
screenplay to A Night at the Opera
written by George S. Kaufman
“Vesti la giubba”
“Put on the costume”/”On with the Motley”, a tenor aria from the opera Pagliacci (very dramatic sounding, think Seinfeld, clown, moment of revelation); sung at the end of the first act, when Canio discovers his wife’s infidelity, but must nevertheless go on with his performance as Pagliaccio the clown; most famously sung and recorded by Caruso
Pagliacci
1892 Leoncavallo opera
“Ridi, Pagliaccio/sul tuo amore infranto!/Ridi del duol, che t’avvelena il cor!”
“Laugh, clown, at your broken love! Laugh at the grief that poisons your heart!”
Horse Feathers
1932 Marx Brothers’ movie about a football game
Animal Crackers
1930 Marx Brothers’ movie about the theft of a famous painting and its replacement with a copy
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
song made famous as sung by Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis
Meet Me in St. Louis
1944 musical film about the 1903 St. Louis World’s Fair starring Judy Garland
“You’ll Never Walk Alone”
Rogers and Hammerstein song from the 1945 musical Carousel
“Trepak” (or “Russian Dance”)
musical piece from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker (dancing flowers in Fantasia)
jukebox musical
musical constructed around well-known popular songs (rather than original songs)
Stephen Sondheim
American composer and lyricist credited with reinventing the American musical
Alphabet City
a district in the East Village in NYC
Oklahoma!
1943 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical
basic plot of Oklahoma!
two rival suitors, Curly McLain and the sinister Jud Fry, court farm girl Laurey Williams; meanwhile, a secondary romance occurs between Will Parker and Ado Annie
“Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”, “Oklahoma”, “Kansas City”
3 songs from Oklahoma!
setting of Oklahoma!
1906 Indian Territory (i.e., Oklahoma)
Oklahoma! movie
1955 adaptation of the musical Oklahoma! with Shirley Jones, Eddie Albert and Rod Steiger
State Fair
1945 musical comedy film remake of the 1933 film, music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hammerstein
State Fair unique note
only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical written directly for film
basic premise of State Fair
Will the Frake family have a good time at the Iowa State Fair?
South Pacific
1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on James Michener’s collection of stories, Tales of the South Pacific
“Some Enchanted Evening”
song from South Pacific
The King and I
1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on a novel which was a fictional adaptation of an English governess’s account of her experiences in Siam
Rogers and Hart song sung by Elvis Presley
“Blue Moon”
Rogers and Hart song from the musical Pal Joey
“Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered”
American playwright, librettist, and theater director
Moss Hart
American playwright, theater director, humorist, and drama critic, often collaborated with Moss Hart
George S. Kaufman
English name for the “Coro di Zingari” (lit. “chorus of gypsies”) from Verdi’s opera Il Trovatore (“the troubador”) (“Chi del gita-a-no i giorni abbella?)
“Anvil Chorus”
1938 romantic comedy starring Dick Powell and Olivia de Havilland
Hard to Get
Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer song sung by Dick Powell in movie Hard to Get
“You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby”
real first name of Groucho Marx
Julius
American film producer in early Hollywood
Irving Thalberg
song sung by Maurice Chevalier in The Big Pond (1930)
“You Brought a New Kind of Love”
1933 Marx Brothers’ movie
Duck Soup
Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) becomes the dictator of Freedonia as a condition of the wealthy widow Teasdale’s giving the country the money needed to save it from ruin; meanwhile, neighboring Sylvania schemes to provoke political chaos in the country so it can annex it; to do so, he sends two bumbling spies (Chico and Harpo) to accomplish the task
basic premise of Duck Soup
a traditional hornpipe melody and linked dance with origins in the Royal Navy
“The Sailor’s Hornpipe”
two other names for “The Sailor’s Hornpipe”
“The College Hornpipe”, “Jack’s the Lad”
medley of British sea songs first performed by Henry Wood that mirrors the course of the Battle of Trafalgar from the point of view of a British sailor; included in the Last Night of the Proms; includes “The Sailor’s Hornpipe”
Fantasia on British Sea Songs
introduces Popeye’s theme song in the 1930s cartoon
use of “The Sailor’s Hornpipe” in popular culture
full term for “Prom” (UK)
“promenade concert”
an eight-week summer session of daily orchestral classical music concerts and related events held annually
The BBC Proms
Royal Albert Hall in central London
main site of the BBC Proms
best-known Sousa march
“Stars and Stripes Forever”
famous sight gag in Duck Soup involving Groucho and Harpo dressed as Groucho looking at each other in what they take to be a mirror
the mirror scene
a 1924 expressionist play by Eugene O’Neill about miscegenation inspired by the old Negro spiritual of the same name
All God’s Chillun Got Wings
instrumental overture composed by Franz von Suppé; often used in horse riding sequences in movies, similarly to Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” (it has a galloping rhythm followed by that “gotta get up in the mooorning” rhythm)
“Light Cavalry Overture”
1927 Milton Ager song, later recorded by The Beatles
“Ain’t She Sweet”
network of live venues in eastern half of the U.S. at which African-American musicians and performers were welcome and thrived in the period of segregation (1930s to 1960s)
Chitlin’ Circuit
1935 Marx Brothers’ movie
A Night at the Opera
Marx brothers movie written by George S. Kaufman
screenplay to A Night at the Opera
“Put on the costume”/”On with the Motley”, a tenor aria from Pagliacci (very dramatic sounding, think Seinfeld, clown, moment of revelation); sung at the end of the first act, when Canio discovers his wife’s infidelity, but must nevertheless go on with his performance as Pagliaccio the clown; most famously sung and recorded by Caruso
“Vesti la giubba”
1892 Leoncavallo opera
Pagliacci
“Laugh, clown, at your broken love! Laugh at the grief that poisons your heart!”
“Ridi, Pagliaccio/sul tuo amore infranto!/Ridi del duol, che t’avvelena il cor!”
1932 Marx Brothers’ movie about a football game
Horse Feathers
1930 Marx Brothers’ movie about the theft of a famous painting and its replacement with a copy
Animal Crackers
song made famous as sung by Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
1944 musical film about the 1903 St. Louis World’s Fair starring Judy Garland
Meet Me in St. Louis
Rogers and Hammerstein song from the 1945 musical Carousel
“You’ll Never Walk Alone”
musical piece from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker (dancing flowers in Fantasia)
“Trepak” (or “Russian Dance”)
musical constructed around well-known popular songs (rather than original songs)
jukebox musical
American composer and lyricist credited with reinventing the American musical
Stephen Sondheim
a district in the East Village in NYC
Alphabet City
1943 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical
Oklahoma!
two rival suitors, Curly McLain and the sinister Jud Fry, court farm girl Laurey Williams; meanwhile, a secondary romance occurs between Will Parker and Ado Annie
basic plot of Oklahoma!
3 songs from Oklahoma!
“Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”, “Oklahoma”, “Kansas City”
1906 Indian Territory (i.e., Oklahoma)
setting of Oklahoma!
1955 adaptation of the musical Oklahoma! with Shirley Jones, Eddie Albert and Rod Steiger
Oklahoma! movie
1945 musical comedy film adaptation of the 1933 film of the same name, music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hammerstein
State Fair movie
only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical written directly for film
State Fair unique note
Will the Frake family have a good time at the Iowa State Fair?
basic premise of State Fair
1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on James Michener’s collection of stories, Tales of the South Pacific
South Pacific
song from South Pacific
“Some Enchanted Evening”
1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on a novel which was a fictional adaptation of an English governess’s account of her experiences in Siam
The King and I
