The Band Wagon [Blu-ray]

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Overview

A lavish, enduring backstage musical from Vincente Minnelli, The Band Wagon tells the tale of Tony Hunter (Fred Astaire who was 54 at the time) a multi-talented but aging movie star who heads for the Great White Way in hopes of bolstering his flagging career. His two talented pals in New York are only too happy to help out by writing him a dazzling play. Unfortunately, for a lot of reasons, including the fact that there is great tension between Tony and his leggy co-star Gabrielle Gerard (Cyd Charisse) because she thinks him too old and he thinks her too tall, the production bombs. Fortunately this only inspires the cast and crew to work even harder until they eventually succeed beyond their wildest dreams. Some of the most memorable songs include: "Dancing in the Dark," "Triplets," and "That's Entertainment."

Product Details

Release Date:	03/03/2015
UPC:	0883929444885
Original Release:	1953
Source:	WARNER HO
Sound:	[Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:52:00
Sales rank:	15,598

Special Features

Commentary by Liza Minnelli and Michael Feinstein; Theatrical trailer; Making-of documentary Get Aboard! The Band Wagon; Vintage documentary The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli; Musical short Jack Buchanan with the Glee Quartet; Cartoon The three little pigs

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Fred Astaire	Tony Hunter
Cyd Charisse	Gabi Gerard
Jack Buchanan	Jeffrey Cordova
Nanette Fabray	Lily Marton
Oscar Levant	Lester Marton
James Mitchell	Paul Byrd
Robert Gist	Hal Benton
Thurston Hall	Col. Tripp
Ava Gardner	La star de cin?ma
LeRoy Daniels	Shoeshine Boy
Jack Tesler	Ivan
John Lupton	Jack, the Prompter
Owen McGiveney	Prop Man
Sam Hearn	Agent
Herb Vigran	Man on Train
Emory Parnell	Man on Train
Ernest Anderson	Porter
Frank Scannell	Reporter
Stuart Wilson	Reporter
Roy Engel	Reporter
Al Hill	Shooting Gallery Operator
Paul Bradley	Dancer in Park/Waiter
Bobby Watson	Bobby, the Dresser
Lotte Stein	Chambermaid
Smoki Whitfield	Chauffeur
Richard Alexander	Stagehand
Al Ferguson	Stagehand
Betty Farrington	Fitter
Bess Flowers	Lady on Train
Julie Newmar	Salon Model
Dee Turnell	Actor
Elynne Ray	Actor
Peggy Murray	Actor
Judy Landon	Actor
Jimmy Thompson	Actor
Bert May	Actor
India Adams	Gabrielle Gerard
Alexander Courage	Composer
Adolph Deutsch	Composer
Conrad Salinger	Composer
Howard Dietz	Composer

Technical Credits

Adolph Green

Betty Comden

Alan Jay Lerner

Arthur Freed	Producer
Adolph Green	Screenwriter
Betty Comden	Screenwriter
Alan Jay Lerner	Screenwriter
Roger Edens	Producer
Douglas Shearer	Sound Effects
James Brock	Sound Effects
Hugh Boswell	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Made towards the end of MGM producer Arthur Freed's peak period of musical productions, at a time when movies, theater, and other forms of entertainment were all feeling the heat from the rise of television, preeminent musical director Vincente Minnelli's backstage story celebrates the musical itself and its brand of pop entertainment. Pitting Fred Astaire's washed-up movie hoofer against Jack Buchanan's high-falutin' artiste and Cyd Charisse's transplanted ballerina, The Band Wagon reflexively pokes fun at the musical's excesses and delves into the question of what an audience really wants, implicitly defending traditional forms of entertainment at a time when Hollywood was in decline and consumers were turning to new form of recreation. As with Freed's Singin' in the Rain (1952), the sophisticated comedy of show business manners becomes a showcase for the Freed Unit's sparkling production values and musical acumen, as well as Minnelli's stylistic virtuosity. While numbers such as Astaire's 42nd street dance "Shine on Your Shoes" and Astaire's and Charisse's "Dancing in the Dark" reveal Minnelli's mastery at integrating dance and story, the final "Band Wagon" revue is a peerless sequence of pure musical entertainment, with "The Girl Hunt" deftly mixing the high and low arts of ballet and jazz in a parody of Mickey Spillane's detective yarns. Though not one of Minnelli's Oscar winners, The Band Wagon has come to be considered his best musical, and a wise elegy to the form.