[78-L] Happy 100th, Johnny Mercer

[Steve Thornton]

I agree. I think the DVD would be an excellent place to put some complete
performances, as extras to dip into (I hit the wall at about three minutes
of Andy Williams, myself; your mileage may differ). 

I WOULD really like to see the entire Parkinson segments -- he's the Brit
interviewer. You just don't get that kind of long form thoughtful interview
by someone who actually knows what he's talking about here in the States. 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com 
> [mailto:78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] On Behalf Of Cary Ginell
> Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 4:06 PM
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Happy 100th, Johnny Mercer
> 
> 
> I didn't have any trouble following along at all. I think the 
> strict chronological approach is overrated and tends to be 
> dull and predictable. This was more of a celebration of 
> Mercer's life, not a documentary. For me, I didn't need to 
> see a whole lot of any one performance. This wasn't a concert 
> tribute. I would rather see a large variety. I liked that 
> they lingered on some of the duets he did with Jack 
> Teagarden. I also liked the fact that no matter how fast the 
> intercutting was, subtitles were always placed where you 
> didn't really miss anybody, even the interviewers (I never 
> would have recognized Humphrey Lyttleton!). I also didn't 
> miss the usual documentary device of talking heads 
> pontificating ad nauseum. The editors limited these 
> statements to a well-stated sentence or two and then cut to 
> something else. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also loved the newsreel-type footage of the early years at 
> Capitol Records!
> 
>  
> 
> If you want to analyze Mercer's lyrics, there are other ways 
> to present this. I don't believe this was Eastwood's 
> intention. Mercer's lyrics, incidentally, are not all that 
> deep or difficult to figure out, unlike Gershwin, Hart, or 
> Porter. They were personal, they were romantic, and they 
> reflected his Southern roots. Plain and simple. No need for 
> extensive analysis in this type of show. 
> 
>  
> 
> My bottom line: it was a different kind of show, but I 
> couldn't help enjoying it. When you're dealing with a talent 
> like Mercer, there's not enough time to dwell on any 
> particular song. There are just too many to include that 
> there are bound to be great ones that would be missed.
> 
>  
> 
> Cary Ginell
>  
> > Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:37:25 -0800
> > From: forwardintothepast at yahoo.com
> > To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> > Subject: Re: [78-L] Happy 100th, Johnny Mercer
> > 
> > I saw the Johnny Mercer documentary on TCM last night. 
> Cluttered. I think
> > that's the best adjective for it. I would like to see a 
> three-hour cut which
> > allowed all of those clips to play out fully, or see about 
> half of the clips
> > omitted from the 90-minute version they showed.
> > 
> > As it was, they tried to cram everything including the 
> kitchen sink into it,
> > which meant that instead of just one person singing 
> "Lazybones," they showed us
> > this:
> > 
> > Famous Singer one: Lazybones, sleepin' in the sun, how you 'spec' to
> > 
> > JARRING CUT TO Famous Singer two (with jarring key change 
> as well): get your
> > day's work done? Never get your
> > 
> > JARRING CUT TO Famous Singer three (with another dissonant 
> key change): day's
> > work done, sleepin' in the
> > 
> > VOICE OVER NARRATION COMES IN AT THIS POINT: I think the 
> brilliance of Johnny's
> > lyrics was that he
> > 
> > CUT TO CLOSE UP OF TALKING HEAD; rest of lyric indistinct or omitted
> > 
> > This was put together by someone who concentrated almost 
> entirely on the visual,
> > which meant that the point of the whole show, Johnny 
> Mercer's words, were so far
> > in the background as to be unnoticeable. I'm not sure the 
> producer/director
> > understood that 95 percent of the time, Mercer was a 
> lyricist only. Yes, he
> > wrote the music to "Strip Polka," "Dream," "G.I. Jive," 
> "Something's Gotta Give"
> > and many other good songs, but he was mainly a lyricist, 
> and his words were
> > given very, very short shrift.
> > 
> > Most of the best stuff in the show came from a couple of 
> talk shows Johnny did
> > in England in the early '70s. There was one moment when it 
> was just he and the
> > host and a pianist, and Johnny began singing "I'm Old 
> Fashioned," just sitting
> > with the host and singing a capella. The pianist began to 
> play some chords and
> > Johnny began to really get into the song, his eyes growing 
> faraway as he really
> > began to reveal all the tenderness and beauty in the lyric, 
> and then there was
> > another ABRUPT CUT to Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth 
> dancing to a tacky
> > chica-chica-boom-chic arrangement of it from "You Were 
> Never Lovelier" -- an
> > INSTRUMENTAL, mind you, with no lyric at all!
> > 
> > I believe this may have been the point where I screamed at 
> my television, "G**
> > D*** IT, LET HIM SING THE F*****G SONG!!" However, there 
> were other times when
> > I was thinking the same thing.
> > 
> > Beyond those problems, Mercer's story was told in a very 
> non-linear and
> > disorganized fashion--they started talking about his work 
> with Benny Goodman on
> > radio in 1939 about 3/4 of the way through the show, after 
> they'd already
> > covered several events that came later in his life.
> > 
> > Man, would I have loved to edit this one.
> > 
> > A better tribute to Mercer would have been just to show 
> those two British talk
> > shows, with Mercer's thoughts, and his work, uninterrupted.
> > 
> > Anyway, it's worth seeing but be forewarned.
> > 
> > --Randy Skretvedt
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