Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site Cascade.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!decwrl!Glacier!Cascade!asente
From: asente@Cascade.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: Musicals: Stage to screen
Message-ID: <2701@Cascade.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 27-Jun-85 16:41:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: Cascade.2701
Posted: Thu Jun 27 16:41:38 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 29-Jun-85 00:36:27 EDT
References: <798@ssc-vax.UUCP> <475@leadsv.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Stanford University CIS Apple Orchard
Lines: 40

Scott Stewart said:

> But the worst translation of a musical to the screen has got to be
> 'A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum'. This was one of the 
> funniest musicals I've seen, with hilarious characters. But the movie
> was boring and very unfunny. I smiled only once, and that to a new line
> they added. The charm of the stage version was that it had a 
> Vaudevillian/Burlesque feel, which the movie didn't, and probalbly
> couldn't catch. Don't even waste your time watching the movie.

I'll agree that the stage version was very funny, but I can't let the
attack on the movie go unanswered!  It ranks in my list of best
comedies of all time.  Unfortunately, it lost several of the songs from
the stage, but it had a lot going for it, too:

Most important:  perfect casting.  There wasn't a single role miscast.
Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford (sp?) and Buster Keaton for starters.  I
quite literally was rolling during the scene with the three of them
when Mostel was pretending to be the soothsayer.  It's great to see a
film in which every character is memorably acted.

The definative comedy chase scene (actually, it shares this honor with
"What's Up Doc?")

Hero searching for the cup of mare's sweat.

The "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" production number.

Some of the most imaginative credits in any film.

Of course, the songs that were still there were wonderful, and the
dialog was hilarious, but this all (mostly) came from the stage.

Don't miss this movie if you haven't seen it.

	-paul asente
	    asente@Cascade.ARPA		...!decwrl!Glacier!Cascade!asente

"He raped Thrace!  And again!  And again!"
"What?  He raped Thrace thrice?!?!"