Episode 2: West Side Story, Part II: Capturing the Sounds of (Ghost) Singing and Dancing

Many of the sources for Episode 1 (listed above) were also referenced for Episode 2. Below are select sources consulted specifically for Episode 2.

Further Reading

Chaplin, Saul. The Golden Age of Movie Musicals and Me. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1994.

Laird, Paul R.. "Choreographers, Directors, and the Fully Integrated Musical." In The Cambridge Companion to the Musical, edited by William A. Everett and Paul R. Laird, pp. 197-211. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. 

Nixon, Marni with Stephen Cole. I Could Have Sung All Night: My Story. New York: Billboard Books, 2006. 

Suskin, Steven. The Sound of Broadway Music: A Book of Orchestrators and Orchestrations. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.

(Suskin's book includes a brief career overview of Betty Walberg.)

Filmography

Diary of Anne Frank (dir. George Stevens, 1959)

The Gay Divorcee (dir. Mark Sandrich, 1934)

The King and I (dir. Walter Lang, 1956)

King Kong (dir. Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933)

My Fair Lady (dir. George Cukor, 1964)

Rebel Without a Cause (dir. Nicholas Ray, 1955)

Singin' in the Rain (dir. Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, 1952)

Veer-Zaara (dir. Yash Chopra, 2004)

West Side Story (1961)

West Side Memories (2003 documentary, included on some DVD and Blu-ray editions of WSS)

Episode 5: Jack Curtis Dubowsky on the Legacy of Easy Listening in Film Music

Jack's book spotlights an array of fascinating albums and films. His recommendations for listeners are:

Music:

Michel Legrand, I Love Paris (preferably the original mono record) 

Michel Legrand, Archi-chordes 

Cecil Holmes, The Black Motion Picture Experience 

Charlie Parker, Charlie Parker with Strings 

Wendy Carlos, Sonic Seasonings 

Stu Phillips & The Hollyridge Strings (all the albums)

Films and TV:

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961, music by Henry Mancini) 

Peter Gunn television series (1958-61, music by Henry Mancini) 

Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964, music by Michel Legrand) 

Partir Revenir (1985, music by Michel Legrand) 

Mahogany (1975, music arranged by Lee Holdridge) 

Battlestar Galactica (1979, music by Stu Phillips) 

Watership Down (1978, music by Angela Morley) 

The Lawrence Welk Show (1951-1982) 

The Liberace Show (1952­-1969)

The musical excerpts heard in the episode are discussed in Jack’s book. In order of appearance, they are:

Michel Legrand, I Love Paris, “La Vie en rose” (Édith Piaf, Louiguy) 

Quincy Jones, Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini, Theme from Charade (Henry Mancini) 

Hollyridge Strings, The Best of the Beatles, vol. 2, “Ticket to Ride,” (Lennon-McCartney) 

Ramsey Lewis, The Movie Album, Theme from The Pawnbroker (Quincy Jones) 

Swingle Singers, Jazz Sebastian Bach, “Fugue in D Minor” and “Wachet auf” (J. S. Bach) 

Henry Mancini, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, “Moon River (Original Main Title)” (Mancini) 

Henry Mancini, Encore, “Foreign Film Festival” (theme from Legrand’s Umbrellas of Cherbourg) 

Charlie Parker, Charlie Parker with Strings, “Laura” (David Raksin) 

Michel Legrand, Archi-chordes, “Di-gue ding ding” (Legrand)

Episode 6: The Young Girls of Rochefort and The Young Girls Turn 25: Different Spins on the Film Musical

More about the contributors to this episode: 

Erika Chagdes graduated from the University of Iowa in 2024 with a BA in Cinema. She is excited to pursue a career in filmmaking.

Abbie McLaren is a University of Iowa student with a double major in Cinema and Journalism and
Mass Communication (production and design track). After graduating in 2025, she plans to pursue film professionally through work or graduate studies.

Caleb Payne graduated from the University of Iowa in 2024 with a BA in Cinema. He plans to attend a graduate-level studio art program in the future.

Sam Ross is a University of Iowa student drawn to both film and music. A Cinema major, Sam also composes,
writes film music, and enjoys playing piano and bass.

Resources:

Rick Altman, “From Homosocial to Heterosexual: The Musical’s Two Projects,” in The Sound of Musicals, edited by Steven Cohan (London: British Film Institute, 2010), 19–29.

Andrea Bravo, “‘Have you found her yet?’: The Dream World of Jacques Demy’s ‘The Young Girls of Rochefort.’” UF Prism, 7 March 2023, https://ufprism.com/2023/03/07/have-you-found-her-yet-the-dream-world-of-jacques-demys-the-young-girls-of-rochefort.

Jacques Demy, director, The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), Criterion Blu-Ray/DVD, https://www.criterion.com/films/28615-the-young-girls-of-rochefort. (Includes Agnès Varda’s 1993 documentary, The Young Girls Turn 25.)

Michel Legrand, Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, Ecoutez le Cinèma, 5 CDs, 2017, https://www.discogs.com/release/11630978-Michel-Legrand-Jacques-Demy-Les-Demoiselles-De-Rochefort.