The
Cast
Damn Yankees Stage to Screen
The
Crew
The
Store
The
Songs
The
Links

 

 

The Cast

 

Player Role 1 2 3
Tab Hunter Joe Hardy 7 4 0
Gwen Verdon Lola 8 2 1
Ray Walston Mister Applegate 3 8
Russ Brown Benny Van Buren 8 9
Shannon Bolin Meg Boyd 5 2
Nathaniel Frey Smokey 0 7
James Komack Rocky 2 8
Rae Allen Gloria Thorpe 8 4
Robert Shafer Joe Boyd 7 4
Jean Stapleton Sister Miller 8 4
Albert Linville Vernon 0 8
Bob Fosse Mambo Dancer 7 3
Elizabeth Howell Doris Miller 7 7

 

 

The Crew

 

Directed by
George Abbott
Stanley Donen


Written by
George Abbott
Douglass Wallop

Produced by
George Abbott
Frederick Brisson
Stanley Donen

Music and Lyrics by
Richard Adler & Jerry Ross

Cinematography by
Harold Lipstein

Film Editing by
Frank Bracht

Production Design by
William Eckart

Art Direction
Stanley Fleischer

Costume Design by
Jean Eckart

choreographer
Bob Fosse

 

 

 

 

 

The Songs

 

Six Months
Out of Every Year

Our first musical number is an adult version of the telephone hour from "Bye Bye Birdie." The song encompasses the baseball season separation between husbands and their wives. First, with Joe and Meg Boyd and then, through the dated mechanism of multi-split screen, the rest of the world.

 

 

Goodbye, Old Girl

After coming to an agreement with Applegate, Joe Boyd begins to pen a goodbye letter to his wife. By the end of this beautiful melody, Joe Boyd is transformed into Joe Hardy who finishes the song as a big, athletic youth... A beautiful song. A Double.

 

 

Heart

A trio of ballplayers and their coach sing this Broadway standard with very simple choreography. It bears strong resemblance to the original stage choreography. A single.

Heart

 

Shoeless Joe
From Hannibal, MO

This is the first number to surpass the stage version in that most of the clever Fosse-ography is done on an actual ball field. Every step kicks up sand. This is a wonderful effect when the whole team is moving in unison and when they end the number in a group 'slide!' A Triple.

 

 

There's
Something About
an Empty Chair

Written for the film, this boring number is a poor substitute for some of the stage songs that were cut. While Meg is singing this number, we actually cut away to Joe Hardy outside... It appears in the editing room they found the number boring as well.... Strike One.

 

 

A Little Brains,
A Little Talent

Gwen Verdon, one of Broadway's best musical comedy dancers is given a slow, boring introduction here. The number is meant to show Lola's immediate sex appeal and thrust, but the piece is dated and comes up empty. Even Ray Walston looks bored watching. Oh, well. Strike 2.

 

 

Whatever Lola Wants

Here, Gwen Verdon shows why she created the role and played Lola successfully on Broadway. The choreography is typical Fosse, which is to say it is not typical in any way, but recognizable. The number has what the last number lacked, a sexual attitude. Made all the more uncomfortable (and distracting) by having Joe (Like Applegate before) sit there an uninvolved spectator. Still, this is one of the unfortunately few moments in the film worthy of the stage production. A triple.

Whatever Lola Wants

 

 

Those Were
the Good Old Days

Ah, the villain's comedic number, a showstopping piece done at one with the audience, sometimes performed in front of the curtain with just a spotlight so that the performers talent and wit truly shine! Well get the [FFWD] button ready. They've figuratively taken Ray Walston out of the number. He sits very still center screen singing while his 'visions' explode and pepper around him on the screen. They've done what so many films today are accused of, let special effects control the scene. Strike Three: You're Out! Next batter...

Those Were the Good Ole Days

 

Who's Got the Pain?

Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon show some fancy footwork here in this curiously inane number. I'd say the song was an 'excuse' to give Fosse a complete dance number to showcase his talents. When it comes to this film, it is ironically one of the better moments... if you've got this far. A double.

 

 

Two Lost Souls

Joe and Lola are relaxing in a crowded nightclub filled with Fosse dancers. Taken out of context, it is a great piece! In the storyline... just another distraction. A single.

 

 

 

There's
Something About
an Empty Chair

That's it... lets end the musical with a reprise of the most boring song in the show... Even the appearance of Applegate is mirthless and unwelcome... You're all out! I hate to report that the team lost its home game embarrassingly.

 

 

 

From Stage
to Screen

 

Damn Yankees wowed them on stage with its clever mix of great songs, humor, characters and a simple storyline. Damn Yankees bored them onscreen with its insane mix of truncated songs, slow new songs, total disregard for comedy and convoluted storyline. Fortunately, a recent stage revival cleaned up the show even more and it made a glorious come-back. But, we are not here to praise the revival; rather to discuss the ...shudder... film.

It looks okay from the start with its filmed shots of a baseball game in progress and it even survives the introduction of Joe and Meg (portrayed by Shannon Bolin whose most poignant moment in her acting career is as one of the "Lenny's... Denny's" commercial women)(somebody'll find that interesting...). But, when the song Six Months... begins and we break to the multi-screen effect (must have been a new film making gimmick) a great loss is felt. There goes Damn Yankees.

The performers are fine across the board. The removal of the songs A Man Doesn't Know What he has... (A gorgeous piece), The Game (A great group male number worthy of Guys & Dolls) and Near to You (heart wrenching) is inexcusable. The addition of that ugly 'chair song' (what were they thinking) is also questionable. The static presentations of A Little Brains... and Those were the Good Ole Days is frightening.

But the worst crime here is having Joe actually proceed with a romantic kiss with Lola before Two Lost Souls. And, he does this in public! (On film the number takes place in a crowded night club, on stage it was in the intimacy of limbo...)(In the recent revival, Joe lost the number to Applegate- that caused some controversy as well).

If we go along with that disheartening statement that the movie musical is dead, it was schlock like this that did it. Go see a community theater production.

 

 

 

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