Mechanical Music in the Movies
By Nancy Fratti
Hi! Just watched the 'old' (1986) video "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" with George C. Scott and a very young Val Kilmer (Batman). At the beginning of the movie there is a monkey organ grinder in the shadows; he's shown twice. Towards the end of the movie you see him (actually you see the 'monkey organ') in the light, and you can clearly see that it is an hand-cranked organ with exposed, punched cardboard book music being played on the top of the organ. Unfortunately, the music coming from the organ sounded suspiciously like a Yamaha home organ! But the effect was good; though why they chose to show the book music is a mystery -- it had nothing to do with the story!
Also, _many_ years ago, maybe ten or so, I saw a video called "Amsterdamed" (I'm going on memory banks here, so the spelling could be 'off"). The only reason I rented it was because the back of the box showed a car going *though* a band organ! Well, true to the picture on the box, during a car chase scene (small, European car fortunately) you see a _big_ band organ being played in a open plaza. Yes, the bad guys' car zips up the plaza steps and *crashes* through the organ in an attempt to get away from the 'good guys'! Plywood and 2x4's go all over the screen! Obviously it was just a facade, not a real organ.
And, just as many years ago, Warren Beatty 'starred' in a flick called either McCabe & Mrs. Miller or Miller & Mrs. McCabe. My grey matter isn't sharp enough to remember the correct one, but it took place up in Alaska or some cold climate, gold digging country. Mrs. (?) ran a brothel and Beatty was, I believe, a gold-digger (a clean, good looking one). Towards the end of the movie Beatty, down and almost dying, is out in a Hollywood blizzard and he hears some music.
I perked up because it was obviously a disc box -- a _real_ one! *But* it had bell accompaniment! I vaguely recall it was playing "Silent Night" but I could be wrong. Beatty drags himself to the brothel, from whence the enchanting music is emanating. The kindly girls take him in and you see a curved front Regina changer in the room! Strangely, when you're in the brothel, there is no bell accompaniment. Oops! Well, there was no 15" Regina changer with bells ever made (that we know of) but it _was_ a real music box music playing for a change!
And let's not forget the Canterville Ghose, Peter O'Toole version. Had a _huge_ drum and bell cylinder box on a table in the parlor.
And the more recent "Music Box", where, at the end, the proof of Nazi collaboration was found by the star in a music box that had been in a pawn shop. She opens the lid (about an 8" cylinder box) and the music plays, and Wow! Damning photographs start coming up out of the box -- not one or two but three or four! Alas, this showed that her father really was one of the 'bad guys'.
That's all for now. Enjoy!
Nancy Fratti
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(Message sent Sat 15 Mar 1997, 14:51:50 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
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