Moon,” “Satisfaction,” Chicago). Okay, that’s a little harsh, but clearly there are some real singing and dancing turds out there. Gone are the days when all you needed were Fred and Ginger and an orchestra (or a bunch of women in shower caps and one-pieces) to pull the audiences in. Aside from a few high points through the last thirty years, the Hollywood musical has been on a steadily downward trend. (Obviously, I’m lumping in cinematic versions of Broadway musicals (“Little Shop of Horrors”) with those that simply feature music prominently (“Eddie and the Cruisers”). I realize the distinctions, but I’m hewing to the broad genre classification out of laziness. Deal with it.) There was a time, however, when the movie musical enjoyed an era of popularity not seen since Eisenhower’s presidency: the 1970s. For whatever reason: the oil crisis, inflation, or the downer that was life in post-Vietnam America, the musical enjoyed a brief resurgence in the Ford and Carter years. And though most of these films originated in the United States, much of the blame for their creation lies at the feet of Australian movie producer Robert Stigwood. The Robert Stigwood Organisation (RSO) managed acts like the Bee Gees, Blind Faith, and Cream in the ‘60s and later moved to theater, producing apologist hippie fare like “Hair” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” A moderately well-received theatrical version of “Superstar” led to a film version of the Who’s “Tommy,” starring Elton John, Ann-Margret, Jack Nicholson, and some of director Ken Russell’s more amusing hallucinations. “Tommy” garnered enough critical and financial success to convince Stigwood to stick with the genre. Unfortunately, his next three forays were the movies I’ll be subjecting you to today: “Saturday Night Fever,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” and “Grease.” Thanks (or something) to my friend April for suggesting the idea. The story continues in part two of FOOTAGE FETISHES: ROBERT STIGWOOD’S TRILOGY OF TERROR»>
