Best. Semester. Ever.

Last night I had my first “Hollywood Musicals” class. The instructor introduced himself, as well as a very brief history of the beginning of musicals in America. We watched a clip from The Jazz Singer (the first musical [from a nearly bankrupt and desperate Warner Bros.] to [partially] use the deForest method of electronically connecting sound to film). We also watched a clip from Broadway Melody (best picture of 1936, the instructor told us this musical helped to reinvent musicals in America). After a quick break, we watched That’s Entertainment (highlights MGM’s musicals from the early 1900s to mid-1950s — apparently sales from this production prevented MGM from closing in the 1970s).

This class is going to be awesome — I’m already learning new things! I was also telling Mary how nice it’ll be to be in a film class from which I’ll always leave happy (and ready to dance). My previous courses, Feminist Film Studies and Intro to German Cinema, were also pretty awesome, but sometimes a little heavy and/or depressing. I also had another class at Augustana about literature and cinema regarding modern outlaws — we watched 4 or 5 different versions of Robin Hood within 2 weeks (it was a winter interim course). Yow.

Musicals every week will be refreshing. Next week we are watching 42nd Street. I have only seen three of the 13 or 14 musicals we’ll be seeing, so I’m also excited to meet some new actors!

P.S. I’m also ready to have Gene Kelly circa late 1940s’ babies now. Hot, hottie, hot!