Tag: musical

Classic Films · Musicals

The Pajama Game

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: The Pajama Game, 1957

Happy Labor Day to all you Cinema Sips readers! As an Elder Millennial raised on Newsies and Norma Rae, I never let this day pass without a little fanfare. It’s a celebration of the contributions and sacrifices made by the workers of America, many of whom are currently protesting the lousy economic policies that funneled so much of our money up to the billionaire CEOs. In other words, we are currently living through The Pajama Game (Disc/Download). Doris to the rescue!

If you’re looking for a movie about labor unions, you won’t find a prettier one than The Pajama Game. At the Sleeptite Pajama Factory in Cedar Rapids, IA, workers come to the factory in colorful A-line dresses, heart-shaped pin cushions, and a spring in their step. As they sing about the dreamy new Superintendent, whom Doris Day is definitely NOT in love with (yet), the women swish their polka dots, stripes, and ric-rac in time to the fabulous Bob Fosse choreography and catchy songs. In a classic rom-com trope, Day plays the chairwoman of the Grievance Committee (read: labor union) who clashes with the handsome new Superintendent (read: middle manager). He must come over to her side if they’re to have any chance of a romance, which is easy to do once he discovers their boss has been stealing money already allocated for the workers’ 7.5-cent raises. This movie may have been made in the fifties, but damned if it isn’t still relevant in 2026.

In The Pajama Game, Doris loves her apples almost as much as she loves fighting The Man. Let’s welcome fall with this refreshing Hernando’s Honeycrisp Sangria!

Hernando’s Honeycrisp Sangria

1 ½ oz brandy

3 oz white wine

1 oz apple juice

½ oz lemon juice

½ oz cinnamon syrup

Honeycrisp apple slices + cinnamon stick (garnish)

In a shaker with ice, combine brandy, white wine, apple juice, lemon juice, and cinnamon syrup. Shake to combine, then strain into a collins glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with apple slices and a cinnamon stick.

In true Doris form, my favorite star is no-nonsense and driven when it comes to protecting the interests of her friends and co-workers. Sure, they make cute pajamas, but there’s nothing cute about the mistreatment they’ve suffered at the hands of management. This is a frothy, stylish confection of a movie, yet it still serves as a reminder that you can’t have the top without the bottom. Cheers!

Classic Films · Musicals

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953

There’s been a lot of Marilyn Monroe chatter this summer in honor of the star’s 100th birthday, and while I was lucky enough to celebrate her at my local theater with a screening of The Misfits, this week I want to highlight one of her most joyous movies, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Disc/Download). Between Marilyn’s iconic musical numbers and the dancing muscle-bound men, I can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun!

While Marilyn certainly makes a splash as showgirl Lorelei Lee, the part might not have worked nearly as well without the chemistry between her and costar Jane Russell. They are two singing, dancing, former “little girls from Little Rock” with very different tastes in men. When Lorelei hooks a millionaire’s son, the two set off on a pre-wedding cruise to Paris, initially unaware that they’re being watched by the millionaire’s private eye. Lorelei schemes to land an even bigger fish with even more diamonds at his disposal, while gal pal Dorothy enjoys a buffet of hot men. Although Dorothy’s official job is chaperone, she astutely points out: “Nobody chaperones the chaperone.” Pretty soon she’s flirting with her buff Olympian shipmates and catching the eye of the handsome PI. The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, and you shouldn’t either. Just lean into the vibes, and you’ll be okay.

Recently, I came across a cocktail in the Mr. Boston bar book that has Marilyn written all over it. From its pink hue, to its showgirl roots, this fizzy beverage is like Lorelei Lee in a glass. While watching Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, I recommend drinking a Floradora cocktail.

Floradora

2 oz gin

1 oz lime juice

1/2 oz raspberry syrup

Ginger beer, to top

Dried lime, garnish

Add gin, lime juice, and raspberry syrup to a shaker with ice, and shake to chill. Strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with ginger beer, and garnish with a dried lime.

Anyone who knows me knows I have a pet peeve about annoying child actors, but I’m happy to report that young George Winslow is like the Macaulay Culkin of the 1950s; I keep expecting him to order a plain cheese pizza for one! Ultimately, this movie is a reminder that when life gets hard, I simply need to put Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in my movie arsenal and let Marilyn make everything better. Whether covered in diamonds or a fabulous leopard cape, she always brings the light. Bottom’s up!

Classic Films · Musicals

Carmen Jones

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: Carmen Jones, 1954

Sometimes, a movie couple is so electric, you don’t even need to hear what they’re saying in order to feel the chemistry. It happened for me this week with Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte in the Otto Preminger film Carmen Jones (Disc/Download), and although I admit to being left cold by the music and thin plot, these two actors started a five-alarm fire on that CinemaScope screen.

I’ve long been a fan of Harry Belafonte’s “Calypso” album, so don’t get me started about what a disappointment it was that his Carmen Jones singing voice was dubbed. In an alternate universe, he and Dorothy Dandridge put out a normal, non-operatic soundtrack album that matched the tone and setting of the film, and that soundtrack would have been a hit. Perhaps I need to put this movie on, turn the sound off, and crank up “Calypso” on the Hi-Fi? It certainly wouldn’t interfere with my love of the DeLuxe color costumes, or the sexy way Dandridge “untwists” Belafonte’s belt, or the way these two make even the worst flophouses look like romantic love shacks. She may not want to see this ex-fly boy cooped up, but I don’t mind it if he’s cooped up with her.

The thing I enjoy most about this movie is that it takes the French opera Carmen and plops it into the American South circa WWII. Not only is it great to see so much Black representation onscreen, but it also highlights women’s contributions to the war effort. Carmen works at a North Carolina parachute factory, so let’s toast her and Joe with this Caribbean Parachute cocktail.

Caribbean Parachute

1 1/2 oz light rum

1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro

3/4 oz lime juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

1 egg white

4 oz chilled tonic water

Add all ingredients except tonic water to a shaker. Shake vigorously until combined and frothy, then add ice. Shake again until chilled. Pour three ounces of tonic water into a Collins glass, then strain the contents of the shaker into the glass. Top with the rest of the tonic water, until the mixture foams up just past the rim of the glass. Garnish with a pineapple leaf (optional).

This is a gorgeous, fun cocktail, and perfect for those times when you’re running low on ice! I can absolutely picture Carmen drinking a few of these in that ramshackle nightclub with Husky Miller, dancing the night away in a pink dress and big gold hoops… while a Harry Belafonte album plays in the jukebox (just let me have my fantasy). Cheers!

Musicals

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

LizLocke1 Comment
Image credit: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, 2001

Do you remember the first movie you saw after leaving home as an adult? In my case, it was August 2001 (just a couple weeks before September 11th would change the world forever), and I found myself alone in a dorm room, at a college where I didn’t particularly want to be enrolled. Instead of unpacking, I decided to embrace my newfound freedom and hike up the street to the nearest cinema. Like a beacon, the poster for Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Disc/Download) screamed out at me. Securing the last seat in the tiny theater, the lights dimmed, and reader, this was the moment my movie-going life truly began.

For those unfamiliar, Hedwig is the adaptation of the off-Broadway smash hit about a gender-queer East Berlin rocker who becomes the star of a small cabaret act touring across Middle America. The band “The Angry Inch” is a reference to the botched sex change operation that’s left Hedwig somewhere between male/female, and it’s through their songs that we learn the saga of how young Hansel transitioned into the fabulous diva currently belting out power ballads from under an impressive collection of ever-changing wigs. This movie is a thought-provoking exploration of gender identity and love, featuring one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard. And for an eighteen-year-old girl who was still struggling to figure out a lot of things, Hedwig was an inspiration. This character forces us to look at the pieces of ourselves, even the ones we want to run from, in order to accept them all as perfect. Male, female, gay, straight, costumed in drag or naked in the street—we are all human, and must all learn to love ourselves in whatever shape we’ve assumed.

 A scene I particularly love is when Hansel meets the American soldier who would hatch a plan to get them out of East Berlin through marriage and the infamous “operation”. Lured by gummy bears, it’s like watching Adam and Eve take a bite of the apple. Suddenly, this young German’s grey world has a hint of color. Let’s toast Hedwig not with a vermouth on the rocks (because blegh), but with this colorful Gummi Bear cocktail.

Gummi Bear

1 ½ oz Raspberry Vodka

1 oz Peach Schnapps

½ oz Lime Juice

½ oz Simple Syrup

½ oz Cranberry Juice

3 oz Lemon-lime soda

Gummy Bears (Haribo of course!)

Combine Vodka, Peach Schnapps, lime juice, simple syrup, and cranberry juice in a shaker with ice.  Shake until chilled, then strain into a coupe glass. Top with lemon-lime soda, and garnish with gummy bears.

I’ll never forget leaving the little theater in Dupont Circle on that hot August night, feeling like my own world just transitioned to color too. Feeling like things were going to be okay because I had myself, and I had movies. And when the world’s a bit amiss, there’s always makeup and a tape deck. Cheers!

Classic Films · Musicals

Dangerous When Wet

LizLockeLeave a comment

Dangerous When Wet
Image credit: Dangerous When Wet, 1953.

I have a confession to make: I’ve been cheating on Doris Day with Esther Williams. I never thought I would find an actress as charming, classy, and strong as Doris, but then Esther swam into my life. I loved her in Million Dollar Mermaid, but thought the film as a whole could have used more cocktails. THEN, I caught this week’s flick Dangerous When Wet (Disc/Download), which features roughly the same plot as her most iconic role, with the essential additions of alcohol and Fernando Lamas. Dear reader, I’m in cinema heaven.

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to dive into (pun intended) the Esther Williams filmography. After all, I am long-obsessed with swimming pools, and I happen to own an Esther Williams-brand bathing suit. I admired her as an innovator and symbol of athletic grace long before I saw any of her movies, but now that I’ve watched a few, I can’t get enough. In Dangerous When Wet, Esther plays a wholesome farmer’s daughter from Arkansas who gets hired by phony vitamin company Liquipep to swim the English Channel with her entire family. While across the pond, she meets cute with a French champagne maker (I know, I KNOW!!) who shows her there’s more to life than swimming. Fernando Lamas is decidedly dreamy as her romantic lead, and let’s just say there is a very risqué scene set in a bathhouse changing room that has some major Pillow Talk vibes. The two lovers follow it up with a moonlight swim in his family’s pool, synchronizing their movements in the water. Busby Berkeley really was not needed in this picture, with so much chemistry heating up the screen.

Romance aside, what I enjoy most about Esther Williams films is their interpretation of what it means to be a women. Esther is allowed to be vulnerable in regards to her personal relationships, but also brave enough to take on incredible physical challenges. She’s graceful in her underwater sequences, and strong while proving her endurance in long-distance swimming. She can do back-flips with Tom & Jerry and swim twenty miles across the English Channel, all while nursing a wicked Liquipep hangover. While watching Dangerous When Wet, toast Esther and the other fierce women in your life with this English Channel cocktail.

English Channel

2 oz Earl Grey Tea, cooled

¾ oz Galliano

¾ oz Cointreau

Dried Bergamot (or lemon) slice

Brew tea and allow to cool. Combine with Galliano and Cointreau in a shaker with ice, and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with Bergamot or lemon.

English Channel

There’s a moment toward the end of the movie when Esther’s French lover jumps into the Channel to help coach her across the finish line. I literally rubbed my arms with glee when this happened, not because Fernando Lamas stripped down to his boxer briefs (though, that didn’t hurt), but because he didn’t try to stop her from continuing. He knew she could make it all the way; she just needed a cheerleader. And now, in the year 2020, she’s got another one in me. Cheers!

Musicals

Mamma Mia!

LizLockeLeave a comment

mamma mia
Image credit: Mamma Mia!, 2008

Before we go again, shouldn’t we take the chance to recall our last summer? That one where Mamma Mia! (DVD/Download) shattered box office expectations to become a colossal hit and had much of the female population saying “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” and eating Greek yogurt? Send an SOS- it’s time to listen to Pierce Brosnan “sing” once more.

I’ll admit- I genuinely enjoy this movie. Despite the cheesiness, despite the lackluster musical abilities of the majority of the cast, despite the enviable tans I know I’ll never personally achieve…. it gets to me. The pain of lost love, the suspense of a paternity reveal, and the tumultuous bond between mother and daughter are like the storylines from a soap opera. And we all know how much I like those.  Plus, there’s ABBA music, beautiful scenery, and shirtless bartenders.  Really, this film just screams Liz Locke.

While most eyes are focused on Meryl Streep, her lovers, and the VERY tan Amanda Seyfried, I’m more interested in the drunk old ladies played by Julie Walters and Christine Baranski. They’re like a kinder version of AbFab’s Patsy and Edina. Always with the fruity pink drinks, these two. While watching Mamma Mia!, get your Greek on and enjoy this Honey, Honey cocktail.

Honey, Honey

1 small wedge pink grapefruit, peel removed

3-4 Fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish

2 tsp. Greek honey

2 oz Ouzo

3 oz Pink Grapefruit juice

1 oz Campari

Topo Chico sparkling water

In a highball glass, muddle the fresh grapefruit, mint leaves, and honey together. Fill with ice, add Ouzo, grapefruit juice, and Campari. Top with sparkling water, and garnish with another slice of fresh grapefruit and mint.

honey honey

Whether you’re watching the original or the new sequel Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again (I’m still LOL’ing over that title), be sure and have a cocktail on hand. You don’t want to let the opportunity for a drunk sing-a-long to “Dancing Queen” slip through your fingers. Cheers!