Too darn hot

[Paolo]

Hi,
the first song of "Kiss me Kate", the musical,
is "Too darn hot". What's the meaning of this title?

Thanx.

--
Paolo

[Don Phillipson]

Post by Paolo
the first song of "Kiss me Kate", the musical,
is "Too darn hot". What's the meaning of this title?

Darn is an old and semigenteel form of damned,
used as an all-purpose intensifier e.g.
he drove darn fast, she is darn pretty, etc.

Cole Porter is a truly interesting prosodist i.e.
wrote tricky rhythms and rhymes better than
any contemporary, e.g. "Too Darn Hot."

[Iskandar Baharuddin]

Post by Don Phillipson

Post by Paolo
the first song of "Kiss me Kate", the musical,
is "Too darn hot". What's the meaning of this title?

Darn is an old and semigenteel form of damned,
used as an all-purpose intensifier e.g.
he drove darn fast, she is darn pretty, etc.
Cole Porter is a truly interesting prosodist i.e.
wrote tricky rhythms and rhymes better than
any contemporary, e.g. "Too Darn Hot."
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

I had the great privilege of seeing "Kiss me Kate" on opening night. The
cast, headed by Alfred Grant, was superb.

KMK was such a hit Hollywood decided to make an Original Cast movie. But
somehow some bigwig decided that 3D was coming back (again) and so this gem
is lost forever, unless someone comes up with the buck to convert it from 3D
to conventional. I assume this is doable, since everything else is doable
these days. But does it even exist any more? IMDB.COM does not list it.

The second film version, with Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson, was indeed
Bowdlerized. The "damned" became "darn", and in Kate's big number, "I hate
men...", in the line "Of course, I'm awfully glad that Mother had to mary
Father" the "had" was changed to "deigned". Yech!

In view of these, it is quite rermarkable that Ann Miller's (Bianca) big
number "Tom Dick or Harry" survived unscathed, including the concluding
lines:

"I'm a maid who would marry, and I'll wed double quick
any Tom, Dick or Harry,
any Tom, Harry or Dick, Dick, Dick, Dicka Dick Dick, Dicka Dicka Dick..."

Absolutely magical show.

While on the subject, I commend to you the 1980 BBC film of "The Taming of
the Shrew", with John Cleese as Petruchio. Cleese played Petruchio the way
Shakespeare wanted it, not Monty Python. Sarah Badel was a great Katherine.
It is available in the States, but I have been unable to locate a copy in
SouthPondia. I saw it in 1983, and it remains vivid in my memory. Great
movie, great Shakespeare.

Izzy

[Robert Lieblich]

Iskandar Baharuddin wrote:

[ ... ]

Post by Iskandar Baharuddin
I had the great privilege of seeing "Kiss me Kate" on opening night. The
cast, headed by Alfred Grant, was superb.

Alfred Grant is my wife's cousin, an orthopedic surgeon.

The guy who starred in the first performances of KMK was Alfred
Drake. See
<http://www.pozoristeterazije.com/english/kissme_more.html>.
There's an original cast recording in which he has several numbers.

Post by Iskandar Baharuddin
KMK was such a hit Hollywood decided to make an Original Cast movie. But
somehow some bigwig decided that 3D was coming back (again) and so this gem
is lost forever, unless someone comes up with the buck to convert it from 3D
to conventional. I assume this is doable, since everything else is doable
these days. But does it even exist any more? IMDB.COM does not list it.

I think you're a bit confused, Izzy.. The 3D version was the first
filmed one, released in 1953. It's listed in IMDB
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045963/>, and IMDB quotes from
publicity that makes clear it's in 3D. I've seen it several times
on TV in ordinary format, and what you say below indicates that
you've seen it too.

Post by Iskandar Baharuddin
The second film version,

No, the first one. Really. The musical opened on Broadway in 1948
and closed in 1951. I think the custom then was -- and it may still
be -- not to film a musical until the Broadway run had ended. It's
hardly credible that the musical was filmed twice in two years.

Post by Iskandar Baharuddin
with Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson, was indeed
Bowdlerized. The "damned" became "darn", and in Kate's big number, "I hate
men...", in the line "Of course, I'm awfully glad that Mother had to mary
Father" the "had" was changed to "deigned". Yech!
In view of these, it is quite rermarkable that Ann Miller's (Bianca) big
number "Tom Dick or Harry" survived unscathed, including the concluding
"I'm a maid who would marry, and I'll wed double quick
any Tom, Dick or Harry,
any Tom, Harry or Dick, Dick, Dick, Dicka Dick Dick, Dicka Dicka Dick..."
Absolutely magical show.

Complete agreement there. I saw a revival in London in December
2001. Spectacular. One interesting thing is that a couple of the
numbers given to Ann Miller in the movie were performed by other
characters in the original.

[Joe Fineman]

Post by Iskandar Baharuddin
The second film version, with Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson, was
indeed Bowdlerized. The "damned" became "darn", and in Kate's big
number, "I hate men...", in the line "Of course, I'm awfully glad
that Mother had to mary Father" the "had" was changed to
"deigned". Yech!

How did they handle "His business is the business that he gives his
secretary"?

[AliceKellen]

Post by Joe Fineman

Post by Iskandar Baharuddin
The second film version, with Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson, was
indeed Bowdlerized. The "damned" became "darn", and in Kate's big
number, "I hate men...", in the line "Of course, I'm awfully glad
that Mother had to mary Father" the "had" was changed to
"deigned". Yech!

How did they handle "His business is the business that he gives his
secretary"?
--
||: You're never too old for trouble. :||

The line was, "His business is the business with his pretty secretary,"
and if you're not a total imbecile, I think even that line conveys the
message.

[Iskandar Baharuddin]

Post by AliceKellen

Post by Joe Fineman

Post by Iskandar Baharuddin
The second film version, with Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson, was
indeed Bowdlerized. The "damned" became "darn", and in Kate's big
number, "I hate men...", in the line "Of course, I'm awfully glad
that Mother had to mary Father" the "had" was changed to
"deigned". Yech!

How did they handle "His business is the business that he gives his
secretary"?
--
||: You're never too old for trouble. :||

The line was, "His business is the business with his pretty secretary,"
and if you're not a total imbecile, I think even that line conveys the
message.

Thanks. Now I don't have to get out the DVD.

WWOTS, I remember vividly "Gone with the Wind". I was about nine, and went
with my mother.

When it got to the scene where Rhett says "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a
damn" there was a collective intake of breath at the shock of hearing
profanity on the Big Screen for the first time.

That marked the decline of the Hay Office, although the Code officially
prevailed until 1968.

Perhaps there were priors, but it is my impression that the F word first
used by Jane Fonda's character in "Klute" (1971)

The poor little Indonesian subtitle writer had a real problem with "F___
off!"

He was forced to reach back into classical Malaly to come up with
"Enyah-lah", which is merely a very strong form of "Go away!".

I have always felt sorry for the poor bastard. There he is, down in the
basement, frantically scribbling away through a single screening of a new
English-language film. No wonder he makes so many bloopers.

Izzy

[Tony Cooper]

On Sun, 3 Apr 2005 05:52:56 +0800, "Iskandar Baharuddin"

Post by Iskandar Baharuddin
That marked the decline of the Hay Office, although the Code officially
prevailed until 1968.

I think that Jane Russell was sitting on a bale of hay in her special
bra, but the office was the Hays Office. Except it wasn't. It was
called the Hays Office because Will Hays headed it, but it was the
Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America office or the
MPPDA.

Old Will was from Sullivan, Indiana and his former home is a landmark
there. I've been to Sullivan, driven by the home, and can assure you
that it's probably one of the least notable appearing landmarks
around. Sullivan's not a town with much to brag about, though. Will
was also Postmaster General of the United States. And a lawyer. Take
your pick on which was his greatest accomplishment.

[Iskandar Baharuddin]

Post by Tony Cooper
On Sun, 3 Apr 2005 05:52:56 +0800, "Iskandar Baharuddin"

Post by Iskandar Baharuddin
That marked the decline of the Hay Office, although the Code officially
prevailed until 1968.

Sorry about the missing S.

Post by Tony Cooper
I think that Jane Russell was sitting on a bale of hay in her special
bra, but the office was the Hays Office. Except it wasn't. It was
called the Hays Office because Will Hays headed it, but it was the
Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America office or the
MPPDA.

Indeed it was, but popular parlance opted for the short form. In 1945, when
Hays retired, it was commonly referred to as "the Johnston Office", after
the new head, Eric Johnstonm who served until his death in 1963.

Somehow the terms "Hetzel Office" and "Valenti Office" did not catch on.

Post by Tony Cooper
Old Will was from Sullivan, Indiana and his former home is a landmark
there. I've been to Sullivan, driven by the home, and can assure you
that it's probably one of the least notable appearing landmarks
around. Sullivan's not a town with much to brag about, though. Will
was also Postmaster General of the United States. And a lawyer. Take
your pick on which was his greatest accomplishment.

Postmaster General. Bitch of a job.

Izzy

[Mark Brader]

WWOTS, I remember vividly "Gone with the Wind". ... When it got
to the scene where Rhett says "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"
there was a collective intake of breath at the shock of hearing
profanity on the Big Screen for the first time.

It may have been the first time for those audiences, but "damn" was
spoken in movies as easily as 1929. Among movies still seen today,
earlier ones using it include "Alice Adams" (1935) and "Pygmalion"
(1938).

Perhaps there were priors, but it is my impression that the F word first
used by Jane Fonda's character in "Klute" (1971)

"I'll Never Forget What's'isname" or possibly "Ulysses" (both 1967).

Sources: Internet Movie Database; "The Guinness Book of Movie Facts
& Feats", 5th edition, by Patrick Robertson.

[Iskandar Baharuddin]

Post by Mark Brader

WWOTS, I remember vividly "Gone with the Wind". ... When it got
to the scene where Rhett says "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"
there was a collective intake of breath at the shock of hearing
profanity on the Big Screen for the first time.

It may have been the first time for those audiences, but "damn" was
spoken in movies as easily as 1929. Among movies still seen today,
earlier ones using it include "Alice Adams" (1935) and "Pygmalion"
(1938).

Perhaps there were priors, but it is my impression that the F word first
used by Jane Fonda's character in "Klute" (1971)

"I'll Never Forget What's'isname" or possibly "Ulysses" (both 1967).
Sources: Internet Movie Database; "The Guinness Book of Movie Facts
& Feats", 5th edition, by Patrick Robertson.

snip

Thanks. I have not noticed that link; will use it in future.

Shalom,

Izzy

[Iskandar Baharuddin]

Post by Joe Fineman

Post by Iskandar Baharuddin
The second film version, with Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson, was
indeed Bowdlerized. The "damned" became "darn", and in Kate's big
number, "I hate men...", in the line "Of course, I'm awfully glad
that Mother had to mary Father" the "had" was changed to
"deigned". Yech!

How did they handle "His business is the business that he gives his
secretary"?
--

IIRC they left that in.

Must get it from my video library and watch it again.

Even though I have mixed feelings about it: I regret the loss of the
original, and I think this makes me picky about what is probably one of the
best musical films of the Golden Age.

Regards,

Izzy