This is December’s edition of Comet Over Hollywood’s classic film references in music videos.
The song's single cover channels "Citizen Kane"
Right on the heels of watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946) in Mount Airy, I want to share a reference of the film in The Killer’s 2010 Christmas single “Boots.” It was the fifth Christmas single the band wrote to help raise money for AIDS.
The video starts off with George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) praying for help in “It’s a Wonderful Life” right after the $8,000 is lost and he thinks he is going to jail. The song also mentions the movie title in the chorus.
The cover of the single also references “Citizen Kane.” The snow globe with the boots inside is similar to the snow globe Charles Foster Kane is holding when he dies.
“Boots” was directed by “Napoleon Dynamite” director Jared Hess and the homeless man in the video is street performer Brad “Super Bad Brad” Prowley- I had no idea he was anyone well-known until a today.
Most of the band’s Christmas songs are silly and fun, such as “Don’t Shoot Me Santa Claus”, “Great Big Sleigh” and “The Cowboy Christmas Ball.” However, this video is about home, memories and is a bit more serious and sentimental. I believe this might be, because Flowers’ mother passed away in February 2010 and he was dedicating it to her and childhood memories, though this is just an assumption.
As most of you know The Killers are my favorite band. In past classic film in music video posts I have shared their videos “All the Things I Have Done” and “Bones.” From what I have heard in interviews and read in articles, I feel like lead singer Brandon Flowers appreciates the old times and classic film. He was raised in Las Vegas and tries to channels the Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Elvis days of 1960s Las Vegas in his performances and music.
Maureen O'Sullivan (dressed as a choir boy) sings her favorite Christmas songs.
I’m the kind of person who starts listening to Christmas music right after Thanksgiving. But I’m very selective-I only really enjoy the classic singers. I’ll turn up the radio to Bing Crosby, Dean Martin or even Andy Williams, but once Mariah Carey, Amy Grant or LeeAnn Rhymes come on, the channel is changed.
Here are a few of my favorite Christmas songs sung by some classic stars and singers.
1. Caroling, Caroling by Nat King Cole- My family has many Christmas CD’s including The Ventures Christmas. One of my favorites of our CD’s is called “Christmas Time” with Nat, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. This song, along with the others brings back a lot of nice memories.
2. There Is No Place Like Home for the Holidays by Perry Como- You can’t got wrong with any Perry Como song, but his version of this song gives you a warm, homey feeling. We also own a Perry Como Christmas CD, along with other Perry albums. His voice is very soothing, just makes me wish it was a blanket so I could go to sleep in it.
3. The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole- This song also came off the “Christmas Time” album. There are many versions of this song, but Mr. Cole’s version is my favorite. I particularly enjoy this video because we get to see him singing it. He looks very pleasant.
4. A Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives- Who doesn’t smile when they hear this song? I’ve always loved Burl Ives since I saw him in movies like “Summer Magic.” He is just big and jolly and I imagine him smiling and laughing during this song. This song is at the end of the 1965 “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” cartoon, which is something my family watches every year. All of these things combined make me blast this song whenever it comes on the radio and sing along.
5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Gene Autry- Okay, I’m a Roy Rogers fan, but I enjoy all of Gene Autry’s Christmas songs including Rudolph, Here Come’s Santa Claus and Up on the Roof Top. He has a nice homey sound when he sings it, like he’d come over and sing in your living room. I particularly like Gene Autry singing Rudolph, because he is the one who popularized the song in the 1930s.
6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland- As far as I’m concerned, Judy Garland is the only one who can sing this song. She sings this in “Meet Me in Saint Louis” and my mom cries every time. And then the bittersweet moment is killed when Margaret O’Brien goes berserk and attacks the snowmen when Judy stops singing. Regardless, it’s a very nice song and moment in the movie.
7. Jingle Bells by Frank Sinatra- This might seem very silly but this is my favorite Frank Sinatra song (I’m not a huge Sinatra fan). This song is also on our “Christmas Time” CD. I’m not sure what drew me to this song, but I’m pretty sure it was the spelling. Ever since hearing “Gal from Kalamazoo” by Glenn Miller, I’ve loved songs that spell (including Fergie). I guess I enjoy it, because it takes a song everyone knows and makes it a little more fun.
8. White Christmas by Bing Crosby- What favorite Christmas song list is complete without Bing Crosby singing “White Christmas”? Whether it be the version from “Holiday Inn” (1942) or “White Christmas” (1954), I enjoy it either way. I heard Taylor Swift sing a version of this song and it just wasn’t the same and horrible. No one can croon like Bing.
9. Ave Maria by Perry Como- I’m not Catholic, but I’ve always enjoyed Perry Como singing Ave Maria. It’s very nice and rather emotional. From what I understand, he sang it on TV every year.
Non-Classics Honorable Mention: Though my most favorite songs are above, here are a few newer Christmas songs I also enjoy-
10. Snoopy vs. The Red Baron Christmas by the Royal Guardsmen- I’ve always enjoyed all the Snoopy songs, and this one is fun and cute. Unfortunately they don’t play it on the radio much.
11. Cowboy Christmas Ball by The Killers- For the past six years The Killers have put out a Christmas single to help raise money for AIDS. As some of you know, they are my favorite band and this is the single they put out this year. It’s actually a music set to the tune of an old cowboy poem. It’s a lot of fun and the video is shot to look like a 1960s Spaghetti Western.
What songs do you listen to get in the Christmas spirit?
Here we have another installment of music videos that feature either classic movie stars, movies or reference classic movies.
This month’s music video is “Bones” by The Killers from their album “Sam’s Town.”
The video is of a guy and a girl in a drive in movie and we see several classic films on-screen as well as being acted out by the couple.
Some movie references are:
•”Jason and the Argonauts” (Very first shot, the fact that the band members are skeletons
•”From Here to Eternity” (1953)- :30 seconds, 1:00, 1:30
•”Easy to Love” (1953)- 2:12
•”Lolita” (1962)- 2:39
•”Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954)- 3:16
I’m starting yet another new feature on “Comet” about actors and actresses, or anything classic film related, in music videos. The last video I posted featured Cyd Charisse in the Blue Mercedes video “I Want to Be Your Property.”
The video featured today is The Killer’s 2004 song “All These Things I Have Done” from their first album “Hot Fuss.” The song has two videos; the other is the band playing a concert and walking down the street hugging people-not as interesting as this one. This video was made in 2005 and seems to have a more “Sam’s Town” album feel.
Dangerous go-go dancers in "Faster Pussycat Kill Kill"
The video doesn’t have a classic actor in it, but references the movie “Faster, Pussycat Kill Kill” (1965). Complete with desert setting and deadly, buxom women. The Asian character in the music video with the braids, seems to be channeling the late Tura Santana’s character, Vula.
The music video story is out of order, but you can understand the sequence by paying attention to the numbers each girl holds up.
Side Note: I recently saw the cult film “Faster, Pussycat Kill Kill” and have to admit, it was hard to find anything to like about it. I wasn’t really sure why they killed the girl’s boyfriend and and her bogus karate move that supposedly killed him more than likely would have just dislocated his shoulder.
This isn’t the only time the Killer’s reference class film in lyrics or videos. The lead singer of The Killer’s, Brandon Flowers, is mormon and has very traditional values. Lyrics like “red white and blue upon a birthday cake,” “Some kind of slick, chrome American prince” and “A southern drawl, a world unseen” give a feeling of Americana. In other songs Flowers sings about old actors like Marlon Brandon, James Dean and Greta Garbo as I discussed in a post back in June.
Here is the amusing and fun video for “All These Things That I Have Done” (I apologize that you will have to open it in a new window):
This won’t be the last time you hear about The Killer’s on here. They are my favorite band, but they have more classic movie references. Check back for the next classic movies and actors in music videos!
Lady Gaga and Brandon Flowers, lead singer of the Killers
I am always listening for classic movie information, facts or references. Imagine my surprise while listening to my two favorite musical artists, Lady Gaga and The Killers, when I ran across some classic film references.
I’m not talking about the old worn out “Bette Davis Eyes” where the whole song is dedicated to one actor, but these are subtle lyrics mentioning favorite actors.
It gives me joy that Lady Gaga and Brandon Flowers must have some respect for classic Hollywood. It seems so many of the people in Hollywood don’t care about the past or are unaware. Without the James Cagneys and Bette Davises, the actors in Hollywood wouldn’t have the freedom they exercise now.
• “The Ballad of Michael Valentine” by The Killers from the Sawdust album:
“But I’ve got a buzz like Marlon Brando straight faced with misery tonight”
“But I’ve got a buzz like Greta Garbo walking fowards in the sun”
• “Romeo and Juliet” covered by the Killers on the Sawdust album:
“There’s a place for us, you know the movie song”
-talking about “West Side Story”
•”A Dustland Fairytale” by the Killers on the Day and Age album:
“‘Moon River’ what you do to me, but I don’t believe you…”
-Mentions the theme from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
The video seems to be modeled after “Rebel without a Cause” or “West Side Story” with the switch blade gang fighting.
• “Speechless” by Lady Gaga from the Fame Monster album: “With your James Dean glossy eyes In your tight jeans with your long hair”
“I can’t believe how you looked at me with your Johnnie Walker eyes”
-I actually had to look up who Johnnie Walker was. He was an actor in the 1920’s and 1930s
and he died in 1949.
• “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga from the Fame Monster album:
“I want your psycho, Your vertigo stick, Want you in my rear window, Baby you’re sick”
-Huge Hitchcock reference talking about “Psycho,” “Vertigo” and “Rear Window.” I
heard in an interview that she was sighting imperfect film romances and saying that she
would take your imperfections and still love you anyways.
• “Dance in the Dark” by Lady Gaga from the Fame Monster album:
“Marilyn, Judy, Sylvia, Tellem’ how you feel girls!”
-Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and I’m assuming Sylvia Plath
“Work your blonde (Jean) Benet Ramsey, We’ll haunt like Liberace, find your freedom in the music
find your Jesus, find your Kubrick”
-Pianist Liberace and director Stanley Kubrick
Kim Novak, the Lavender Blonde
• “So Happy I Could Die” by Lady Gaga from the Fame Monster album: “I love that lavender blonde, the way she moves, the way she walks….”
-In her early days of acting, Kim Novak was publicized as the Lavender Blonde or the Lavender
Girl at Columbia studios. They tinted her blonde hair with lavender highlights, frequently
dressed her in shades of purple and forced her to decorate her apartment in the color, according to the book “Leading Ladies: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Era.”
Seeti Maar- Literal meaning "Blow the Whistle". Movie goers in India, have the tendency to appreciate a scene or a dialogue or a song, by whistling and clapping aloud. The blog is dedicated to those movies, their makers, the actors, the music directors, who have often made me feel like doing the "seeti maar" act, or actually made me do it in theaters.
"Film as dream, film as music. No form of art goes beyond ordinary consciousness as film does, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of the soul." -INGMAR BERGMAN
