Damn Yankees

[Big Magilla]

I just tonight watched the 1958 film version of Damn Yankees; cinematically, it's so-so--the dance numbers, choreographed by Bob Fosse, are marvelously filmed, and it's nice to have a record of Ray Walston and Gwen Verdon's stage triumphs (and even Tab Hunter is pretty good)--but as a legendary musical...well, I'm kind of meh. "Whatever Lola Wants" is justifiably a classic (though, admittedly, I prefer Sarah Vaughan's more sultry version), but the rest of the songs are pretty much forgettable...and the setting is VERY dated (of course, my intense hatred for baseball probably colors my perception). So, why do another screen version of this when there are any number of better musicals that deserve a better screen version (I'd love to see a full scale version of Show Boat, for example) or musicals that have never been filmed (Chess would be my top choice). I just don't see how another film version would offer anything new or even appeal to modern audiences.

The show is dated, but the score does have three ageless gems, "You've Gotta Have Heart" and "Those Were the Good Old Days" in addition to "Whatever Lola Wants".

A remake could work in one of two ways. One would be as a period piece but why bother when we have the 1958 film? The other would be to throw the story on its ears, and have the slugger long to become a Yankee instead of a Washington Senator, wanting to bring the Yankees out of their slump. In that case, however, most of the other songs would have to be re-written or replaced. "Goodbye Old Girl", "A Man Doesn't Know" and "Near to You" are too corny and sentimental for the times. "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo." has no place in today's sophisticated world and "The Game" once considered risque is now positively quaint.

The more I think about about the more I think it's doomed to failure.

In the meantime, what's happening with the long planned film versions of Follies and Sunset Boulevard?

[Sabin]

Sabin, I love ya but I'm getting sick and tired of your negative attitude. How about a "Oh, that movie sounds good" or "I'm looking forward that" or at least a "I don't know, I'll have to wait and see" every once in a while?

I'd be more than willing to give that to you if we weren't talking about this film.

[Penelope]

I just tonight watched the 1958 film version of Damn Yankees; cinematically, it's so-so--the dance numbers, choreographed by Bob Fosse, are marvelously filmed, and it's nice to have a record of Ray Walston and Gwen Verdon's stage triumphs (and even Tab Hunter is pretty good)--but as a legendary musical...well, I'm kind of meh. "Whatever Lola Wants" is justifiably a classic (though, admittedly, I prefer Sarah Vaughan's more sultry version), but the rest of the songs are pretty much forgettable...and the setting is VERY dated (of course, my intense hatred for baseball probably colors my perception). So, why do another screen version of this when there are any number of better musicals that deserve a better screen version (I'd love to see a full scale version of Show Boat, for example) or musicals that have never been filmed (Chess would be my top choice). I just don't see how another film version would offer anything new or even appeal to modern audiences.

[Eric]

I'd give a minor "Blech" if Catherine Zeta-Jones was given the part of Lola, but yeah, "Damn Yankees" is something like a minor masterpiece of Broadway literature, and much less full of itself than most of the major masterpieces.

[cam]

Seconded.

[anonymous1980]

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BLECH!

Sabin, I love ya but I'm getting sick and tired of your negative attitude. How about a "Oh, that movie sounds good" or "I'm looking forward that" or at least a "I don't know, I'll have to wait and see" every once in a while?



Edited By anonymous on 1235825913

[Sabin]

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BLECH!

[cam]

Whoever does it, Lola will make or break the show. Of those suggested, Zeta-Jones would be great. I cannot imagine Anne Hathaway in the part.
What an odd choice of show to remount! I can think of so many others that would make money: this one is so dated. Both Pajama Game( 1954) and Damn Yankees( 1955) were written by the same people, and ideal for the fifties, but not now....



Edited By cam on 1235762052

[OscarGuy]

Anne Hathaway did a damned good job against Steve Carell's mugging in Get Smart. And after her performance at the Oscars, I would bet they are going to try and sign her first...and if not for this, probably for some other upcoming musical.

[Big Magilla]

The success of any production of Damn Yankees relies on the casting of the devil's assistant, Lola. It requires not only someone who can sing and dance, but who can hold their own against Jim Carrey's mugging. The character is both alluring and vulnerable. Of the four names Pen mentions, Zeta-Jones probably fits best, but I wouldn't be surprised if they picked Nicole Kidman or Renee Zellweger for their marquee value, assuming they still have marquee value.

[Penelope]

For the role of Lola:

Beyoncé?
Catherine Zeta-Jones?
Anne Hathaway?
Rihanna?

[OscarGuy]

Carrey, Gyllenhaal do 'Yankees'
New Line taps actors for adaptation of musical
By MICHAEL FLEMING


New Line Cinema is playing ball with Jim Carrey and Jake Gyllenhaal on "Damn Yankees," attaching both actors to star in a contemporized film transfer of the classic musical.

Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel are set to write the script.

The musical is being produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the duo behind New Line's musical "Hairspray"; a sequel to that film is in the works.

"Damn Yankees," which bowed on Broadway in 1955 and won seven Tony Awards, focuses on Joe Boyd, a happily married middle-aged man whose devotion to a hapless pro baseball team prompts him to make a Faustian bargain with the devil to help the team. He's transformed into slugger Joe Hardy, in exchange for Boyd's soul. Boyd can break the deal, but the deadline occurs during the World Series. For good measure, the devil engages Lola, a gorgeous lost soul, to seduce the slugger and seal his fate.

The plan is for Carrey to play the devil, and Gyllenhaal to play Boyd. It's the first musical for each.

The producers tried but struck out on a version of "Damn Yankees" five years ago at Miramax, where they made "Chicago." The rights lapsed after Harvey Weinstein exited that studio. After two years of rights negotiations, "Damn Yankees" is moving forward with Toby Emmerich's New Line.

The trick is finding a balance that retains the show's classic tunes like "(You Gotta Have) Heart" and "Whatever Lola Wants," while injecting a contemporary feel on a musical that is firmly rooted in the 1950s. The intention is to get a script from Ganz and Mandel before meeting directors, and actresses who'll want to play Lola.

The original was directed by George Abbott and choreographed by Bob Fosse, with music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, and book by Abbott and Douglass Wallop. "Damn Yankees" was turned into a 1958 Warner Bros. film that was directed by Abbott and Stanley Donen, with Ray Walston and Gwen Verdon re-creating their stage performances, and Tab Hunter playing the slugger.

Carrey is coming off "Yes Man" and "I Love You Phillip Morris," the latter of which premiered at Sundance and is in distribution discussions. Carrey also plays Ebenezer Scrooge and several other roles in "A Christmas Carol," which Robert Zemeckis directed for Disney in performance capture digital 3-D animation. Carrey also plans to star for director Jason Reitman in "Pierre Pierre" for Fox Searchlight.

Gyllenhaal recently completed the David O. Russell-directed "Nailed," the Jim Sheridan-directed "Brothers," and he plays the title role in the Mike Newell-directed "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" for Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer.