Gene Wilder celebrates his 78th birthday today and THE FUTURIST! salutes with a song from one of his most remembered films for many people of a certain age. WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY seems ripe for a Broadway stage incarnation. What are the money people waiting for? It has ready made songs (someone could write a few more, of course) and would appeal to the family crowd that keeps those Disney-fied Times Square hopping. Tim Burton did his recreation that featured music by Danny Elfman that had one or two bits of tuneful fun, but the original had the classic song that encapsulates the whole feel of the film. Not the book, but THE FILM. And Gene Wilder warbled it in his imperfect way, but with great charm and heart.
THE FUTURIST! is not going to post Mr. Wilder's version. Instead, he shall share the version below that he heard on a college radio show where he aided in providing "character comedy" bits in between musical selections. That was a happy time for THE FUTURIST!
THE FUTURIST! provided "letters" from listeners to a college radio station in NJ .. WFDU ... Fairleigh Dickinson University. He wrote "humorous" missives to the show host as different people he created. The host found it splendid and urged more and more. There was no pay for this work. It was a college radio station that survived on pledging.
Oh, that would have been fun times. But, Noel would have gotten mad, most likely. THE FUTURIST! had several characters... a drugged out college student, a very religious, yet sexual young woman, a medium, an 8 yr old boy and more.
4 comments:
This is nice. What's all this about 'character comedy' bits, though?!
THE FUTURIST! provided "letters" from listeners to a college radio station in NJ .. WFDU ... Fairleigh Dickinson University. He wrote "humorous" missives to the show host as different people he created. The host found it splendid and urged more and more. There was no pay for this work. It was a college radio station that survived on pledging.
Cool! We should have gotten you on The Dog Show!
Oh, that would have been fun times. But, Noel would have gotten mad, most likely. THE FUTURIST! had several characters... a drugged out college student, a very religious, yet sexual young woman, a medium, an 8 yr old boy and more.
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