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| re: Bandstand ending question | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 05:51 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
| In reply to: Bandstand ending question - theaterisok 01:24 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
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| I originally saw Bandstand near the end of its run at Papermill. According to my recollection, the ending takes place about a year after the contest. The guys and Julia are watching the movie at some small local venue in Cleveland. When the movie ends, they remain seated and reminisce about their experience with the contest. They all seem to have moved on with their lives. Their band still exists but has not achieved any great success beyond what they have accomplished in their hometown. When they exit the venue, a teenage girl comes up to them and tells them she is a big fan of their music. They all smile and that was about it. I don't recall any big production number finale. I'm pretty sure there was some sort of authors note in the Papermill playbill stating that they were trying to present a realistic story that was true to what returning soldiers experienced after the war. Apparently when the show made it to Broadway, they changed their minds and decided to go with a big splashy, Hollywood-type ending. I loved the show overall, but liked the ending I saw at Papermill better -- it was very low-key, but more in keeping with the story, which was dark, hard-hitting, and realistic. |
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| re:Ending in screening. | |
| Posted by: stevemr 09:47 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Bandstand ending question - BroadwayTonyJ 05:51 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
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| The ending you describe is essentially the ending used in the screening. We don't see the winner announced. A year later they watch the movie, with Sinatra singing the song. They describe the movie as a stinker. There's the scene with the teenage girl. Other posters make it sound like this WASN'T the Broadway ending, yet here it is. Any insight? | |
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| re: re:Ending in screening. | |
| Posted by: Delvino 09:51 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
| In reply to: re:Ending in screening. - stevemr 09:47 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
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| It was the only B'way ending, first preview til closing. In fact, a temporary version of it was reportedly added to Papermill before the tryout closed. I believe they fixed it rather early in Milburn, NJ. Someone will surely verify this second point, but I read it in all of our "Bandstand" threads last summer. | |
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| re: Bandstand ending question | |
| Posted by: Ann 08:27 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Bandstand ending question - BroadwayTonyJ 05:51 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
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| I think I would have liked that ending better as well. The ending and (to my memory) the band's big song feeling like something in the wrong era were the biggest problems in my eye. Though I don't think a downbeat ending would have helped with the tourist crowds a hit Broadway show needs. | |
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| re: Bandstand ending question | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 10:15 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Bandstand ending question - Ann 08:27 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
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| The band's big song was always the same in both Paper Mill and Broadway. | |
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| re: Bandstand ending question | |
| Posted by: Ann 10:32 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Bandstand ending question - lowwriter 10:15 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
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| Ok. | |
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| re: Bandstand ending question (SPOILER) | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 08:50 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 08:50 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Bandstand ending question - Ann 08:27 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
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| Agreed. It felt tonally at odds with the show's 11 o'clock spot, when they toss out the prepared number and sing the original lyrics of "Welcome Home." They basically say: winning doesn't matter, we must honor the truth about PTSD. Only then will we move on. And then, they win, and everyone becomes an overnight star. It was just wrapped up in a bow, and felt counter-intuitive, creatively, to plaster this contrived finale atop so much earned emotional catharsis. Say, a talent scout sees "Rose's Turn" and gives here a gig at a club, with Gypsy cheering her. Well, not quite. But tonally it had something like that going on | |
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| re: Bandstand ending question (SPOILER) | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 10:17 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Bandstand ending question (SPOILER) - Delvino 08:50 am EDT 06/26/18 | |
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| They lose the song contest, though, and don't appear in the movie. | |
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