The Cast |
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The Crew |
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The Songs |
The Carousel Waltz |
On stage, this beautiful piece was presented instead of a traditional Overture. The opening strains have a somber and mysterious quality which seems to foretell the tragic love story of Julie Jordan and Billy Bigelow. In the film, the Carousel Waltz is heard over the opening credits following a short scene prelude introducing Billy Bigelow, already in Heaven and already dead! (more on that later). The film version of the Waltz is abbreviated from the stage version, which ran over 7 minutes! On stage, an elaborate pantomime of all the various performers of the carnival is presented while the Carousel Waltz is played. In the course of this, we observe the Billy’s “barking” on the carousel, his observing Julie, his placing her on the carousel, and the intervention of the owner of the carousel, Mrs. Mullen, who is jealously in love with Billy. In the film, these events occur after the credits, as Billy, now dead and in heaven, relates the story to The Star Keeper. Most of the film is told in flashback, with occasional cuts back to Billy and the Star Keeper, and then Billy and the Heavenly Messenger. |
You're a Queer One, |
Although recorded on the soundtrack recording, this song is not performed in the film. It is not documented whether it was cut prior to release, or whether it was ever filmed. On stage, it is a cute piece, giving the audience the opportunity to meet Julie and Carrie Pipperidge, Julie’s best friend. |
Mr. Snow |
Carrie, who works with Julie at the cotton mill, confides to Julie. She feels comfortable telling about her secret engagement to Mr. Snow now that Julie seems to have a “fella” in Billy Bigelow. Barbara Ruick as Carrie does a nice job with this one-dimensional character. |
If I Loved You |
Billy arrives after having been fired by Mrs. Mullen for his friendly behavior to Julie. Carrie tries to convince Julie to leave with her lest they both lose their jobs at the mill by getting in too late from the mill boarding house, and no longer be “respectable”. Julie decides to stay. The owner of the mill arrives, along with a policeman. The policeman warns Julie about Billy’s reputation, in that he takes money from girls and is a drifter. The mill owner tries to convince Julie to return to the boarding house, and he will overlook her conduct of staying out so late. Julie refuses to leave Billy, and therefore loses her job. In the scene and song that follows, they each sing “If I Loved You” describing how they would feel if they did indeed love the other, although they claim otherwise. At the end of the song, they kiss, and walk off together. The scene is truncated from the stage version with some dialogue which was sung on stage being recited on film. This was one of the scenes filmed on location in Maine. |
June is Bustin' |
The action moves to the seaside spa owned by Julie’s cousin, Nettie Fowler. Julie and Billy have disappeared, and people think the worst. Nettie is trying to think the best, but is worried. Julie and Billy arrive, and Julie announces that she is now married to Billy. Nettie accepts Billy, but is cautious. A few months pass, and it is now June. Everyone is happy that June has arrived, and this number is the celebration. This is a major production number with lots of singing and dancing, also filmed on location in Maine. It doesn’t advance the story, but is a lot of fun. |
Soliloquy |
Things are not going well for Julie and Billy. Billy can’t find work, and is living off Julie’s cousin Nettie. As a result, Billy is sullen and abusive to Julie. Nettie tells Carrie that Billy has even hit Julie. Julie defends her husband, and clearly loves him despite everything. Mrs. Mullen arrives and offers Billy his old job back, and tempts him with a ruby ring. When Billy shows interest, thinking that he can go back and be married, Mrs. Mullen ridicules him. Julie interrupts them, and after Mrs. Mullen leaves them alone, Julie tells Billy that she is pregnant. Billy’s entire attitude toward her becomes caring and loving, as he thinks about being a father. He tells Mrs. Mullen to leave. He walks to the beach, and sings the famous “Soliloquy” in which he imagines what his son will be like, but then realizes Julie might have a daughter instead. With that thought, he realizes that as a “bum with no money”, he has little to offer a daughter. He vows to get the money to give his daughter a better life than he had. |
Blow High, Blow Low |
This song was recorded for the film, and was filmed (according to the supplemental information on the DVD release of the film). However, it was cut prior to release. It is a great song about whaling, the lifeblood of this small Maine town. |
When the Children |
Billy know decides that he wants to attend the big clambake on the nearby island, after originally scoffing at the idea. Now, he and Julie are sailing to the island with Mr. Snow and Carrie on Mr. Snow’s boat. Mr. Snow and Carrie are engaged, and are dreaming of their life together, and the many children that they will have together. |
This was a |
This song was borrowed from “Oklahoma” and was originally titled “This Was a Real Nice Hayride”. It is a nice ensemble piece, with the cast expressing their contentment with this clambake. |
Stonecutters Cut |
This is a somewhat truncated version of the stage song. Jigger Craigen has tried to get alone with Carrie, and they are interrupted by Mr. Snow. Mr. Snow accuses Carrie of being “free, loose and lallygagging”, and calls off the engagement. As Carrie breaks down in hysterical sobbing, Jigger leads the other men in this commentary on the misery that Mr. Snow and others like him who think they are good, cause the women they marry. |
What's the Use |
Billy has gone off with Jigger Craigen, supposedly to look for the treasure. But in reality, they plan to return to the town in order to rob the owner of the local mill as he deposits the payroll. Billy agreed to this reluctantly in order to obtain money for his daughter. Julie tries to stop them, sensing that there is danger. She sings this song to Carrie about the unwavering love that they have for their men despite their faults, and the other girls join in. |
You'll Never |
Billy and Jigger return from the island, and try to rob Mr. Bascomb, the owner of the mill. However, Mr. Bascomb pulls a gun on them, and Jigger runs off. Billy tries to escape, and falls on his knife. Mortally wounded, he barely has time to say goodbye to Julie before he dies. Julie begins to sing this song of courage as she realizes that she will have to face the birth of their child alone, but breaks down in tears. Nettie picks up the song, and completes it, holding Julie and vowing to stay by her side to help her. |
Louise's Ballet |
This music does not appear on the soundtrack recording, but is a major part of the second act. Billy comes down from heaven to help his daughter, now 16 years old. He sees that she is rejected by her friends, bitter, and wild. In other words, she is very much like Billy was. |
If I Loved You |
Billy appears to Louise, and tries to help her, by giving her a star which he stole from Heaven. She is frightened and confused, and rejects the gift. In anger, Billy slaps her. Louise runs into the house to get her mother, and when Julie returns, Billy is there but not visible to her, but perhaps was visible for a moment. Louise tells Julie about the stranger, and how although she heard the sound of the stranger slapping her, it didn’t hurt. In fact, it felt like a kiss. Julie knows what she means, thinking of her life with Billy. When Louise leaves, Julie sees that star that Billy has brought. Billy sings a lovely reprise of “If I Loved You”, with the lyric revised to “Now I’ve lost you. Soon I will go in the mist of day”. |
You'll Never |
Billy and the Heavenly Messenger attend Louise’s high school graduation. The speaker, Dr. Shelton, “the most beloved man in town”, looks surprisingly like The Starkeeper, who gave Billy permission to return to Earth for one day. Dr. Shelton tells the graduates to stand on their own, and not be held back by the mistakes of their parents. Billy whispers into Louise’s ear to hear the message and believe it. The group stands and sings this song again, and Louise reaches out to embrace one of her classmates, having conquered her isolation. Billy whispers to Julie that he always loved her. Julie smiles and sings out as well. Billy leaves contentedly with the Heavenly Messenger as the sun sets on the sea. |
From Stage to Screen |
There was an 11 year period between the 1945 premiere of the Broadway play “Carousel” and the 1956 20th Century-Fox film version. That was not unusual in itself, as the comparable period for “Oklahoma!” was 12 years. However, there were some subtle and some not-so-subtle changes made between the stage and screen version. The most obvious change is the use of a flashback in the screenplay written by Henry and Phoebe Ephraim. While the stage play is told in chronological order, the film opens in Heaven, where we meet an already deceased Billy Bigelow sitting on a ladder polishing stars. In the play, this scene does not occur until Act II. It is not clear why this method was used, but perhaps it was an attempt to “lighten” a dark story in which the romantic leading character dies. This was a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, after all, and audiences were used to seeing happy endings like they saw in “Oklahoma!” the previous year. And “Carousel” was based on the dramatic play “Liliom”, and was considerably darker. In “Oklahoma!”, the only death was Judd Fry, and he was a villain, after all. By showing Billy already in heaven, the audience is not as shocked by his death later on. Unfortunately, it removes much of the dramatic impact of Billy’s death when it does occur. This always bothers me when I view this film, and it is unfortunate that the screenwriters did not follow the Oscar Hammerstein book more closely on this critical point. Songs were omitted in the film. Some were filmed or recorded and not used in the final release print, and some were cut altogether. Recorded and not used songs are “You’re A Queer One, Julie Jordan”, “Blow High, Blow Low”. Songs that were never used were “Germaniums in the Winder”, and “The Highest Judge of All”. The “Carousel Waltz” is shortened from the stage version, and played over the opening credits (see “The Songs” section). Another important element is missing from the screen version. One of the ways that Rodgers and Hammerstein guaranteed that their “Carousel” would have the same chance as “Oklahoma!” to be a hit, was by keeping many elements the same. Both stage shows were produced by The Theatre Guild, both were directed by Rouben Mamoulian, and both were choreographed by the legendary Agnes de Mille. It was de Mille’s choreography which was most remembered, especially in the “Dream Ballet” in “Oklahoma!”, and “Louise’s Ballet” in Carousel. A bit of trivia is that the original Louise in the Broadway “Carousel” (Bambi Linn), appears in the film “Oklahoma!” as the “Dream :Laurie. Agnes de Mille’s choreography is fully recreated on film in “Oklahoma!”. However, for whatever reason, de Mille was not involved in the film of “Carousel”. We get a taste of what the de Mille choreography was like in the “Louise’s Ballet” number in the film. According to the credits, Agnes de Mille’s original chorography in “Louise’s Ballet” is “recreated” by Rod Alexander. It is unfortunate that Agnes de Mille wasn’t directly involved for the other dance numbers, such as “June is Bustin’ Out All Over”. |
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