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Today's movie was the documentary

Carol Channing: Larger Than Life (2012)

This charming film does what nothing else has been able to do in my entire life. It has made me enjoy an hour and a half of Carol Channing.

I have never really been a fan and I am not sure that I am now but the film was so enjoyable that I, at least, ought to say some nice things about her.

To me she has always been a one trick pony and if you don't like the pony then you are left out of the picture.

In the film it is easy to see how she has grasped hold of a persona and stuck with it tenaciously until the very last drop is wrung from it.

This is not always pretty but it is very entertaining.

Here is what I liked about the film. Early on, she is walking down Schubert Alley in NYC and encounters some chorus boys out on a break. She flows right out of the film they are filming to be with these adoring guys and you see the hold she has on people in her profession. It is amazing.

This happens again and again in rehearsal footage. Beautiful bonding.

The other thing is the story of her childhood romance which, many years later, revived itself after she had been abandoned and totally robbed by her first husband who ruled her career. This late romance is just wonderful to see.

There is a lot to see in this film.

Once is enough and I was moved by a lot of it. A 3 out of Netflix5. And I have heard enough of Hello Dolly to last the rest of my life.

Labels: films