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For the Boys
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Wikipedia article
'For the Boys' is a 1991 American musical comedy-drama film that traces the life of Dixie Leonard, a 1940s actress/singer who teams up with Eddie Sparks, a famous performer, to entertain American troops.
The film was adapted by Marshall Brickman, Neal Jimenez, and Lindy Laub from a story by Jimenez and Laub. It was directed by Mark Rydell and the original music score was composed by Dave Grusin. It stars Bette Midler, James Caan, George Segal, Patrick O'Neal, Arye Gross, and Norman Fell. A then-unknown Vince Vaughn made his film debut as a cheering soldier in a crowd.
As in 'The Rose', Midler's first starring role and also a large budget quasi-biopic, the film is fiction. However, actress and singer Martha Raye believed that Midler's character was based on many widely known facts about her life and career with the USO and pursued legal action based on that assumption. After a protracted legal engagement, Raye ultimately lost the case. The Caan character was generally believed to be based on Bob Hope.
For her performance, Midler won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. The soundtrack features covers of many classic songs, including "Come Rain or Come Shine", "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Frank Loesser, "P.S. I Love You", "I Remember You" and the Beatles' "In My Life". Five of the 13 songs have lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The soundtrack's first single, "Every Road Leads Back to You," was an original written by Diane Warren.
Despite a mixed critical reception and box office failure, the film was adapted for the musical stage in 2011 by Aaron Thielen and Terry James and debuted at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois.
Plot
In the early 1990s, retired entertainer Dixie Leonard has a commitment to attend a Hollywood ceremony being televised live to honor her and her longtime show-biz partner Eddie Sparks. When a young man from the TV show comes to pick her up, Dixie balks and explains what brought Eddie and her together, as well as what drove them apart. The majority of the film is an extended flashback.
Dixie's story begins during World War II when she receives an offer to entertain the troops overseas as part of Eddie's act. Dixie is an instant hit with the boys in uniform, but Eddie wants her gone, ostensibly because he finds her kind of humor too coarse, but in actuality because she stole the show by topping his jokes. Dixie doesn't care for him much, either, but fellow entertainers and her joke-writer uncle Art persuade her to stay.
Eddie wins her over, particularly by reuniting Dixie with her soldier husband on stage. However, later in the war, Dixie's husband dies in battle.
Despite her distaste for Eddie, Dixie continues working with him back in the States...mostly to support herself and her son Danny. Eddie is married with daughters, yet he becomes a proud surrogate father to Danny.
As the Korean War breaks out, Eddie announces on stage that he and Dixie will be performing for the U.S. troops there, without having told Dixie of his plans first. In revenge, Dixie announces that Eddie made a $100,000 donation ($ today) to the Red Cross. Reluctantly, she travels to Korea with him. On their way to the camp, they encounter a unit of soldiers that has been ambushed. Dixie cares for a wounded soldier but cannot save him: he is pronounced dead on arrival at the field hospital. Dixie and Eddie appear to spend the night together. At the Christmas dinner, a fight ensues after Art announces to everybody that Eddie has fired him for being a communist sympathizer.
In the meantime, Danny has grown up to be a soldier like his father, and is deployed to Vietnam. At Art's suggestion, Dixie eventually agrees to perform there for Christmas with Eddie. On their way to the camp, the performers are warned of the camp possibly being attacked, because of which they are to be flown out immediately after their performance. Before going on stage, Dixie and Eddie meet Danny, who reveals to them the barbarity that is spreading among his comrades. The show begins with the performance of a dancer, who starts getting harassed by the soldiers, and only Eddie's intervention prevents the situation from getting out of control. Dixie comes on stage and makes some cynical remarks about the soldiers, then sings In My Life. While she is still on stage, the camp is attacked in a mortar barrage. Dixie and Eddie find shelter, but Danny is killed right in front of them; both mourn deeply for him.
Dixie has not forgiven Eddie for his part in all this, and they have another heated argument in the dressing room. Eddie goes out on stage alone. But, at the last minute, because he speaks of their joint loss in Vietnam, Dixie joins him on stage for one last song and dance, before appearing to accept their mutual love for one another.
Cast
*Bette Midler as Dixie Leonard
*James Caan as Eddie Sparks
*George Segal as Art Silver
*Patrick O'Neal as Shephard
*Christopher Rydell as Danny Leonard
*Brandon Call as teenage Danny Leonard
* Jameson Rodgers as young Danny Leonard
*Arye Gross as Jeff Brooks, the young man who comes to escort Dixie
*Norman Fell as Sam Schiff
*Rosemary Murphy as Luanna Trott, a journalist
*Bud Yorkin as Phil
*Dori Brenner as Loretta, Dixie's friend on the road
*Jack Sheldon as Wally Fields
*Karen Martin as Victoria Lee, the dancer
*Shannon Wilcox as Margaret Sparks, Eddie's wife
*Michael Greene as Maj. Gen. Scott
*Melissa Manchester as Corrine
*Steven Kampmann as Stan Newman
U.S. Marines and Sailors from the greater San Diego area including Camp Pendleton, California, were used as extras in some scenes but Operation Desert Shield started and many of them had to be shipped to the Middle East.
The Van Nuys Air National Guard Station next to the Van Nuys airport was the location for several weeks of shooting the 898th Lomborg England scenes. Those were long and cold days on the set in WWII authentic gear. Many of the scenes were re-shot a little later on the Fox Lot.
Reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics, holding a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews., accessed 10 April 2022. John Simon of the National Review called 'For the Boys' "mindless".
Produced on a $40 million budget, 'For the Boys' was a commercial disappointment upon its original release, returning just $23 million in box office receipts worldwide.
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
|-
| Academy Awards
| Best Actress
| rowspan="3"| Bette Midler
|
|-
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Actress
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Golden Globe Awards
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
|
|-
| Best Original Score Motion Picture
| Dave Grusin
|
|}
Soundtrack
The soundtrack album is composed largely of popular standards from the era, although several were written after the time period in which the film takes place.
Track Listing Information based on the album's Liner NotesMidler, Bette. For The Boys: Music from the Motion Picture (Album Notes). Atlantic. 1991.
#"Billy-a-Dick"
Performed by Bette Midler
with Orchestra arranged & conducted by Marc Shaiman
Music composed by Hoagy Carmichael
Lyrics written by Paul Francis Webster
Background Vocals: Patty Darcy
#"Stuff Like That There"
Performed by Bette Midler with Orchestra conducted by Billy May
Written by Jay Livingston & Ray Evans
Arranged by Billy May & Arif Mardin
#"P.S. I Love You"
Performed by Bette Midler
Music composed by Gordon Jenkins
Lyrics written by Johnny Mercer
Rhythm arranged by Dave Grusin
Strings arranged by Arif Mardin
#"The Girl Friend of the Whirling Dervish"
Orchestra arranged & conducted by Marc Shaiman
Music composed by Harry Warren
Lyrics written by Al Dubin and Johnny Mercer
Background Vocals arranged by Marc Shaiman, Morgan Ames & Lorraine Feather
#"I Remember You/Dixie's Dream"
Performed by Bette Midler and James Caan
Arranged by Marc Shaiman
"I Remember You" Music composed by Victor Schertzinger
"I Remember You" Lyrics written by Johnny Mercer
"Dixie's Dream" Written by Marc Shaiman
#"Baby, It's Cold Outside"
Performed by Bette Midler and James Caan
Written by Frank Loesser
Rhythm arranged by Marc Shaiman
Strings arranged by Arif Mardin
#"Dreamland"
Performed by Bette Midler
Music composed and arranged by Dave Grusin
Lyrics written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman
#"Vickie and Mr. Valves"
Trumpet Solo performed by Jack Sheldon
Orchestra arranged & conducted by Marty Paich
Written by Lenny Lacroix
#"For All We Know"
Performed by Bette Midler with Orchestra conducted by Ralph Burns
Music composed by J. Fred Coots
Lyrics written by Sam Lewis
#"Come Rain or Come Shine"
Performed by Bette Midler
Music composed by Harold Arlen
Lyrics written by Johnny Mercer
Rhythm arranged by Marc Shaiman
Strings and Woodwinds arranged by Arif Mardin
#"In My Life"
Performed by Bette Midler
Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Music arranged by Robbie Buchanan
Strings and Background Vocals arranged by Arif Mardin
Guitar: Steve Lukather
Music programmed by Robbie Buchanan, Joe Mardin & Eric Persing
#"I Remember You"
Performed by Bette Midler with Orchestra conducted by Arif Mardin
Music composed by Victor Schertzinger
Lyrics written by Johnny Mercer
Background Vocals arranged by Arif Mardin
#"Every Road Leads Back to You"
Performed by Bette Midler
Written by Diane Warren
Arranged by Joe Mardin
Drums: Jeff Porcaro
Guitar: John Goux
Two Bette Midler singles were issued from the soundtrack, although neither performed particularly well on the U.S. singles charts. "Every Road Leads Back to You" peaked at No. 78 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 and No. 15 on the Adult Contemporary chart, while "In My Life" reached No. 20 on the Adult Contemporary chart while failing to register at all on the pop side.
References
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