Friday, September 14, 2012

A Charming Notion (Part II)


Just a thought...

Writing is hard.  Right?  I mean, there are wonderful aspects of it, and once you've 'finished' something you're really proud of it feels amazing, but the work of it...the actual 'writing' part of writing...that's difficult.

There are rules you have to follow, and have to know when to break, and they differ between the various types of writing you may be doing.  And with different forms of writing, the fact is that even when you follow the rules, and have done so many aspects of it right, the end result still may not all add up quite the way it should.

That's the way I feel about the next song I am presenting to you.  Yes, that's right...I am not only presenting what I consider to be my successes!  How would we learn anything if we only focused on what worked?  The fact is, we grow a hell of a lot more from the failed attempts than we do from the winning ones.

So with that in mind, this next song helped me grow.  A LOT.

This assignment was a seemingly easy one (compared to other challenges in the workshop), but it's one that has frustrated my collaborator and I to this day.

My collaborator on this was composer Jonathon Lynch, and the challenge was to write a Charm Song for the old classic movie, 'It's A Wonderful Life'.  Don't know what a Charm Song is?  Well, click here.  Or here.  Or even...here!  (hint:  They all go to the same place...but go ahead...click them all, just to be sure!)

Anyway, we had to write a song that did not progress the story, but could be used to give the audience a break and a feel of the overall world of the show.  In this case, the 'show' would be our hypothetical musical rendition of the old Jimmy Stewart film.

Jonathon and I set out to do just that.  We watched the film and discussed the moments we felt worked best for such a song, and finally concluded that the moment we wished to work with was just about mid-way through the film...the scene where we first see Bailey Park, and George is welcoming Mr. and Mrs. Martini (the bar owners) to their new home.  It's a scene about hope, about dreams coming true, about funny Italian accents...and so that's what we wrote.

The scene/song below was our first attempt at this Charm Song.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Livin’ The Dream!

(The scene opens on a large oak tree, with a sign made from sticks hanging from a branch overhead reading ‘Welcome to Bailey Park’.  We push past the oak tree and see several quaint and lovely little houses lining a well-kept dirt road.  There is a crowd surrounding one particular home, number 4587 Bailey Way.  The crowd is cheering as we see MARY and GEORGE BAILEY standing on the porch with a few items in hand.  The MARTINI family is standing in front of them.)

GEORGE

Mr. and Mrs. Martini…Welcome home!

MARY
(to Mrs. Martini)
Bread…that this house may never know hunger!
(SHE hands Mrs. Martini the items.)
Salt…that life may always have flavor!

GEORGE
(grabbing the wine)
And wine!  That joy and prosperity may reign forever!
(HE hands Mr. Martini the bottle of wine.)
Enter the Martini castle!

MARTINI
(accepting the wine, he crosses himself, then speaks with a thick Italian accent.)
Thank you!  So nice!

CROWD
(overlapping one another)
Hurray!  This is just great!  Fantastic!  Speech!!
(everyone grabs onto the last word, and chants it.)
Speech!  Speech!  Speech!  Speech!

MARTINI
(reluctantly accepting.)
Ok, OK!  I’ma make-a da speech!
(an exciting chord is heard.  Perhaps filled with mock reverence, mixed with a bit of Italian stereotype.  SUNG:)
FIRST, I LIKE-A TA THANK YOU ALL
FOR COME TO CELEBRATE
THE VERY FIRST HOUSE I’MA EVAH OWN!

I’MA SO PROUD, AND SO HAPPY TO SAY…
WE LIVE AT 4-5-8-7 BAILEY LANE!

GEORGE
(the music pauses as GEORGE corrects him.)
Uh, that’s…Bailey Way…

MARTINI
(Music repeats the phrase.)
4-5-8-7 BAILEY WAY!
You know, not so long ago Marie and I, we dream-a to one day rent-a da house in Potter’s Field.  And now…now, we own-a da home!  I’ma livin’ da dream!

(The crowd cheers)

GEORGE

Well, that’s just beautiful!  Isn’t that beautiful, folks?!
(HE lifts a glass to toast, as a brisk underscore starts up.)

BERT

Guess that just goes to show, sometimes what you end up with is better than what you wanted in the first place…

GEORGE

What d’ya mean, Bert old boy?  You didn’t always know you’d be the best darn flatfoot this town’s ever seen?

BERT

Oh no, Georgie.  I had a different idea…once…

WHEN I WAS A KID,
THERE’S ONE THING I DID…
BASEBALL ALWAYS MADE ME GRIN.

THE ROAR OF THE CROWD,
THE MEN TOUGH AND PROUD…
WITH THE SKILL IT TAKES TO WIN!

THEN, I NEARLY SPAT,
IT WAS MY FIRST ‘UP AT BAT’!
I MISSED THE BALL, AND ‘STRIKE OUT’ WAS THE CALL, LIKE THAT!  THE

COACH YELLED “HEY, SON,
WHY CAN’T YA CATCH, HIT OR RUN…?
GUESS YOU’RE JUST TOO FAT!”

WELL, SPORTS WERE A FLOP.
BUT NOW, AS A COP,
ALL I DO IS WALK MY BEAT…

SO, I NEVER SCORED…
THERE’S STILL A REWARD…
ALL THE DOUGHNUTS I CAN EAT!

NO DOUBT I’M LIVIN’ THE DREAM!
YOU’RE OUT!  I’M LIVIN’ THE DREAM!
THOUGH I COULD NEVER WATCH MY WEIGHT ENOUGH TO GET ON THE TEAM!
CAN’T USE A BAT ON A CON, BUT I CAN SWING A BATON,
SO FROM NOW ON I’M GONNA LIVE THE DREAM!

ERNIE

Wow, Bert…that’s a pretty good pitch you got, there!

BERT

That’s not what Coach said…

GEORGE

You guys are a couple of real cutups!

ERNIE

Say, that reminds me of what I used to want to be as a kid!

BERT

Barber?  Butcher?  Seamstress?
 (everyone looks at him)
…cut ups…?

ERNIE

Oh, no…I had something else in mind…

WHEN I WAS A BOY,
MY ONE SINGLE JOY…
I WAS GONNA SAIL THE SPHERE!

THE SALTIEST AIRS…
THE SWEAR-I-EST SWEARS…
WHAT COULD BRING A MAN MORE CHEER?

BUT WHEN WE SET SAIL,
MY KNEES WENT WEAK, MY CHEEK PALE,
WHO COULD-A KNEW THAT THE ENTIRE CREW WAS MALE?!  OH,

NIGHT AFTER NIGHT,
AND NOT A DAME WAS IN SIGHT…
MIGHT AS WELL BE JAIL!

I HURRIED ASHORE,
NOW WHAT WAS IN STORE?
HAD TO WORK FOR MY THREE SQUARES…

I HOPPED IN MY CAR…
FOUND I COULD GO FAR,
DEALIN’ WITH THE LADIES’ FARES!

AND SO I’M LIVIN’ THE DREAM!
LAND HO!  I’M LIVIN’ THE DREAM!
AND YOU WILL NEVER SEE ME FLOUNDERIN’ OR SWIMMIN’ UPSTREAM…
WHO NEEDS A GAL AT EACH PORT, WHEN THERE ARE TONS HERE TO SPORT?!
WHEN I’M ESCORTING THEM I LIVE THE DREAM!

GEORGE

Say, that’s real classy Ernie!


ERNIE

Well, I did always want to explore ‘abroad’!

BERT

Who knew?  Guy goes out to sea and comes back all wet!

GEORGE

Hey Martini!  Martini!  It’s your big day!  How about you finish that speech of yours!

MARTINI

Ok…Ok!

MA DREAM ON DA SHELF?
I THINK-A MASELF,
I’MA RENT A HOUSE FOR LIFE…

A PLACE FOR DA BEDS,
ROOF OVER OUR HEADS…
AND A KITCHEN FOR MA WIFE!

DA DEAL, SHE’S-A PASS,
A PLOT IN OL’ POTTER’S GRASS,
THE ROOF’SA LEAK, THE FLOORS-A CREEK, SHE
SMELLS LIKE GAS!  BUT,

POTTER NO CARES…
NO LET ME MAKE NO REPAIRS!
THIS MAN, HE’S AN ASS!

I’VE NO MUCH TO SPEND,
SO ASK-A MA FRIEND,
BAILEY’S SAVINGS AND-A LOAN!

WITH HELP FROM DIS GUY,
WE’RE ABLE TO BUY
OUR OWN ABITAZIONE!

ALL

SO NOW THEY’RE LIVIN’ THE DREAM!
BOY, HOW THEY’RE LIVIN’ THE DREAM!

BERT

SHAKE OFF THE DUST…!

GEORGE

NOW YOU’RE THE UPPER CRUST…!

ERNIE

THE CRÈME DE LA CREAM!

ALL

THEY SAW THE TINIEST SPARK, AND TOOK A SHOT IN THE DARK,
NOW BAILEY PARK IS WHERE THEY LIVE THE DREAM!

ALL

TODAY WE’RE LIVIN’ THE DREAM!
HUR-RAY! WE’RE LIVIN’ THE DREAM!
NO LONGER SQUATTERS DOWN IN POTTER’S FIELD,
WE’RE HELD IN ESTEEM,
WE SAW THE TINIEST SPARK, AND TOOK A SHOT IN THE DARK,
NOW BAILEY PARK IS WHERE WE LIVE THE DREAM!

TODAY WE’RE LIVIN’ THE DREAM!
HUR-RAY! WE’RE LIVIN’ THE DREAM!
AND BAILEY PARK IS WHERE WE LIVE…
THE…
DREAM!

(End of scene.)


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We wanted the theme of this song to be that we often think we want one kind of life, but as events occur and time passes, we sometimes see that we end up right where we want to be.  Our goals change, and we can find the ideal life we never knew we wanted.  Sounds about right for the movie, right?

Well, this song missed the mark.  Not because Jonathon didn't write good music.  Not because I didn't follow the rules and write good lyrics.  Because something about it felt inappropriate.  It seemed like they were singing about things that were NOT the dream a lot more than telling us WHY they were 'living the dream'.

Also, the primary focus of this scene is supposed to be our lovely Italian stereotypes, Mr. and Mrs. Martini, receiving the keys to their very own house in Bailey Park.   This shows us how George was helping people in general...but most specifically, the Martini family!  And in we come with an ensemble of other characters to elaborate on this scene/theme, and completely pulled focus from the moment at hand.  Basically, we had a scene about a family moving into their new place, and we stole the moment from them to give (another) opportunity to Bert and Ernie (the town cop and the town cabbie), who are in MANY other scenes and could potentially have MANY other songs already.

I'd like to say that the realization of this was enough for us to scrap the version entirely, and try something completely different.  I'd like to.  But I can't.

Unfortunately, we had in our heads that this could work...and so when given the opportunity to rewrite, we tried making adjustments to the material you see above.  The result was better, but still less than successful.

As you'll see soon, when I post 'Part III' which will include our rewrite...
 

Until next time...

-Lee
...of 'Lee'rical Wordplay...

...in case there was any question...

No comments:

Post a Comment