The Dream Factory – Details, episodes & analysis

Every great movie musical has a big dance number at a party and MGM’s Summer Stock is no exception. Nate once again joins me as Judy and Gene turn a country square dance (“The Portland Fancy”)  into a red hot number where they both tear up the barn floor!

We start this episode with a “tour” of the musical production units that created the idea of the MGM Musical, giving the studio its most identifiable genre. We then dive into the lives of some child and character actors and some of the folks behind the scenes (choreographers, art directors!) bringing this 1950 musical to life.

Please note: these episodes on Summer Stock deal with frank discussions on addiction and mental health. If you or someone you know requires resources in these areas please visit CAMH in Canada (1-800-463-2338 or camh.ca) and NIMH (988 or nimh.nih.gov) in the US. 

Thanks for listening!

Derek

Instagram: @thedreamfactorypod

bio.site/thedreamfactorypod

Happy Halloween! 

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Technicolored programming on the Dream Factory, sorry I mean the SCREAM FACTORY, for a seasonal change of pace. I travel back to MGM in 1935, a place of glitter and glamour but not many ghouls, to take a bite out of the horror film Mark of the Vampire. Hollywood was horror movie crazy at this time and MGM jumped on the bandwagon resulting in the atmospheric but messy Mark of the Vampire directed by the legendary Tod Browning. 

Flying solo for this one-off special episode, I dissect this strange little movie about vampires terrorizing a village and an occult expert brought in to solve a murder. It manages to squeeze Lionel Barrymore, Bela Lugosi, amazing shots, creepy sets and costumes and a truly incredible ending into its lightning-quick 60 minute run time. 

Mark of the Vampire is not a standard MGM offering but it does contain the distinctive MGM style and look, even on a small budget ...and remains an odd and kooky experiment by the studio.

Thanks for listening to the special episode of the Scream Factory and happy Halloween!

Thanks for listening!

Derek

Instagram: @thedreamfactorypod

bio.site/thedreamfactorypod

The Harvey Girls dissection continues as Conor and I discuss the scenes that follow the epic “On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe” musical number where our heroine Judy Garland meets her fiance via correspondence for the first time and realizes she’s been catfished! We also explore the lives of some of the film’s key character actors (Chill Wills!) and discuss the young upstart director of this movie, George Sidney.

We also explore the climate of MGM in 1945 and the growing power of the musical unit helmed by songwriter turned producer Arthur Freed. Freed’s films were so successful that he had free reign over the resources of the studio to take chances with movies and push musicals forward.

Thanks for listening!

Derek

Instagram: @thedreamfactorypod

bio.site/thedreamfactorypod

If The Harvey Girls is remembered for anything it’s the incredible music number “On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe.” Conor and I discuss the entire 8.5 minute cinematic extravaganza in detail, highlighting the cast and musical geniuses behind the scenes who make this rousing, Oscar-winning moment come to life onscreen. 

The term “deep dive” was invented for episodes like this as we explore unsung performers like Dorothy Tuttle, Ben Carter, Eleanor Bailey, Dorothy Raye, all of whom have their moments in this big musical number that culminates in an incredible Garland solo. This moment is peak MGM!

Thanks for listening!

Derek

Instagram: @thedreamfactorypod

bio.site/thedreamfactorypod

Our deep dive into the 1946 MGM musical The Harvey Girls continues with the first few scenes of the film where we meet the bulk of the cast and the Harvey girls themselves! Hear about some of the actresses who filled these roles and the character building moments that ensue from matrimonial ads to saloon girls to chicken sandwiches.

Conor Grant from the @thegarlandgab and I also discuss what it took to be an actual Harvey Girl in the 19th century and what brought some of these women out west at that time. We also discuss the filming of the movie on the amazing MGM backlot and leading man John Hodiak.

Thanks for listening!

Derek

Instagram: @thedreamfactorypod

bio.site/thedreamfactorypod

Thanks for listening to the Dream Factory! This week we’re finally entering into the film itself chatting about the main titles of The Harvey Girls as well as Judy’s first musical number “In the Valley” which she sings hanging off the back of a moving train!

Conor (@gethappyconor from @thegarlandgab) and I love talking about our leading lady and her unparalleled voice and lipsyncing abilities. We also get into some of the more technical aspects of how main titles worked in the old Hollywood era as well as a geeky discussion of film recording technology of the time.

Thanks for listening!

Derek

Instagram: @thedreamfactorypod

bio.site/thedreamfactorypod

Welcome to the first episode of our breakdown of the 1946 film The Harvey Girls. Starring our favourite gal Judy Garland, this Technicolor fun-fest has everything we love about MGM musicals; great songs, colourful settings and wonderful performers. Set in the 1890s American west, a group of wholesome waitresses attempt to “settle” a wild frontier town with just the help of some steak, coffee and some singing and dancing!

Conor Grant from The Garland Gab joins me for our initial thoughts and pre-production history of The Harvey Girls. We delve into how the movie ended up at MGM and discuss the screenwriters (there were 6 in the end!) who brought it to the screen. 

Join us as we try to shed some light on an underrated MGM musical, from the Oscar-winning song “On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe” to Judy’s red lipstick to Angela Lansbury’s pompadour…all board!

Thanks for listening!

Derek

Instagram: @thedreamfactorypod

bio.site/thedreamfactorypod

In our second of two episodes discussing the amazing legacy of Judy Garland's MGM career, Conor from the Garland Gab and I pick up in the mid-40s and break down her most difficult years at MGM culminating in her leaving the studio in 1950 under a cloud. 

These overview episodes are to provide a wider context as our next episodes we will do in-depth breakdowns of the production of two Garland Technicolor classics.

Thanks for listening!

Derek

Instagram: @thedreamfactorypod

bio.site/thedreamfactorypod

Before we get super nerdy with our movie breakdown episodes, I am joined by Conor of the fabulous podcast The Garland Gab for part one of our overview of Judy Garland's 15 years working at MGM. 

To start our season focused on two of the movies from the one-of-a-kind talent Judy Garland, we are going to get chatty about her full movie career while at MGM. We start with our first introductions to Judy then trace here career from her first auditions with the the studio to her biggest hit while at MGM, the musical classic Meet Me in St. Louis.

Thanks for listening!

Derek

Instagram: @thedreamfactorypod

bio.site/thedreamfactorypod

For our third and final MGM history episode, Nate and I conclude our look at a movie company that was a small city unto itself in Culver City. Riding high in the mid-40s, the studio faced external forces that threaten its existence by the end of the decade.

New stars like Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr and Van Johnson enter the scene after the exit of MGM stars like Garbo, Shearer and Crawford and the tone of MGM changes with the war. At this time producer Arthur Freed forever puts MGM musicals on the map with the classic Meet Me In St. Louis and he created his own production unit that forever changed musicals. 

The 1950s sees the exit of L.B. Mayer, the rise of television, releasing the big stars from their contracts leading to the slow dismantling of the greatest studio over the next 20 years...the whole story of how this happened in this last MGM history episode. 

Thanks for listening!

Derek

Instagram: @thedreamfactorypod

bio.site/thedreamfactorypod