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MMD > Archives > March 1997 > 1997.03.12 > 12Prev  Next


Mechanical Music in the Movies
By Adam G. Ramet

The following (comedy) films spring to mind :

"Naked Gun" starring Leslie Nielsen (1988?).  Neilsen whilst trying to
enter a suspects office to search for evidence (quietly) accidentally
sets off the Nickelodeon there, before knocking over everything else and
eventually burning down the office accidentally.

In "Herbie" (1969?) there is a nickelodeon which joins in the action and
converses with a character by notes a-la "Close Encounters of the 3rd
Kind."

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988?)  has a band organ in the final scenes
where Roger Rabbit and wife are taken to the baddies warehouse.  I think
Roger plays "The Merry Go Round Broke Down" on it to distract the villain
of the piece.

Don't forget "The Music Box", Laurel & Hardy's award-winning short from
the thirties; the one where they have are removal men hauling an electric
player up hundreds of steps to a house for delivery.  Once delivered
they start it playing but by the final scene the thing has been smashed
into 1000 pieces.

In "The Lady Killers" (1955) Alec Guiness has to pump the player for her
landlady's tea-party whilst they all sing "Silver Threads Amongst the
Gold".  She's discovered that he and his friends are bank-robbers and
they now plan to do her in, but her friends knock at the door and she
forces them to behave until they've departed.  Definitely get this one
out if you can.

Charles Bronson ends up in a shoot-out in a restaurant with a nickelodeon
playing in the thriller (and non-comedy) "Telefon", as the bullets cease
the roll goes ominously into rewind.  Boring film, though, be warned.

Adam Ramet



(Message sent Wed, 12 Mar 1997 12:18:02 GMT , from time zone +0000.)

Key Words in Subject:  Mechanical, Movies, Music

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