Comparing and Contrasting: "A Lady Loves" vs. "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend"

I know that this post is going to be a bit strange amongst all the hipster music, but I am a huge fan of old-school musicals.

Right! So in 1953, there were tons of new musicals released. There were a lot of classic musicals, like Peter Pan and The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T and The Band Wagon and Kiss Me, Kate (which, interestingly enough, was originally released in 2-d and 3-d). And another classic that came out in 1953 was Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, what is arguably the best and most iconic Marilyn Monroe film. It features the musical number "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," which has been parodied and mocked more than almost any other musical number in history ("We're Off to See the Wizard," "The Sound of Music," and "Singin' in the Rain" are the only things that even come close).

I Love Melvin was also released in 1953, four months prior to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I Love Melvin is an early romantic comedy musical about Judy (Debbie Reynolds) and Melvin (Donald O'Connor). Judy has dreams of becoming a Broadway starlet when she meets Melvin, an aspiring photographer for Look! Magazine. Melvin insists that he can make her a cover girl, which is lucky, because it's the only way Judy's father will let her pick Melvin over Harry (Richard Anderson). The catch is of course, that Melvin can't make Judy a cover girl. I Love Melvin is a very cute and comical film with songwriting by Mack Gordon ("Chattanooga Choo-Choo") and Josef Myrow ("Autumn Nocturne"), known for their collaboration on "You Make Me Feel So Young." Melvin is, for the most part, an ignored film.

So why bring it up? What's the connection? Well, apart from the fact that I absolutely love I Love Melvin, there are some incredible similarities between the musical numbers "A Lady Loves" from Melvin and "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I find this intriguing seeing as the more iconic number was actually released after Melvin.

"A Lady Loves" from I Love Melvin Featuring Debbie Reynolds.

"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Featuring Marilyn Monroe.

So let's look at what we've got here: I Love Melvin was released March 20th, 1953 by MGM, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was released July 18th, 1953 by 20th Century Fox. The films have different composers, directors, set designers and art directors. The film plots in general have nothing to do with one another. Yet there is an undeniable correlation between the two musical numbers. Both songs center around what "girls/ladies" really like, and portray women as at least a little bit materialistic. The sets are both adorned with swooping fabrics and chandeliers. Monroe and Reynolds both wear pink dresses with a bit of a bustle and no straps, pink gloves, and "diamond" bracelets and chokers (two bracelets each). The dances both rely heavily on arm gestures and male back-up dancers with flares of red in their costumes. "A Lady Loves" closes with the men freezing with their hats around Reynolds' face, while "Diamonds" ends with the men holding swatches of diamonds around Monroe's face.

What can we draw from this? My research indicates that the stage version of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" was not staged or decorated the same as the film version. Did Gentlemen Prefer Blondes decide to copy their musical number from the far less successful I Love Melvin? Or is it just a coincidence? I am reminded of the wonderfully informative video series "Everything is a Remix." If it was a rip-off do we really have I Love Melvin to thank for the incredibly iconic Monroe scene? For every single parody and for Madonna's "Material Girl" video and for that scene in Hey Arnold! when Miriam stars in a beeper commercial?

By the way, no matter how you feel about Madonna, you must admit, they recreated that scene pretty well:

I find it intriguing that two movies released so close together could have a scene so similar. Had Melvin come first, it would make sense that the comedy was mocking another successful scene, but seeing as that's not the case, I find it perplexing. If you know anything about these two scenes, please drop me a line.

Comparing and Contrasting: Tally Hall Vs. The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

When quirky modern rock band Tally Hall are being discussed, names like The Beatles, Weezer, Mumford & Sons, Cake and They Might Be Giants get thrown around a lot. No one can quite put a finger on their sound. This is mostly due to the fact that their sound is very uniquely their own. Even through their multi-genre first album (Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum), they managed to maintain a consistent sound and feel, which they really smoothed out for this year's Good & Evil.

 

Tally Hall (left to right): Ross Federman, Zubin Sedghi, Joe Hawley, Andrew Horowitz and Rob Cantor.

However, I must also throw my own two-cents worth into the mix of bands being compared to Tally Hall. From almost the first time I listened to them, they have reminded me of The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. 

The Bonzos (left to right, top row): Neil Innes, Vivian Stanshall, "Legs" Larry Smith 

(Second row): Dennis Cowan, Roger Ruskin Spear and  Rodney "Rhino" Desborough Slater.

The Bonzos (as I will henceforth refer to them) were a quirky musical group from the 60s. Like Tally Hall, The Bonzos are quite versatile in their styles, while still maintaining a central sound. Similar to the Andrew Horowitz songs on Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum, The Bonzo's utilized lead keys (courtesy of Neil Innes) and Dixieland jazz. Some songs bordered on vaudeville, others almost parodied early Elvis, while others still slid into the heading of "mainstream rock." Several Bonzos songs even have the islander/Jamaican feel of Joe Hawley's "Banana Man."



"Banana Man" by Tally Hall
 

"Look Out, There's a Monster Coming" by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

The vibrant personalities in each band also make for a comparison. Tally Hall use their tie colours as nicknames, while Vivian Stanshall christened The Bonzos with nicknames like "Rhino." The Bonzos supplemented their acts with comedic interludes and short skits, Tally Hall had an amusing internet show (Tally Hall's Internet Show). Both groups seem quick on their feet with one-liners.

"The Intro and the Outro"

And whereas The Bonzos performed on British children's show (and Monty Python forerunner) Do Not Adjust Your Set, Tally Hall wrote and sang all the songs in Disney's Happy Monster Band. 

But perhaps the most beautiful similarity between the two groups comes from watching them perform: they both seem to be having a lot of fun playing their music.I'm not saying that Tally Hall has copied The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. The groups are very different. All I'm saying is, I think fans of one of these bands would feel right at home with the other.

Recommended Tracks:

If you enjoy:

Banana Man by Tally Hall -  Look Out, There's A Monster Coming by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

The Whole World and You by Tally Hall - Jollity Farm by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

Hidden In the Sand by Tally Hall -  Hello Mabel by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

Other recommended Tally Hall tracks:

Good Day

Spring and a Storm

Turn The Lights Off

&

Cannibal

Other Recommended tracks by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band:

 Metaphorically Speaking

Urban Spaceman

Death Cab For Cutie

Hunting Tigers Out In India

Canyons Of Your Mind