The Anti-Hero

While reveling in my last few days free from homework, reading, and tests for the year, I have alternately been reading, watching movies, working on a photo album from a trip to Europe, and generally wasting time on the internet (such as working on this blog). But it was while I was watching one of my most loved films - The Music Man - that I came upon a theory...or general observation that I'd like to investigate. Now a lot of the analysis to follow may have been spurred on by my reading of 'Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs' by Chuck Klosterman... which is a hilarious and interesting, yet somewhat scary analysis of pop culture. Oh, and when I say pop culture, I'm not talking just Britney Spears and Giga Pets...he analyzes everything from the deeper meaning of our acceptance of Saved by the Bell (a particularly enjoyable chapter) to the cultural significance of internet porn (a thoroughly interesting view on the phenomena). It's a great book that I highly suggest checking out.

Anyway...that was just an explanation of why I'm in an analytical mood today...now we get into my real point:

Why are so many of the greatest characters from musicals the 'bad guy'? I mean, musical theatre is supposed to be the great thing that the entire family can watch together in a completely wholesome environment...rather than...say, Harry Potter, which can corrupt Little Bobby into becoming a devil worshipping Wicca (according to some highly zealous people who I like to laugh at till my stomach hurts. Have you EVER read those books?)

I understand that maybe this becomes acceptable because many times the 'bad boy' is converted by the end...but we all love him even before he changes. I first started down this road watching 'The Music Man,' which stars Robert Preston as the 'bad boy' Harold Hill and Shirley Jones as the 'good girl' Marian Paroo. In case you haven't seen this movie or the stage production (shame, shame), I'll give you a little run down of the story: Harold is a con man who comes to this little Iowa town to try to sell them a boy's band. He collects money for band instruments and uniforms, which they get...but he has no idea how to teach them to play. Marian is the town librarian/piano teacher and after hating Harold at the beginning (classic romance twist) he wins her over by cheering up her little brother. The thing is - the audience LOVES Harold from the very beginning. He's a no good crook who is trying to swindle money from these simple people...and in the meantime is trying to romance Marian to keep her from exposing him as a fraud. He even sings a whole (wonderful)song about how he'd basically like to get into her pants! (Totally goes over the head of every kid who sees the show...I think.) How do we love someone who we know is slime? And this isn't the only musical where this Anti-Hero takes center stage.


Take for example:

Chicago -
Velma & Roxie (both murderers, one an adulteress)
Billy (a lawyer...do we need to say more?)

Carousel -
Billy (ok, not that we love him...but he is the male lead who beats his wife, is a thief...etc)

Oklahoma -
Ado Annie (not necessarily slime, but promiscuous)
Ali Hakem - the peddlar (same reason)
** note - when I say promiscuity in here I mean ref. to sex before marriage(generally not a family friendly idea)

Grease -
like Chicago, this may not be the best support for my arguement because they are more modern...but what the hey
Danny Zucko & Kenickie(general bad boys)
Rizzo (sluuuuuuuut)

South Pacific -
while this whole show is kinda messed up in my opinion, here's my specific example -besides generaly promiscuity
Emil (murdering a man- THAT Nellie can get over but not the dead Polynesian wife he had)

Sound of Music -
Max & the Baroness (sneaky & money grubbing)

Damn Yankees -
I mean seriously...the Devil is a character in this one!

Guys & Dolls -
Most of the men in this show are gamblers/gangsters
Adelaide (dancer in probably a questionable club)

Oliver -
Fagin (a pickpocket & leader of a child gang)
Bill (beats his girl and generally mean)
** by the way...I am noticing a recurring problem with the name Bill...

Anything Goes -
Reno and the Angels (promiscuous)
Erma (duh...also promiscuous)
Moon (a gangster/public enemy)
Hell, even the title song isn't wholesome or anything

How to Succeed -
Finch (loafer who is trying to cheat the system)
Biggley (adultery in the 1st degree) with Hedy LaRue

I could probably keep going...but you get the picture.

So why are these classic movie and stage musicals thought of as perfect family time fare? I know many times the bad guys get it in the end and all is right with the world - which teaches the kiddies a moral lesson...but then again so does Full House (complete with soundtrack). But you don't see families continuing to gather around the TV to watch re-runs of that or buying up all the copies of episodes on DVD!


At the same time, though, we love the bad guys from the beginning and it probably wouldn't matter in the end if they changed or not. Although...maybe I'm just assuming it wouldn't matter. Would I still love Harold Hill if at the end he ran off and left Marian behind? Maybe it would be that I would have loved the show for a short time...but by now would not care two bits about it -- the classic 'bad boys are great for dating but it's the good guy you take home to meet mom & dad' scenario.

Even so...you'd think such 'wholesome' entertainment would only show the good in the good ole days...

Such a crazy summer

Since I last wrote I've made some great friends through a month long run of 'Dames at Sea' at Missouri Summer Repertory Theatre, become a godmother to another adorable little boy, and moved far away from the Midwest.


Alabama may not seem all that far away from Missouri to you...but to me it sure feels like it. The first days to a week or so of any move makes you feel lightyears away from home. The friends and family you've come to depend on for comfort and fun are no longer a few miles away but more like a few hundred away. Phone calls and emails are great, handwritten letters like treasures in the mailbox at the end of the drive, but nothing beats a hug from your best friend or sibling - and those are now fewer and farther between. The thing that gets you through is remembering that this is exactly how it feels at the beginning everytime you move...and that in a few weeks you're going to love your new city, new job, and new friends - just like last time. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks if I've made it there :)

Anyway...my parents and I drove down to Alabama on Monday to get me settled in. So here's the beginning of the trip (our last view of the Arch)


and 7 hours or so later - we finally hit Alabama!


The big thing here in Huntsville is the NASA Space & Rocket Center where they have Space Camp (yeah...like that awesome 80s movie!). You can even tell by the welcome center:


Even though Marshall Space Flight Center, where they have camp and everything, isn't far from my place I haven't gotten to really check out the museum and stuff yet. But, last night my parents and I got a sneak peek of the place because they were showing Harry Potter on the IMAX screen - talk about an awesome movie to see on such a big screen! We practically had a private screening, too...we were 3 of 7 people in the entire place.