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Sound Stage

by Jacqueline Novikov

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1.
Just another day in Hollywood, Just another name in lights. Just a new career in Hollywood, Another star to reach the heights. Once you have tasted the sweetness of fame, Staying on top is the name of the game. That's just the way it is in Hollywood. The lights are always glowing, And the cameras always rolling, The director's always shouting "just one more." Starlets always gazing at the leading man who's playing, Who is hoping that he's better than before. Just another day in Hollywood, You do your best to stay on top. Stars on the rise, Stars on the fall, Stars you'll forget, And stars you'll recall, Lighting up the sky in Hollywood. He came from afar, and then he was cast, 'Cause Hollywood's a fantasy, where you can lose the past. He became a such star in the city of sin, Just a hat and cane, and it's guaranteed you're in. It happens every day in Hollywood. Here you can do whatever you please Whatever you want, you can take it with ease It's just another day. It's just the way we play Welcome to the world of Hollywood!
2.
Sennett Song 01:52
That’s Charlotte in wardrobe and Mary in makeup The girls who will help you look pretty. That’s Hank on the Dolly and Pete on the props And the man at the camera is Rollie Now makeup is waiting and daylight is fading So why not begin with the fun? Come over here, Chaplin, and hang on my words And I’ll show you how pictures are done. With a girl and a bench, two pies and a tree Three cops, we’ll have you all laughing Mabel sit down, Fatty stand up Chaplin get in there. It’s happening. Trouble arrives. A villain appears, Fatty catch her flirting And he who gets in Fatty’s way, I promise will be hurting A little the left ,a little to the right Stand up, Chaplin find your light Sit down, stand up, move left, move down No, no, Chaplin just look right C’mon, Chaplin, look at me And give me one reaction Did you get what I said? Forget what I said. I really just want to see action A little to the left, a little to the right Get in there, Chaplin, start a fight Show me just a little of the magic that I saw that night Cue the cops, cue the pies And villans hidden in disguise Chaplin, help me, time is money Won’t you show me something funny? Mabel’s sweating, Fatty’s thinning Give me just one gag that’s winning Rollie’s rolling, Pete is waiting Move it kid, stop hesitating. Chaplin stand, Mabel strut, Fatty punch him in the gut Chaplin up, mouth is shut Be funny, Chaplin, dammit cut! Time has past, so move it fast And give me one good shot You’d think you’d have it in you to just give me all you’ve got The camera’s almost empty so the pressure is on you The dusk is here the day has almost slipped without a trace So grab and pie and run on by, hit Fatty in the face I know it’s shtick, I know it’s crude, but who can really blame us So c’mon kid and show me now the gag for which I’m famous. Cut!
3.
My husband makes movies. To make them he lives a kind of dream In which his actions aren't always what they seem. He may be on to some unique romantic theme. Some men catch fish, some men tie flies, Some earn their living baking bread. My husband, he goes a little crazy Making movies instead. My husband spins fantasies, He lives them, then gives them to you all. Like Michaelangelo he paints his private dome, But can’t distinguish what’s his work and what’s his home Some men buy stocks, some men punch clocks, Some leap where others fear to tread. My husband as author and director, Makes up stories in his head. Guido Contini, Luisa Contini, Number one genius and number one fan, Guido Contini, Luisa Contini, Daughter of well-to-do Florentine clan, Long ago, twenty years ago, Once the names were Guido Contini, Luisa Del Forno, Actress with dreams and a life of her own, Passionate, wild and in love in Livorno, Singing with Guido all night on the phone. Long ago, someone else ago, how he needs me so, And he'll be the last to know it. My husband makes movies. To make them, he makes himself obsessed. He goes for weeks on end without a bit of rest, No other way can he achieve his level best. Some men read books, some shine their shoes, Some retire early when they've seen the evening news. My husband only rarely comes to bed, My husband makes movies instead, My husband makes movies.
4.
What a movie! What a terrible, awful movie! It’s a crime what they put on the screen! I can hardly believe what I’ve seen! Do they think we’re a lot of children? It would bore any four year old! What drivel! What nonsense! What escapist Technicolor twaddle! “Trouble in Tahiti,” indeed! “Trouble in Tahiti,” imagine! There she is in her inch or two of sarong Floating, floating, floating, all among the floating flowers Then she sees him, the handsome American (I must say he’s really a man Six feet tall, and each foot, just incredible!) Well, they’re madly in love But there’s trouble ahead; There’s a legend: “If a princess marry white man, and rain fall that day Then the white man shall be sacrificed without delay.” Sure enough, on the night of their wedding day There’s a storm like nothing on earth; Tidal waves and siroccos and hurricanes; And to top it all off, the volcano erupts As the natives sing: Ah! Ah! Ah! Olé! They go crazy with the drumming and the chanting and ritual dance While the lovers sing a ballad of South Sea romance It’s so lovely, I wish I could think of it; Da da dee da da… It was called “Island Magic,” I think it was Oh, a beautiful song! I remember it now: “Island Magic, where the midnight breezes caress us And the stars above seem to bless us That’s Island Magic, Island Magic.” Well, in any case, the hero is tied to a tree (Did I tell you he’s a flyer who got lost at sea?) Anyway, all the natives are crazy now Running wild with lances and knives; Then they pile up the wood for the sacrifice And the witch doctor comes And he sets it on fire As the natives sing: Ah! Ah! Ah! Olé! But at this point, comes the good old U.S. Navy a-singin’ a song They come swarming down in parachutes a thousand strong! Everything now is cleared up and wonderful: Everyone is happy as pie; And they all do a great rumba version of “Island Magic” of course! It’s a dazzling sight; With the sleek brown native women dancing with the U.S. Navy boys And a hundred-piece symphony orchestra: Island Magic! Where the palm trees whisper together And it’s always mid-summer weather That’s Island Magic. Island Magic! With the one I love very near; Island Magic, Whispering native words in my ear Island Magic Only you, my darling, could weave it And I never ever will leave it And I simply cannot believe it really is mine! Island Magic!
5.
At Paramount it's "Oh la la" The Warner Brothers "Cha cha cha" And L.B. Mayer loves his schmaltz So M.G.M. made the great waltz But the 20th Century Foxtrot It's precious, but precious, it's not hot To make the big boys hire me Please make that rhythm fiery In this factory where dreams can true Are you ready to make someone new You're the team that must teach me to do The 20th Century Fox Mambo Done the homework and I'll pass the test I'll do whatever my teachers suggest I can do it clothed or undressed The 20th Century Fox Mambo Make it up, shake it up Let the fantasies begin Here's the dope To get cast, change the past Make the light just right for Cin-emascope Take a gamble 'cause it's safe to bet Mr. Zanick ain't seen nothin' yet When we're finished he'll never forget This 20th Century Fox Make it up, shake it up Make me feel like the main attraction Change the clothes, fix the nose And then 5, 6,7, 8 action! Now I'm blond, but I ain't so dumb Hollywood will be under my thumb I'll change partners until I become The 20th Century Fox Mambo!
6.
They are not nice, they're mostly noise They swear like men, they screw like boys I know there's nothing in their hearts But every time I take one in my arms it starts The movie in my mind, the dream they leave behind A scene I can't erase, and in a strong G.I's embrace Flee this life, flee this place The movie plays and plays, the screen before me fills He takes me to New York, he gives me dollar bills Our children laugh all day, and eat too much ice cream And life is like a dream Dream, the dream I long to find, the movie in my mind I will not cry, I will not think I'll do my dance, I'll make them drink When I make love, it won't be me And if they hurt me, I'll just close my eyes and see The movie in my mind, the dream that fills my head A man who will not kill, who'll fight for me instead He'll keep us safe all day, So no one comes at night To blow the dream away Dream, the dream I have to find, the movie in my mind And in a strong G.I's embrace, flee this life, flee this place A world that's far away, where life is not unkind The movie in my mind.
7.
Follow me down the aisle of the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, A colossal architectural sensation! From the plush of your seat, in the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Life can be as plush as your imagination. So if pure entertainment's your style, Follow me, I have two on the aisle. Need to relax? Need to escape? Go see Fay Wray in the paw of the ape. Watch Errol Flynn shooting his bow, Just go to the movies, Just go to a picture show, oh. When your morale needs some repairs, Watch Busby's beauties descending the stairs; Hundreds of girls doing high kicks, Just go to the movies, Just go to the flicks. And all for the sum of a quarter, life is peachy. You can become Alice Fay or Don Ameche. Swamped with your bills? Late with your rent? Watch Bette Davis run out on George Brent. See Fred Astaire steppin' in style. When ev'rything's dark and upset Go calling on Clark and Claudette. Just go to a marvelous movie and smile! Girls in sarongs, Monsters in capes, See Scarlet make a dress out of the drapes. Life can be grand from the third row, Just go to the movies, Just go to a picture show, oh. Cooper in "Wings", Cowford in "Rain", See Tarzan beat his chest when he meets Jane. Sing with Dick Powell, ride with Tom Mix, Just go to the movies, Just go to the flicks. Vicariously you are flying down to Rio. Share the marquee with Missus Marx's zany trio. So, when your life seems a bit lean, Just let some shadows appear on the screen. Shine like a star for a brief while. Whenever you are down in the dumps Try putting on Judy's red pumps. And visit a gun toting' sharpie, A moth-eaten harpy, A dangerous beauty, A kewpie doll cutie, An ancient high Lama, A high steppin' mama, Just go to a marvelous movie and smile! Just go to a marvelous movie and smile!
8.
Nelson 03:22
My heart, my love, my life is his alone But if, but if, but if the truth be known My hero must stand on a box in our love scenes God, does he act like a lox in our love scenes Nelson, what your putting me through And all of his notes above B flat verboten And all of his notes below B flat are rotten Oh, Nelson, Don't call me, I'll call you His love making casts such a pall It's not hard to sleep through at all His vocal chords carry insurance by Lloyd's and so I might add, should his adenoids The lights wilt his hairdo on camera he'll primp and quite frankly, his hair isn't all that goes limp. Darling Nelson How incredibly boring, that's not singing, it's snoring! What you’re putting me through! A picture of strength, and good breeding of course and of passion and warmth, (I'm discussing his horse) Darling Nelson, don't call me, I'll call you A symbol of virtue and class America's sweethearts my ass "A pair made in heaven," the fans love to say but each time we kiss I swear that he's gay. In film after film after film I betrothed him, we snuggled and smooched, and oh God, how I loathed him. My Nelson, oh so calming you'll never need embalming Oh Nelson, what you're putting me through!
9.
Movies were movies when you paid a dime to escape Cheering the hero and hissing the man in the cape Romance and action and thrills Pardner there's gold in them hills Movies were movies when during the titles you'd know You'd get a happy ending Dozens of blundering cops in a thundering chase Getting a bang out of lemon meringue in the face Bandits attacking a train One little tramp with a cane Movies were movies were movies when I ran the show Movies were movies when Pauline was tied to the track After she trudged through the ice with a babe on her back Girls at the seashore would stand All in a row in the sand Rolling their stockings an inch and a quarter below The line of decency And Swanson and Keaton and Dressler and William S. Hart No-one pretended that what we were doing was art We had some guts and some luck But we were just making' a buck Movies were movies were movies when I ran the show!
10.
Strange as it may sound, Movie stars are human, Relatively human, after all. And it's hard living up To an image on a screen That is forty or fifty feet tall. If the world were like the movies, We would never make mistakes. We'd correct our little blunders, And select our better takes, And the person that we should be Would be all the public sees. For if life should go off track, We could simply fade to black, If the world were like the movies. Think, if marriages were movies, How our lives would be improved: Love preserved on film forever, All the battle scenes removed. We'd have only happy endings. We would edit as we please, Cut to smiling man and wife With a baby and a life, If the world were like the movies. And the child would have a mother Who was always there, Playing games And flying homemade kites, Cheering at her high school plays, Tucking her in bed on stormy nights, Never absent, never cruel, Not a drunk, not a fool, A mother who could give his daughter Blue lights, pink lights, Just like the movies. If the world were like the movies, I'd know how to play the part. I'd be there when I was needed, And I'd never break her heart. She would never see me stumble, And I'd never let her down. I'd be sober, wise, and humble, The defender of the crown. Well, thank God she has my movies to see. She is better off with movies than me.
11.
Today to get the public to attend a picture show It's not enough to advertise a famous star they know. If you want to get the crowds to come around You've gotta have glorious Technicolor, Breathtaking Cinemascope and Stereophonic sound. If Zanuck's latest picture was the good old-fashioned kind, There'd be no one in front to look at Marilyn's behind. If you want to hear applauding hands resound You've gotta have glorious Technicolor, Breathtaking Cinemascope and Stereophonic sound. The customers don't like to see The groom embrace the bride Unless her lips are scarlet And her mouth is five feet wide. You've gotta have glorious Technicolor, Breathtaking Cinemascope or Cinerama, Vista Vision, Superscope or Todd-A-O and Stereophonic sound, And Stereophonic sound. You all remember Lessie, That beloved canine star. To see her wag her tail The crowds would come from near and far, But at present she'd be just another hound Unless she had glorious Technicolor, Breathtaking Cinemascope and Stereophonic sound. I lately did a picture at the bottom of the sea- I rasseled with an octopus and licked an anchovy, But the public wouldn't care if I had drowned Unless I had glorious Technicolor, Breathtaking Cinemascope and Stereophonic sound. If Ava Gardner played Godiva Riding on a mare The people wouldn't pay a cent To see her in the bare Unless she had glorious Technicolor, Cinecolor or Warnercolor or Pathecolor or Eastmancolor or Kodacolor or Any color and Stereophonic sound, And Stereophonic, as an extra tonic, Stereophonic sound.
12.
With one look, I can break your heart With one look, I play every part I can make your sad heart sing With one look you'll know, all you need to know With one smile, I'm the girl next door Or the love that you've hungered for When I speak it's with my soul I can play any role No words can tell The stories my eyes tell Watch me when I frown You can't write that down You know, I'm right It's there in black and white When I look your way You'll hear what I say Yes, with one look, I put words to shame Just one look sets the screen aflame Silent music starts to play One tear from my eye makes the whole world cry With one look they'll forgive the past They'll rejoice, I've returned at last To my people in the dark Still out there in the dark Silent music starts to play With one look you'll know, all you need to know With one look, I'll ignite a blaze I'll return to my glory days They'll say Norma's back at last This time I’m staying, I’m staying for good. I’ll be back where I was born to be. With one look I’ll be me.
13.
What did he see in me? What's my attraction? Could that face make a million men adore me? And make a hundred camera men explore me? Is that the girl I see there right before me? I wanna be that girl in the mirror, there! I wanna be that girl with golden hair up on a silver screen most everywhere in the world! I want to go to Hollywood Talkies - I mean the pictures! I wanna have a hot time every night, Go out and raise a little fahrenheit Knock ev'ry Duke and Count and Baron right off his feet! I'll be that girl that's understood -oh! I want to go to Hollywood. I wanna sing the blues I wanna wear nice shoes And drink illegal booze In every late night spot For Le Jazz Hot I want a breakfast, lunch and dinner there If I'm a big box office winner there I'll be the most well-known Berliner there ever was I want to go to Hollywood So I can get far away from Fredrichstrasse My cold water flat, The sofa that I sleep on behind the screen, The noisy lodger in the next room, My broken hand mirror, My broken coffee pot If things get broken, they stay broken In Fredrichstrasse! The worn-out bristles on your hairbrush, The pennies needed for the heat ev'ry hour, And when you get sick, you stay sick In Fredrichstrasse, Where you live with little soap And with hardly any hope! I wanna be that girl in the mirror there! I wanna be that girl with golden hair Up on a silver screen most ev'rywhere in the world! I want to go to Holly- I want to go I have to go to Hollywood I swear that girl in the mirror is going to go to Hollywood!
14.
The clown with his pants falling down Or the dance that's a dream of romance Or the scene where the villain is mean That's entertainment! The lights on the lady in tights Or the bride with the guy on the side Or the ball where she gives him her all That's entertainment! The plot may be hot simply teeming with sex A gay divorcee who is after her ex It could be Oedipus Rex Where a chap kills his father And causes a lot of bother The clerk who is thrown out of work By the boss who is thrown for a loss By the skirt who is doing him dirt The world is a stage, The stage is a world of entertainment. The doubt while the jury is out Or the thrill when they're reading the will Or the chase for the man with the face That's entertainment! The dame who is known as the flame Of the king of an underworld ring He's an ape who won't let her escape That's entertainment! It might be a fight like you see on the screen A swain getting slain for the love of a queen Some great Shakespearean scene Where a ghost and a prince meet And everyone ends in mincemeat. The gag may be waving the flag That began with a mystical hand Hip hooray! The American way The world is a stage, The stage is a world of entertainment!

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released January 10, 2023

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Jacqueline Novikov Boston, Massachusetts

Soprano Jacqueline Novikov, founder of Forma Music, is dedicated to entertaining and educating audiences through classical vocal music. She uses music's powerful language to express life's humorous, serious, mundane and sacred truths. Jacqueline holds a B.M. from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY and a M.M. from Manhattan School of Music in New York City. ... more

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