Zero Mostel Movies
Before he turned to performing, Zero Mostel intended to be a painter, but by his late 20s he had begun appearing in nightclubs and on radio. A few Hollywood films followed: Du Barry Was A Lady (1943), Panic in the Streets (1950), and The Enforcer (1951), among other early '50s films. Unfortunately, his career was amputated when he became a victim of Hollywood's McCarthy-era blacklisting, and he would not work again until the end of the decade. His talent was rewarded when he won three Tony Awards for his Broadway appearances in Rhinoceros, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which he repeated for the screen in 1966, and Fiddler on the Roof. He followed Forum with one of the classic comedy performances of all time, producer Max Bialystock in Mel Brooks' The Producers (1968). Almost all of Mostel's performances are worth watching, but especially The Angel Levine (1970), The Hot Rock (1972), and his poignant, heart-rending performance as a blacklisted TV comic in The Front (1976). Mostel's final appearance was in the Academy Award-winning documentary Best Boy (1979). His son is actor Josh Mostel. ~ All Movie Guide
The racy, ribald Cole Porter musical Du Barry Was a Lady is here given a thorough dry-cleaning by prudish MGM. Richard "Red" Skelton takes over the role of Louis Blore (played on Broadway by Bert Lahr), while Lucille Ball steps into the shoes of the original play's Ethel Merman. The story proposes that Blore is a men's room attendant in a New York nightclub who has a yen for gorgeous showgirl May Daly (Lucille Ball). After drinking a potent mixture, Louis dreams that he is King Louis XV of France, and May is the magnificent Madame Du Barry. Also showing up in Louis' dream is Alex Howe (Gene Kelly), who in "real life" is the guy who ends up with May at fade out-time. It's hard to determine what's more fun to watch in Du Barry Was a Lady: the three stars, the antics of supporting player Zero Mostel, or the incredible sequence in which Tommy Dorsey & His Band -- including drummer Buddy Rich -- perform in 18th century garb and powdered wigs. Five of the original Cole Porter songs are retained for this Technicolor-ful film: "Katie Went to Haiti," "Do I Love You, Do I?," "Well, Did You Evah?," "Taliostro's Dance,", and, best of all, "Friendship." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, (more)
