Steam Heat

Confession: I LOVE movies!

Comedy, romance, thriller, drama, musical - LOVE 'em. I dig old movies in black and white starring wonderful film icons such as Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Katherine Hepburn, Clark Gable and Gloria "I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille" Swanson.

I like the new stuff too - well mostly. Some quality work still in the "biz"... not like the glamour days of Hollywood, but still some noteworthy stars of today: Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Tom Hanks and one of my personal favorites, Sandra Bullock.

Please notice the intentional omission of the horror genre. Reason: I don't do "scary". I don't enjoy being subjected to blood and guts to the nth degree, idiot victims who inevitably run up in buildings with no hope of escape, or the 49th version of a psycho killer wearing a hockey mask while terrorizing a summer camp. Nope, not I... No way, no how. Period.

Now a musical comedy to me is like a double-dip of Rocky Road ice cream - simply the best there is. My Fair Lady, Singin' In The Rain, Mary Poppins, The Music Man... no matter how many times I've seen them, I could see 'em all a million more. Really, is there anything more magical than Gene Kelly "singin' and dancin' in the rain"? But I digress...

Steam Heat is the title, so onward we go. In case you didn't know, this particular musical number is from the The Pajama Game, a broadway musical... which, in 1957 became a film starring Doris Day and John Raitt.

It's the story of Sid, a newly hired factory foreman/efficency expert and Babe, a union rep who is trying to get a 7 1/2 cent raise for her fellow workers. Yes, it is the classic story of management vs. workers, with a few little comedic twists along the way - Hinesie, a jealous, knife throwing boy friend; Gladys and Hernando's hideaway complete with password; and a double set of accounting books... oh, and love, lest we forget.

Choreographed by the great Bob Fosse, Steam Heat features Gladys (Carol Haney) with "two of the boys from the cutting room floor" performing at a union rally.

I never tire of seeing this classic clip. Whether it's your first time viewing or your hundreth, enjoy!