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papermoonloveslucy · 4 years ago

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THE BIG STREET

August 13, 1942

Producer: Damon Runyon

Director: Irving Reis

Screenplay: Leonard Spigelgass, based on the short story “Little Pinks” by Damon Runyon, first published in Collier’s magazine.

Dance Staging: Chester Hale

Gowns: Renie

Miss Ball’s Dancing Costume: Freddy Wittop

Miss Ball’s Make-Up: Perc Westmore

The film is sometimes referred to as Damon Runyon’s The Big Street.

The film premiered in New York City at the RKO Palace on August 13, 1942. That same day Disney’s long-awaited Bambi opened at Radio City Music Hall. At the Capitol, Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons, also starring Agnes Moorehead and Gil Perkins, continued its run. Nearby, at the Albee, a second-run cinema, Top Hat (1935) starring Ginger Rogers and Lucille Ball was playing. The Big Street opened nationally September 4, 1942.

“Love is something that gets you one room, two chins, and three kids.” ~ Gloria Lyons (Lucille Ball)

PRINCIPAL CAST

Lucille Ball (Gloria Lyons aka ‘Her Highness’) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Gloria’s singing voice was provided by Martha Mears, who also did Ball’s singing in DuBarry Was a Lady (1944).

Henry Fonda (Augustus Pinkerton II aka ‘Little Pinks’) first worked with Lucille Ball in the 1935 film I Dream Too Much. When Lucille Ball first got to Hollywood, the two actually briefly dated. They collaborated on the TV special “The Good Years” (1962) and the film Yours, Mine and Ours (1968). During the 1970s, Fonda and Ball often turned up on the same awards and tribute shows. Fonda was nominated for three Oscars, winning in 1982 for On Golden Pond. He also won an honorary Oscar in 1981. Fonda died in 1982 at age 77.

Barton MacLane (Case Ables) was seen in the film The Maltese Falcon (1941) but is probably best remembered for his final role, the blustery General Peterson on “I Dream of Jeannie” (1965-69).

“A fat man’s always listening to love stories, but he’s never go any to tell.” ~ Nicely Nicely Johnson

Eugene Pallette (Nicely Nicely Johnson, The Greatest Eater Alive) was seen as Friar Tuck in Robin Hood (1938) and in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939).

The character of Nicely Nicely Johnson was played by Stubby Kaye, who reprised the role he played on Broadway, in the film version of Runyon’s Guys and Dolls (1955). He was so named because his usual reply to the question “How are you doing?” was typically “Nicely nicely, thank you!”

Agnes Moorehead (Violette Shumberg) was a classically trained performer who collaborated with Orson Welles on Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). She is best remembered as Samantha’s exotic mother Endora on the TV series “Bewitched” (1964-72).

Violette weighs 100 pounds, four ounces.

“She has a very large capacity for groceries.” ~ Pinks (about Violette)

Sam Levene (Horsethief) originated the role of Nathan Detroit in the Broadway stage musical of Runyon’s Guys and Dolls. Singing great Frank Sinatra played Nathan Detroit in the movie version in 1955.

Ray Collins (Professor B) also collaborated with Orson Welles on Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), along with Agnes Moorehead. He is best remembered for playing Lieutenant Tragg on “Perry Mason” from 1957 to 1965.

Marion Martin (Mimi Venus) would also be seen with Lucille Ball in Abbott and Costello in Hollywood (1945). Although she was often cast as a brassy stripper, showgirl or tough gun moll, off screen she was known to be extremely shy and retiring.

“That dame is a lump of mud!” ~Gloria (about Mimi)

William Orr (Decatur Reed) was an actor turned executive. As the head of WB Television for nine years, he was executive producer of the studio's early forays into the medium, helping to put ABC on the prime-time map with a steady staple of westerns and detective shows. In 1959 he received a Golden Globe for his contributions to television.

Vera Gordon (Mrs. Lefkowitz) emigrated with her family from Russia when she was seven years old. She became involved in the theatre and was active in silent films and early talkies. She had previously appeared with Lucille Ball in 1938′s Having Wonderful Time.

George Cleveland (Col. Venus) makes his fourth film appearance with Lucille Ball. In 1949 they also did Miss Grant Takes Richmond. He is best remembered for playing Gramps on “Lassie” (1954-57).

Ozzie Nelson (Himself) was considered the pre-eminent TV dad of the 1950s thanks to his successful family sitcom “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” (1952-66). Before TV fame, he was a bandleader with his wife Harriet the lead singer. Nelson later appeared on several talk shows with Lucille Ball.

UNCREDITED CAST (with connections to Lucille Ball)

Baby (Gloria’s Pekingese Dog)

Louise Beavers (Ruby, Gloria’s Maid) went on to appear in three more films with Lucille Ball: DuBarry Was a Lady (1943), Lover Come Back (1946), and The Facts of Life (1960).

Charles Cane (McCarty, Holland Tunnel Policeman) also appeared with Lucille Ball in The Dark Corner (1946) and as one of the theatre patrons at “Over The Teacups” in “Ethel’s Birthday” (1954) which also featured Big Street extras Bess Flowers, James Conaty, Sam Harris, and Harold Miller.

Jack Chefe was seen as a Paris waiter in “Lucy Meets Charles Boyer” (ILL S5;E19) and played a bellhop in “Lucy and John Wayne” (ILL S5;E2) and had also appeared in five films with Lucille Ball, including playing a waiter in Forever, Darling. Of Chefe’s 358 film roles, 165 were waiters!

James Conaty (Nightclub Patron) was also seen with Lucille in I Dreamed Too Much (1935), Lured (1947), and The Long Long Trailer (1953). He was one of the theatre patrons at “Over The Teacups” in “Ethel’s Birthday” (1954) which also featured Big Street extras Bess Flowers, Charles Cane, Sam Harris, and Harold Miller.

Hans Conried (Waiter) played Harry Martin in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) and Percy Livermore in “Lucy Hires an English Tutor” (ILL S2;E13), both in 1952. He also did two episodes of “The Lucy Show,” both as her music tutor Dr. Gitterman in 1963.

Pedro de Cordoba (Doctor) was also seen with Lucille Ball in Five Came Back (1939).

Helen Dickson (Florida Club Patron) had appeared with Lucille Ball in Carnival (1935) and Two Smart People (1946). She was one of the aging flapper showgirls in “Ricky Loses His Voice” (ILL S2;E9) in 1952.

Jimmy Dime (Truck Driver / Stunts) was seen with Lucille Ball in 1951′s The Magic Carpet. He did a half dozen episodes as a background players on Desilu’s “The Untouchables” (1959-61).

Eddie Dunn (Mulvaney) was also part of Ziegfeld Follies (1945) featuring Lucille Ball.

Jay Eaton (Late Night New York Nightclub Patron) did a total of nine films with Lucille Ball between 1934 and 1949, including her other Damon Runyon film Sorrowful Jones (1949).

Bess Flowers (Florida Nightclub Patron) aka 'Queen of the Extras’ made numerous uncredited background appearances on both “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.” She holds the record of the most film collaborations with Lucille Ball: 17.

Karen X. Gaylord (Florida Club Patron) was also part of Ziegfeld Follies (1945) featuring Lucille Ball.

Charlie Hall (Caviar Waiter) also did Kid Millions with Lucille Ball and went on to do four more films with her until 1942.

William Halligan (Detective) was also with Lucille Ball in 1940′s You Can’t Fool Your Wife.

Art Hamburger (Joe Duffle, Eating Contest Opponent) makes his final of three screen appearances. He became an associate director. This is his only time working with Lucille Ball.

Joe Duffle is from Boston and weighs 337 and a half pounds. There is some irony that Nicely Nicely (then Violette’s) eating contest opponent is actually named Hamburger.

Mary Halsey (Showgirl) also did Seven Days Leave with Lucille Ball in 1942.

Sam Harris (Passerby on Florida Boardwalk) was in the background of a dozen Lucille Ball films, as well as being seen on “I Love Lucy,” “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” and “The Lucy Show.” He was one of the theatre patrons at “Over The Teacups” in “Ethel’s Birthday” (1954) which also featured Big Street extras Bess Flowers, Charles Cane, James Conaty, and Harold Miller.

Jack Herrick (Mindy’s Customer) was also seen with Lucille Ball in The Bowery (1933).

John Indrisano (Mug at Mindy's) was also seen with Lucille Ball in The Facts of Life (1960).

Tiny Jones (Small Friendly Neighbor) was seen with Lucille Ball in A Girl, A Guy, and a Gob (1934) and Five Came Back (1939).

Donald Kerr (Pete the Passer) appeared in eight films with Lucille Ball between 1936 and 1954.

Wilbur Mack (Florida Club Patron) appeared in three more films with Lucille Ball: Thousands Cheer (1943), Ziegfeld Follies (1945), and Lured (1947).

George Magrill (Mug at Mindy's / Stunts) appeared with Lucille Ball in ten films between 1933 and 1949.

Richard Martin also did Seven Days Leave with Lucille Ball in 1942

Tony Merlo (Mug at Mindy's) was also seen with Lucille Ball in Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) and Broadway Bill (1934).

John ‘Skins’ Miller (Truck Driver) was also with Lucille Ball in Fancy Pants (1950) and Sorrowful Jones (1949).

Harold Miller (Florida Club Patron) shares 13 film credits with Lucille Ball. He was one of the theatre patrons at “Over The Teacups” in “Ethel’s Birthday” (1954) which also featured Big Street extras Bess Flowers, Charles Cane, James Conaty, and Harold Miller. Harris would return for “Lucy and the Loving Cup” (S6;E12) as a subway strap hanger. He appeared in six episodes of “The Lucy Show,” the last one being as a party guest on “My Fair Lucy” (1965).

Bert Moorhouse (Florida Club Waiter) did nine films with Lucille Ball from 1933 to 1954.

Frank Moran (Mug at Mindy’s) makes his final of five film appearances with Lucille Ball.

George Noisome (Newsboy) also appeared with Lucille Ball in That’s Right, You’re Wrong (1939).

Barry Norton (Florida Club Patron) was also seen with Lucille Ball in Nana (1934) and Dance, Girl, Dance (1940).

Frank O’Connor (Police Captain at Holland Tunnel) did nine films with Lucille Ball from 1933 to 1946.

Gil Perkins (Mug / Stunts) was aboard the train when Lucy and Ricky headed home from California in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5). He was seen in The Fuller Brush Girl (1950) with Lucille Ball. He made one appearance on “Here’s Lucy” (above right) in 1970.

Bob Perry (Toupee, Associate of Ables / Stunts) was also seen with Lucille Ball in Stage Door (1937) and Joy of Living (1938).

Ralph Peters (Florist) was also with Lucille Ball in Sorrowful Jones (1949).

Addison Richards (Dr. Mitchell) played the American Consul in “Lucy Goes To Mexico” (LDCH 1959) as well as three other films with Lucille Ball.

Dewey Robinson (Truck Driver) did five other films with Lucille Ball.

Shimen Ruskin (Waiter Captain at Florida Club) was previously seen with Lucille Ball in Having Wonderful Time (1938) but is best remembered as Mordcha in the film Fiddler on the Roof (1971).

Hector V. Sarno (Friendly Neighbor) was also with Lucille Ball in Muss ‘em Up (1936).

Harry Shannon (Florida Doctor) was seen with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Too Many Girls (1940). He played Jim White (above center), photographer in “Men Are Messy” (ILL S1;E8) in 1951. He is probably best remembered as the father of Rose (Rosalind Russell) in Gypsy (1962).

Walter Soderling (Doctor at Mindy’s) was with Lucille Ball in Easy To Wed (1946).

Mary Stuart (Showgirl) was also seen with Lucille Ball in Seven Days Leave (1942). She is best remembered for her four decade run as Mary on “Search for Tomorrow”.

Elliott Sullivan (Tramp) was also in That’s Right, You’re Wrong (1939) and Next Time I Marry (1938) with Lucille Ball.

Harry Wilson (Fethington) did four other films with Lucille Ball between 1934 and 1950. He was also an extra on Desilu’s “Untouchables” (1959-62).

Marie Windsor (Florida Club Patron) was also in Critic’s Choice (1963) with Lucille Ball.

BIG STREET OPENING

"Loser's Lane - the sidewalk in front of Mindy's Restaurant on Broadway - is not as high-toned a trading center as Wall Street, but the brokers are a lot more colorful. Generally they prefer to put their money on a prizefight or horse race, but when the action slows, anything can happen and it usually does. Tonight, for example, the citizens of the Lane are discussing the latest contest in their usual quiet way..."

BIG STREET TRIVIA

The Big Street was a nickname for Broadway, where this movie's plot starts, and where all Runyon's stories take place. The film opens at West 50th and Broadway in New York City, with the marquee of the Capitol Theatre in the background.

Damon Runyon originally wanted to cast Charles Laughton and Carole Lombard in the lead roles, but neither one was interested in the project. The two had previously paired on White Women (1933) and They Knew What They Wanted (1940), Lombard suggested the producer consider her friend Lucille Ball and, despite pressure by RKO to hire a better-known actress, Runyon offered her the role. Unaccustomed to playing series roles, Lucille asked advice from Laughton on how to approach such a difficult part. Laughton told her not to hold back: “If you are going to play a bitch, play a bitch!”

Ball later recalled that at the time she was cast, "nothing much seemed to be happening for me at the studio. My $1000 weekly paycheck came regularly, but I was still a regular among the Bs."

Philadelphia Daily News ~ June 6, 1942

Reports that Lucille Ball sent a $25 War Bond to each of the ten girls that were fired from backing her up on “The Big Street”.

During filming, Lucy’s new husband Desi Arnaz felt so insecure about leaving Lucy and Fonda alone together that he’d often pop by the set to keep an eye on them. His paranoia so exasperated director Irving Reis that he finally banned him from the set.

This was Lucille Ball’s favorite of her nearly 80 films. She felt her performance was unjustly ignored by the Academy.

The vocals for "Who Knows?" by Harry Revel and Mort Greene, performed by Gloria in Case's Manhattan club, were provided by Martha Mears. The character later reprises the song with Ozzie Nelson and his orchestra in the Miami nightspot.

The film was re-released in 1955, at the height of Lucille Ball’s television success. Although Fonda remains first billed, Ball’s photo clearly indicates that she is the drawing card.

Damon Runyon also created the source material for the hit Broadway musical Guys and Dolls (1950), which starred Robert Alda, who went on to make several appearances on “The Lucy Show.” The two stories share the character of Nicely Nicely Johnson. When the film version was made by MGM in 1955, Lucy and Desi were also under contract to the studio. A brief clip of the film was inserted into the middle of an episode of “I Love Lucy” called “Lucy and the Dummy” (S5;E3), although the clip was removed after its initial airing. Further, when Lucille Ball first came to Hollywood, before becoming a contract player at RKO, she worked for Sam Goldwyn as one of the Goldwyn Girls. In Guys and Dolls, the Hot Box Girls are played by the Goldwyn Girls.

In 1949, Lucille Ball starred in another film based on a Damon Runyon story, Sorrowful Jones, a remake of the 1934 Shirley Temple film, Little Miss Marker.

Damon Runyon was a big fan of Lindy’s, a Manhattan restaurant famous for their cheesecake, and wrote the eatery into his books as Mindy's. The musical Guys and Dolls, based on Runyon's writings, immortalizes Lindy's in one of its songs. In “Ricky’s Contract” (ILL S4;E10), Lucy tells Fred and Ethel that Ricky took his entire band to Lindy’s to celebrate learning that he had been offered a movie contract.

In The Big Street, a sympathetic Pinks decides to take Gloria to Florida to recuperate - by pushing her wheelchair the entire way - starting with the Holland Tunnel! Although Lucy and Fonda never left Hollywood, the locations are achieved by rear projection and establishing footage.

The Holland Tunnel figures into “I Love Lucy,” not once - but twice. In “The Marriage License” (ILL S ), after finding out that her marriage license may be invalid, Lucy goes on a twelve hour walk to East Orange, New Jersey. “How I ever got through the Holland Tunnel, I don’t know.”

The Holland Tunnel will be mentioned again three years later in “Lucy Learns to Drive” (ILL S4;E11). Reportedly, she tried to make a u-turn in the Holland Tunnel resulting in traffic being tied up to East Orange, New Jersey.

Action is also set in Miami Beach, Florida. Pinks and Gloria hitchhike there to visit with Nicely Nicely and Violette who are operating a night spot there.

In “Off To Florida” (ILL S6;E6), Lucy and Ethel also hitchhike to Miami Beach Florida after being left on the side of the road by their ride share, a suspected hatchet murderess. They arrive at the North Miami train station covered in chicken feathers from riding in the back of a poultry truck.

Doting Pinks has a pet name for haughty Gloria: 'Your Highness'. In Florida, her friends conspire to get people to come and hear her sing by fibbing that she is the Princess of Corolia, a fictional place.

In “The Publicity Agent” (ILL S1;E31), Lucy conspires to get Ricky more publicity by pretending to be a fawning fan of royal blood: ‘The Maharincess of Franistan’!

FAST FORWARD!

On a 1971 episode of “The Dick Cavett Show" with guests Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, and Lucie Arnaz, Lucie compliments her mother's dramatic performance in the film.

The film is referenced in the television film Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter (1991)

A poster for the film is on Lucy’s dressing room wall in Lucy, a 2003 TV movie.

The Big Street turns up in the TV listings in the low budget film Hollywood Mouth (2008) starring Joe Bologna.

A clip from the film is featured in a montage during “AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Henry Fonda” a 1978 special attended by Lucille Ball.

Henry Fonda: The Man and His Movies (1982) contains dressing room and dance floor scenes with Lucille Ball.

The Emmy-winning documentary Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie (1993) features a brief clip from the movie.

When Cher is TCM Guest Programmer in 2011, she selects The Big Street as one of her films to be aired.

In December 1948, Lucille Ball reprised her role on radio with John Garfield taking the role of Pinks.

The Big Street on VHS.

The Big Street is available on DVD from Warner Home Video. It is also part of the Lucille Ball Collection DVD, which also includes Dance, Girl, Dance, DuBarry Was A Lady, Critic’s Choice, and Mame.

#The Big Street #lucille ball

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gemmadunsmoreportfolio-blog · 8 years ago

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Misogyny In The Music Industry

Music has always played a huge part in all cultures, it is rare that you’ll find a person who doesn’t enjoy music and with music being so popular it’s no surprise that many people pursue the music industry as a lifelong career, a huge chunk of those people being female. So, it’s disturbing to realise that the industry has a dark and insidious side that involves the undermining, criticising, bullying and even sexual assault of the female gender. This dark side has been there since the beginning but has only been brought to light in recent years through the use of social media and communities of people who have been through the same experiences being brought together.

For some reason the media always seems to undermine females, especially in the music industry, they find it hard to believe that a female in the industry can be more than “just a singer”, even for artists such as Bjork, who has been in the music industry for around thirty years. Bjork has co-produced the majority of her albums, but the media always credits the other male producer as the sole producer, even with her most recent album in which she produced 80% of. She admits in an interview with Pitchfork that she has thought about making a map of all of her albums and making it clear who did what but fears it would come across as defensive and pathetic. She finds this frustrating, as she also said in the interview, that no one questions someone like Kanye West on any of his authorship, which is true..

After this interview came out, other female artists who have produced their own work came out with similar stories. Madonna sympathised in an interview with Out Magazine by explaining that when she says that she co-produced a song with a male producer, they will always respond with something along the lines of ‘so he produced it?’ and completely ignore the fact that she also produced it. The synth-pop artist Grimes has also said to The Fader that the media would rather focus on the fact that she is a female other than all the hard work she has done as a musician and producer. Grimes produces all of her own work and also does her live performances on her own, with a laptop running Ableton Live, launch pads and so on, and says that the media and industry professionals are always insisting that she needs a band or she needs to work with outside producers, ignoring how far she has got on her own.

This problem of undermining also runs further than with just female producers, Vicky Hamilton who booked, promoted, and managed bands such as Guns N’ Roses, Faster Pussycat, and Stryper in the 1980’s, said to LA Weekly that ‘till this day she is asked which member of Guns N’ Roses she slept with, all because she managed and lived with the band for a time. Author and journalist Jessica Hopper brought the issue of undermining in the industry to the public’s attention when she tweeted: “Gals/other marginalised folks: what was your 1st brush (in the music industry, journalism, scene) w/ idea that you didn’t ‘count’”. This tweet spawned an avalanche of jaw-dropping responses containing stories of misogyny and more. Some examples of these tweets are; “Stage managing Webster Hall and the DJ’s wouldn’t take any instructions from me without hearing it from my male intern” and “former GM (he’s since retired, new GM is great) at First Ave told me majoring in music in college qualified me to ‘be a housewife’”.

The problem with misogyny is clearly coming from influential people in the industry spreading their sexist beliefs to others. The first example of one of these people is Jimmy Iovine, the head of Apple Music. During an appearance on CBS This Morning, Iovine claimed that women find it difficult to find new music on their own and that they need a soundtrack for when they are “sitting around, you know, talking about boys”. Another example is the popular rapper Eminem, who has basically made a whole career out of detailing how many ways he could cause physical harm to women, with lyrics such as “I’ll punch Lana Del Rey in the face twice like Ray Rice in broad daylight in plain sight of elevator surveillance, ‘til the head is banging on the railing, then celebrate with the ravens” and “sl** you think I won’t choke no wh***? ‘Til the vocal chords don’t work in her throat no more?”. Another is Future and Kanye West, when they made a computer game for their song ‘I Won’, in the game the player plays as both MC’s and the goal is to snag your very own “trophy wife” by throwing gold chains at women on a beach, transforming them into literal trophies. Furthermore, is the UK alternative radio station Radio X, previously called XFM. When the station was in the middle of rebranding themselves, they announced that they were going to be the “first truly male-focused” station, the public responded with outrage to this and instead of trying to save themselves, the station dug in their heels and released a PSA video which stereotyped and patronised women, teenagers, and the gay community.

Because of influences like these, it isn’t even shocking anymore when female musicians are asked ridiculously sexist questions in media interviews that men would never be asked. In 2014, alternative singer/songwriter Sky Ferreira appeared on Brazilian talk show The Noite to talk about her new album. The opening question of the interview, which host Danilo Gentili asked through a translator, was whether people liked her because of her music or “because of the tits?” gesturing to the partial nudity on her album cover. Also in 2014, pop singer Charli XCX was being interviewed by Giel Beeten on Dutch radio show The Giel Show, when he asked her to record a radio drop saying “good morning in the most sensual way”, before she even had the chance to oblige, he accused her of masturbating as he couldn’t see her hands, she obviously wasn’t doing anything of that nature and responded with “I wouldn’t do that for you”. In 2015 a video of a radio interview with pop icon Ariana Grande went viral on the internet, this interview was at LA’s Power 106 radio station and was with the DJ’s Justin Credible and Eric D-Lux. At the time of the interview, Grande had an upcoming album, a new single, her role on the show Scream Queens, and a duet with the legendary Andrea Bocelli to discuss, but instead was asked questions such as “if you could use makeup or your phone one last time, which would you pick?”. The reason the video of this went viral is that Grande stood her ground and called them out, saying “is that what you think girls have trouble choosing between?” and “you need a little brushing up on equality”.

In 2014, the news came out to the public that pop singer Kesha had sued her producer, Dr Luke, seeking to void all of their contracts because of how, the suit claimed, Dr Luke sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused Kesha over the course of ten years, Dr Luke countersued shortly after, denying all allegations. The first big decision on this case came on February 19th 2016, when due to lack of evidence, a New York judge denied Kesha a court injunction that would have allowed her to record new music and continue her career away from Dr Luke and Sony, meaning she still owed them six more albums. With this news, the internet exploded with the hashtag #freekesha, as the public voiced their support of Kesha, this included statements from celebrities such as; Lady Gaga, Lena Dunham, Lorde, Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea, Zedd, Halsey, Jack Antonoff, and Taylor Swift.

With the subject being so popular during the case, the incident became the cause of more female musicians coming out about their own experiences in the industry, exposing an even darker side of the misogyny going on. In 2015, forty years after her abuse occurred, Jackie Fuchs (aka Jackie Fox) opened up to The Huffington Post about the endless abuse she endured at the hands of her manager Kim Fowley while she was the bass player for the all-female band The Runaways, including a time where he allegedly raped her in front of a room full of people during an after-show party in an Orange County motel room after she had been drugged. Julie Farman who was a three-decade veteran of the music industry but is now a marketing consultant came forward to LA Weekly after twenty years about the time she was sexually harassed by two members of The Red Hot Chili Peppers in a storage cupboard while working as the West Coast associate director of media and artist relations at Epic Records. Former Secretary of Geffen Records, Penny Muck compared this to the time in 1991 when she filed a lawsuit against the company and its parent organisations for sexual harassment, battery, and assault. She claimed that the executives permitted sexually deviant behaviour, especially from executive Marko Babineau and she didn’t want to take it up with the company directly because there had previously been a long line of women who had filed complaints but the top tier declined to take action. The case was eventually settled out of court for a reported $500 000, while that was only a small payment for a company like Geffen, it still spurred a lot more women to come forward about their experiences.

When these types of stories come out to the public, it becomes clear that a way the misogyny in the industry can be fought and destroyed is by not being afraid to speak up. An example of this occurring is when Amber Coffman, one of the members of Brooklyn-based band Dirty Projectors, began a series of tweets detailing her experience with music publicist Heathcliff Beru of Life or Death PR and Management, recalling a time in which he rubbed her buttock and bit her hair while at a bar. Immediately an LA-based music publicist named Beth Martinez responded saying that she had a similar experience with Beru, in which repeatedly put his hand down her shirt while driving her home, even after she repeatedly told him not to. This caused dozens of women to come forward with their own experiences with Beru, including; Bonnaroo co-ordinator Martika Finch, manager Theodora Karatzas, producer Shirley Braha, Empire Music’s Christy Merriner, Bethany Cosentino of the band Best Coast, Yasmine Kittles of the band Tearist, and singer/songwriter Chelsea Wolfe. With all these accusations against him, Beru ended up having no choice but to resign his position at Life or Death PR and Management.

An example of an artist that speaks out against sexism and misogyny is Lauren Mayberry, front woman of the band Chvrches. As Chvrches is a band that emerged from the internet, it is important to the band that they communicate with their fans directly through all of their social networking sites. However, when dealing with the internet there will always be a fair share of hate comments and inappropriate messages, the majority of the ones sent to Chvrches are directed at Mayberry, which she then screen-grabs and posts on her own sites to spread awareness. Some examples of the inappropriate messages she has shared are “this isn’t rape culture, you’ll know rape culture when I’m raping you, b****” and “act like a sl**, get treated like a sl**”. Mayberry accepts that when you are in the public eye there will always be hate, but believes no female should feel violated by comments that range from slightly sexist but generally harmless to openly sexually aggressive.

Another artist who speaks out is Katie Crutchfield of the band Waxahatchee. During a Waxahatchee gig, Crutchfield jumped into the audience to confront a teenage boy one-on-one after he had shouted derogatory comments at her. This boy didn’t get the message as he tried to kiss her, so Crutchfield had him kicked out of the venue. She has learnt over her many years in the industry that this is the best way to deal with these situations and the only way in which they will listen. Another is Meredith Graves, vocalist of the band Perfect Pussy. During a moment in Perfect Pussy’s set at Basilica Soundscape Festival, Graves read aloud an essay that she wrote on sexism. In the essay, she summed up the difficulties around female identity in pop; mentioning expectations on female artists’ appearance and the notion of authenticity. Lady Gaga has always been an icon for both feminists and female musicians, this became clear when she made her speech for the 2015 Woman of the Year at Billboard Women in Music. Gaga addressed how difficult it is for women in music entering the “boys club” that is the industry and became very emotional when she explained that receiving Woman of the Year meant to her that she was being recognised for her songwriting and legacy instead of her appearance.

Another way females in the music industry can fight the misogyny is by openly supporting one another. In 2015, a bunch of female country musicians started trending the hashtag #tomatotuesday on Twitter, making a joke out of Keith Hill when he publicly made the comment: “Trust me, I play great female records and we’ve got some right now; they’re just not the lettuce in our salad”. Country-folk musician Brandi Carlile is the founder of Looking Out; an organisation that supports women through music. A dollar from every concert ticket Carlile ever sells goes to this organisation. Another organisation is Shesaid.so founded by Andreea Magdalina. Shesaid.so is a global community of women who work in the music industry with the aim to strengthen support networks, offer partnership opportunities, and provide a platform for female-made content. Not only do the female music artists need to support each other, but the female music listeners do as well. Girls Against is a movement made by five teenage feminists fighting against sexual assault at live music gigs. The movement was created after one of the five girls experienced sexual harassment at a Peace show in Glasgow and it aims to start a discussion between fans, artists, promoters, venues, and security companies, along with offering support to victims.

In conclusion, there always has been (and still is) a huge problem with sexism and misogyny in the music industry. This problem stems from the media undermining female artists, influential male artists expressing their misogynistic views; whether it be through the media or through the lyrics in their music, and the dark past and present of sexual abuse in the industry. All of this can be fought if victims of it continue to speak up about what they have to face and all the females in the industry continue to support each other, then maybe and hopefully one day, all musicians no matter what gender will be considered equal and no different.

Not Linked References: Annie Zaleski 2015, Music Writers Twitter Feed Exposes Industry’s Harsh Sexism, Marginalization, A.V Club Candace Amos 2015, Eminem Still Hasn’t Changed His Misogynistic Ways – See 5 of his Most Brutal Lyrics Against Women, New York Daily Chris Coplan 2014, Future and Kanye West Turn “I Won” Into a Terrible, Sexist Video Game, Consequence of Sound Maura Johnstone 2016, Kesha and Dr. Luke: Everything You Need To Know To Understand the Case, Rolling Stone Sophie Schilacci 2016, Kesha vs. Dr. Luke: Everything You Need To Know About The Ongoing Legal Drama, ET Online Caitlin White 2016, Music Publicist Accused of Sexual Harassment By Dirty Projectors Member Amber Coffman, Brooklyn Magazine Lauren Mayberry 2013, I Will Not Accept Online Misogyny, The Guardian Jillian Mapes 2015, Pull the Thread and Unravel Me: Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield, Pitchfork Jeremy Gordon 2014, Perfect Pussy’s Meredith Graves Discusses Andrew W.K, Lana Del Rey, Authenticity, Sexism in Essay, Pitchfork

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