#wss 1957

[juliajacklinofficial]

west side story (1957)…save me….west side story (1957)….save me west side story (1957)

[tonymarias]

LARRY KENT & CAROL LAWRENCE as TONY & MARIA in the original production of WEST SIDE STORY (1957)

[miuarchiv]

Heydrich's Adjutants

Hans-Hendrik Neumann on his work as RH's adjutant in the Feb 1948 interrogation:

"With Heydrich, my job included everything that a personal adjutant and escort officer has to do. I was responsible for the appointments, for the whole technical daily routine, for receiving visitors, preparing and carrying out the tours, supervising the fleet of cars (we still had 2 airplanes), looking after the guests (there were always a lot of foreign guests), arranging meals and other events. That was about all I had to do."

About Neumann see here

Hermann Kluckhohn mentioned a list of 5 adjutants in his 1969 testimony：

Chief adjutant Kurt Pomme 1899-1964, belonged to Schupo, as the file recorded he entered the SD and became the chief adjutant in 1938 (but had previously worked under Heydrich since 1935). No known picture of him. 1st adjutant Hans-Joachim Ploetz 1911-1944, entered the SD in 1937, became the 1st adjutant in 1940, stayed on this post until Aug 1943, entered the WSS and was killed in action in Poland in Aug 1944. 2nd adjutant Hermann Kluckhohn 1911-？, entered the SD in 1935, became the 2nd adjutant under the recommendation of Ploetz in 1940. He stayed in Prague to work as Daluege's adjutant and then went to WSS in Aug 1943. 3rd adjutant Arthur Scheidler 1911-1957, entered the SD in 1935, appointed adjutant in 1937, in charge of the Chief's personal account and foreign currency of SD. In his post-war interrogation he denied being an adjutant but merely an administrative chief of Kaltenbrunner, taking over Pomme's work after he left. Adjutant of special assignment Heinrich Werth 1913-1945, entered the SD in 1935, appointed adjutant in 1939, In charge of the archive. He became similar to 1st adjutant under Kaltenbrunner. Himmler wanted him to the frontline in Nov 1943 but Kaltenbrunner let him stay since he already had fewer adjutants than his predecessor. He may have joined a combat unit at the end of the war, and died in the 1st Reserve Hospital of Schleswig in July 1945.

[owlpuddle]

Hair's Hashish and Sodomy really putting their thumb on the scale of "what's the first broadway show to use x naughty word?"

(I think it's the first show to say fuck? Since it rather famously wasn't Sondheim with WSS and I can't think of any other fuck-worthy shows between 1957 and 1967)

[sondheims-hat]

September 26, 1957: Opening night for the original production of WSS at the Winter Garden.

[fireworkss-exe]

the "dallas winston is baby john" theory is fun. in theory. but it's just impossible.. like baby john was 14 ish in 1957 when wss takes place. the outsiders is set in 1965 (or 1967 in the musical). dallas and baby john's ages just don't line up I'm sorry but they don't😭

[barbossas-wench]

This came out from my mind while listening to every single version of A Boy Like That

[heygutlcssa]

I know comparing the original movie to the new movie is like comparing apples and oranges, but I really wish that the a.ss.ault scene was a little more in line with the original.

Yes, it's fine that Graziella is there. There's pros and cons to that too, especially considering that she kind of instigates it and then backpedals when it becomes not a them or us situation, but a women's situation. It's the one plane per the movie that they can relate one ( though graziella is such a missed opportunity as a character, especially since during this time period a good chunk of Italian girls were doing pretty much anything to not be considered Italian. Legit there's an internment camp that mainly housed Italian Americans during the war and continued to house Italians and other immigrants during the Red Scare up until it's closure in 1954 only like a few miles away. Ellis island was not the best of places.) That's a whole other discussion though .

I think what's hard about this scene boils down to two major issues for me. The first being that they took music from the mambo sequence instead of replaying america. The original Broadway show( it's even on the vinyl record. I'll have to double check if it's on Spotify too. The soundtrack has been messed with over the years for what tracks stayed on and in what order) had a reprise of America playing during this particular scene.

This is important because most of the action within WSS takes place within the music and the dialogue. In the new movie that isn't really there. most of the action is just that. Action. Whole most of the original is there, the new movie cuts out some pretty significant lines throughout the feature.

Anita was the driving positive force about pro-Americanism and assimilating. This whole scene not only shows violence around woc but how that American Dream was never intended for a person like her and the show puts that in the hands of the whitest jets possible. Characters that were more ethnic nonwhite ( like diesel, a-rab, and tiger, sometime it was mouthpiece in tigers stead) were not present for the assault. They were doing what they what they were supposed to be doing: looking for Tony. The remaining Jets don't bother to send someone out to let everyone else know that they found him.

And remember that in both the 1961 movie and the 1957 show Anybodys is an active participant in what happened to Anita, only backing off at the very end just as Doc comes in to stop it coming to fruition. Right as they do the symbolic backflip of Anita Anybodys breaks away. This is also another discussion for a different post.

What bothers me most about the new movie is that they not only played the mambo music instead of America's reprise ( noted this was changed in the special editions of the 61 film as well) but they cut some very important dialogue that happens right after.

Noted, most reviews and scholarly articles cut this dialogue out of their arguments too. Because if that dialogue is brought to light then they can't blame 100% of the violent behavior of the jets on the jets.

Which, in Anita's case, you totally can and still include the dialogue. This dialogue is important because it showcases what drives people to do these unthinkable things and while environmental circumstances play a factor, it more so focuses on the adults around them. On their own abuse and reaction to being abused. On how grief is handled. On acting out and being alone. It also has a lot to say on the age old argument " it's your generation's fault that everything is bad as it is. In my day we didnt act like that. In my day the world was better because my generation was better ."

No one likes to admit fault in themselves especially when unspeakable acts are involved. But no one wants to admit that they handed the capability for the unspeakable down to the generation after them. They will just be disappointed when the next generation fails to do better. Does this justify what happened to Anita? Absolutely not and it never should have happened. She was a victim.

So when she utters I'm am a Puerto Rican, you should feel this deep sorrow for her and her dreams, her hopes, and her life. I certainly didn't feel that in any viewings of the movie. I just didn't hit the way it was meant to. You can tell kuschner tried very hard though . I deeply appreciate that.

The dialogue that's missing which was replaced by Valentina's speech also, while hitting home, didn't have an effect like it was supposed to.

I didn't and still don't have a strong attachment to the 61 film, so I can't say it's my rose tinted nostalgia glasses that make me think this way. I just think the original dialogue hits harder and has a lot more to say.

DOC: When do you kids stop? You make this world lousy!

ACTION: We didn't make it, Doc

Two lines. That's all that needs put back.

[this-hattan-newsie]

"Dally had seen people killed on the streets of New York's West Side."

I know that WSS was taking place in 1957, is it possible that Dally had seen Riff and Bernardo death or at least knew them?

[riffheartsgraziella]

Do you think any of the jets well like skate boarding 🤔?

Hmm, I never really thought about this before, but I don’t think so. From what I’ve seen, it seems like skateboarding really became popular in California in the 1960s. Since WSS is set in NYC in 1957, I don’t think it would really be on the Jets’ radar.

[bonnettsbooks]

The classic #RomeoAndJuliet & #WestSideStory comparison. If you don't know, #Shakespeare's R&J inspired #JeromeRobbins' 1957 WSS stage musical. Now available at #BonnettsBooks! 3/9/22 Open 6-9p Mask req'r'd. No open containers, please. (at Bonnett's Book Store) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca5WMXAPpzT/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tonymarias]

CAROL LAWRENCE & CHITA RIVERA in the original production of West Side Story (1957)

[tonymarias]

CHITA RIVERA as ANITA in the original broadway production of WEST SIDE STORY

[tonymarias]

LARRY KENT & CAROL LAWRENCE as TONY & MARIA for production images for the original production of WEST SIDE STORY (1957)

[tonymarias]

CHITA RIVERA and KEN LEROY as ANITA and BERNARDO in the original production of WEST SIDE STORY

[tonymarias]

Promotional picture of Larry Kert & Carol Lawrence for West Side Story (1957)

Promotional poster of Richard Beymer & Natalie Wood for West Side Story (1961)

Ansel Elgort & Rachel Zegler in West Side Story (2021)