"Let's watch the old year die, with a fond good-bye, and our hopes as high as a kite." (Irving Berlin, 1942)

As we welcome 2021 and hope for a brighter, better future, Irving Berlin's words are as valid today as they were a generation ago. Our hopes are high; We welcome the promises that a COVID vaccine can bring.

In honor of this bright future, I am bringing back the blog series I began in 2020, Focus on Friendship. As our world comes out of isolation and we return to in-person gatherings, join me all year long as we meet and greet "lots and lots" of movie musical friends!

Welcome to Movies and Music ~ The 2021 Edition ~ Focus on Friendships in the Movie Musical!

As we once again visit 12 of the finest Movie Musicals ever made, we will do it from the best friend's viewpoint.

In the classic movie musical, the best friend is an essential component of the story.

He helps to move the story forward by encouraging a love match (Sinjin, Orchestra Wives, Johnny, Easter Parade, Cosmo, Singin in the Rain, Phil, White Christmas)  or being the voice of reason in times of trouble. (Jeff, Brigadoon, Ben Franklin, 1776)

She may be the family member that moves the characters through courtship and revels in the joy of engagement or marriage.  (Aunt Eller, Oklahoma, The Widow Paroo, The Music Man, Tzietel, Fiddler on the Roof, Rose, Meet Me in St Louis)

However,  there are those characters (Adam, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Jim, and   Ted, Holiday Inn), who, through schemes and lies, cannot find the happiness they seek without a healthy dose of reality from a brother (Gideon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), or a lover. (Linda, Holiday Inn)

As you and all your clientele view these films from a new perspective, consider these thought-provoking questions:

• What motivates these friendships?

• Is the motivation always pure?

• How does the presence of their friends influence the main characters?

• How do friendships change when partners are introduced?

• What elements of your client's friendships are mirrored in these films?

• What elements of friendship make them last long

And Remember: "You got to have friends. To make that day last long!" (Buzzy Linhart, Mark Kingman, 1973).

~~Lori