New York University Till the Clouds Roll Biographical Film Discussion

1. Watch: Till The Clouds Roll By (Links to an external site.) on Tubi (you will need to sign up for a free subscription)

This “light bio-pic of American Broadway pioneer Jerome Kern”, features renditions of the famous songs from his musicals, including a condensed production of his most famous: ‘Showboat’ – and will give you a feel for the look, sound, stories, etc of the classic era of the Great American Songbook in the early 20th century. Featuring Judy Garland, Frank Sanatra and more. See if you can also catch a glimpse of a young Angela Lansbury!

2. Write a brief response here by answering some of the questions below.

Some possible questions to help guide your response:

• What were the highlights for you?
• What did you find interesting, thought-provoking, and/or surprising?
• How did watching the film deepen your understanding of theatre maker’s jobs (composer, lyricist, choreographer, director, actors, etc) on Broadway in the early 20th century?
• What did you notice about the Great American Songbook era of musical theatre history?
  • The costumes, sets, lights, and other visual elements?
  • The songs and music?
  • The acting, dancing, and singing?
  • The storytelling/plots?
• What other questions did you have or observations did you make?