Feinstein is one of the champion's of the "Great American Songbook", the classic American standards from the 1920's to 1940's. These are songs, written by the likes of Johnny Mercer and the Gershwins, that became famous through Broadway shows and musicals that are still heard today. Feinstein, through performances, tries to keep the music alive for future generations.
MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK follows him on several of these performances. From travelling to the shows, through rehearsals, we see him at work. There is some great footage of his performances here, especially a piano duet with Marvin Hamlisch. Along with the performances, Feinstein tells stories about the songs and the writers and artists who popularized them.
But the real fascinating part of the documentary focuses on Feinstein's work to preserve the history of the era.
Feinstein travels the country, meeting with families of musicians and fellow collectors, going through their archives. When he isn't performing, Feinstein collects sheet music and recordings that he digitize to preserve.
The film follows Feinstein as he digs through storage units and homes. At one point, he visits legendary NY TV personality Joe Franklin. Franklin's office is like something out of HOARDERS, piles stacked high with memorabilia. He even tells Feinstein that he has ten storage units throughout the city with more memorabilia.
While I was well aware of who Michael Feinstein was going in to this documentary, upon finishing, I became enough of a fan that, dare I even say this, I wish a reality show were made of his life. His visiting some of these people was so fascinating, preserving the legacy of the music, it would make for a show that could not only educate audiences on the music and the performers but entertain through the meeting of such interesting people.
As it stands, MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK is one of the best TV events of the season.
WHAT IS ON THE DVD?
This is a two DVD set. The three one hour episodes are on one disc.
The second DVD contains over two hours of footage. And what footage it is!!
There are unedited music clips, everything from Frank Sinatra performances for Italian TV, to films made for the troops in WWII. My favorite of these is a complete Bob Hope hosted performance with Betty Hutton singing "Murder He Says", Lana Turner cooking a steak (as the troops wanted to hear a steak sizzle) and Judy Garland singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".
Following the archive footage are several complete musical numbers of Michael Feinstein performing. There is one featuring a fun duet of "You're The Top" with David Hyde Pierce.
SHOULD I BUY IT?
Even if you have no interest in the Great American Songbook, this is a wonderful and fascinating film. It is well worth picking up.
MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK is available now only at ShopPBS.org
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