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This week’s writing …

Prince would have turned 68 on Sunday, a day he would often reserve for recording his more “spiritual” songs (e.g. “Sign O’ The Times” and “The Cross”). This year is also the 40th anniversary of Prince’s second film (and directorial debut) Under The Cherry Moon — a notorious flop upon its release in July 1986, though his first film Purple Rain wasn’t exactly Citizen Kane and that was a box office smash.

Under The Cherry Moon is a curious film. Prince stars as Christopher Tracy, a charming rake who works as a piano player in the French Rivera (a nice job if you can get it). Originally from Miami, Prince and his wingman Tricky (Jerome Benton from The Time) target rich women in hopes of marrying for money. They are described as “gigolos” though they behave more like ambitious single women in a 1950s musical comedy. You could easily imagine flipping the genders and casting Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell as the leads. Christopher and Tricky might’ve been written in a Hope and Crosby mold, but Prince and Benton’s chemistry has a distinctly camp sensibility. (Watch below.)

Christopher sets his sights on the 21-year-old daughter of a shipping magnate who’ll soon inherit $50 million (about $150 million today). He legitimately falls for the heiress, Mary, which removes the usual conflict — it’s not as if he’s pursuing someone for whom he has no interest but her money. Thus, this is a straightforward star-crossed lovers romance, as Mary’s father would prefer that she not get involved with broke-ass piano players from Miami.

Many of the scenes look as if Prince had watched a lot of French New Wave cinema. The script certainly promotes the movement’s themes of alienation, rebellion, and the absurdity of human existence. Thus, when Tracy the cynical womanizer embraces love and romance, he forfeits his life, as if he’s no longer suited for our cruel reality.

Susannah Melvoin, Prince’s girlfriend at the time, was originally intended to play Mary, but it became obvious in pre-production that she couldn’t act — a pretty damning assessment considering that Apollonia from Purple Rain is hardly Meryl Streep. Prince replaced Susannah (at least on film) with Dame Kristin Scott Thomas in her feature debut. She obviously could act. (Watch her hilarious attempt to say “Wrecka Stow.”)

Like Susannah, Thomas is also very white, as are most of the women swooning over Prince in the film. Audiences born long after 1986 might wonder why that’s even relevant, but interracial relationships on screen were still rare. Notice that Eddie Murphy, perhaps the biggest movie star of the period, had never been paired with a white woman on screen. Under the Cherry Moon shows Prince and Mary passionately kissing in the trailer! There goes the South.

In contrast, Purple Rain is a very Black film and, in a way, that might’ve made it more palatable to white suburban audiences. They could imagine themselves venturing into a separate, hip world (in Minneapolis) — sort of like the white New Yorkers who ventured uptown during the Harlem Renaissance. In Under the Cherry Moon, it might’ve seemed as if Christopher and Tricky were moving into their neighborhood.

Under the Cherry Moon was released in black-and-white, which is a very Woody Allen move but not particularly commercial. Purple Rain put Prince’s music front and center, and audiences were free to leave for popcorn or the bathroom whenever the film focused on what passed as the plot. Under the Cherry Moon flips that dynamic. Christopher suddenly singing and dancing to Girls & Boys is the only outright performance in the movie. This film isn’t that musical. The songs feel like an afterthought (you could even replace them all, including the hit “Kiss,” with little impact).

Prince attempted to emulate Elvis, who was a bonafide movie star for more than a decade. Prior to his late 1960s decline, Elvis films practically printed money and their soundtracks topped the charts. Prince briefly achieved this with Purple Rain but his movie career effectively ended with Under the Cherry Moon and 1990’s disastrous Graffiti Bridge.

Ironically, Prince’s music videos paled in comparison to the ones from contemporary artists such as Madonna and, of course, Michael Jackson. Jackson’s short films for such hits as “Beat It,” “Thriller,” “Bad,” “Smooth Criminal,” and “Remember the Time” were lavishly produced “events” that took advantage of the burgeoning music video format and in their way predicted the YouTube era.

Under the Cherry Moon is still better than its reputation and is worth a watch, as part of a “wish you were in France” binge session.

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The Political And Spiritual Artist Known As Prince

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Previously on The Play Typer Guy:

I celebrated what would have been Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday.

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I talk a little about Mad Men — not the ones in the White House right now but the fictional characters from the AMC TV series.

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Over at Public Notice, I discuss how Donald Trump is clearly insane and why that might prove a national security issue.

Why does the media ignore Trump’s madness?

The Tony Awards are on Sunday, and my friend Raven Snook joined me on the podcast to discuss what’s nominated and who might take home the major awards. This is part two of our kibbitz session.

Here’s Part One:

Third Annual Tony Award Special With Raven Snook

And here’s Part Two:

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That’s it for this week. See you on Monday