{"title":"Conclusion","authors":"M. Woller","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780197511022.003.0007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197511022.003.0007","url":null,"abstract":"Traditional stories based on Arthurian legend continue to be told, and alongside these tales of romance and chivalry, a comedic tradition exists. This centuries-long tradition holds cultural resonance around the world, including having a strong presence in American popular culture. The musical as a genre has proven to be fertile ground for the insertion of American perspectives into the British legend. The use of song, in particular, can shape the way audiences understand familiar characters as well as the story itself. Given this context, the existence, popularity, and influence of Arthurian musicals represents an important contribution to the annals of myth.","PeriodicalId":130473,"journal":{"name":"From Camelot to Spamalot","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132700818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Notions of Place, Legend, and Broadway in Monty Python’s Spamalot","authors":"M. Woller","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780197511022.003.0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197511022.003.0006","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter shifts to the Broadway musical Monty Python’s Spamalot (2005). As an adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot adds numerous songs written by Eric Idle and John du Prez. These songs not only send up Arthurian legend but common musical theater tropes, augmenting the “meta” tone of the show for fans of musical theater history as well as Monty Python. Furthermore, the musical incarnation increases many of the roles from the original film and includes new characters, extending the connections to the world of Arthurian legend. The musical’s expanded pantheon of references and musical theater send-ups highlight the interpretive layering in a meaningful way. The author’s analysis triangulates the legend with Holy Grail and Spamalot, arguing that while Monty Python may play fast and loose with ideas of fidelity, their versions of Arthurian legend remain true to the malleable spirit of the tale.","PeriodicalId":130473,"journal":{"name":"From Camelot to Spamalot","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125820818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bing Crosby’s Stardom and the Depiction of Legend in Paramount’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court","authors":"M. Woller","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780197511022.003.0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197511022.003.0002","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter discusses the 1949 film A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, starring Bing Crosby. This later film does not adapt the Rodgers and Hart musical; instead, it acts as a star vehicle for Crosby and features new songs by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. Less influential and enduring than the other works featured within this book, this 1949 film nonetheless provides an interesting counterpoint to the Rodgers and Hart revival of a few years before. The film was a commercial success, and this chapter considers it in that light. Furthermore, the author examines the role of Bing Crosby and considers the purpose of this musical film as a star vehicle. With Crosby singing in four of the five surviving songs within the film, the music utilizes the crooner’s voice and star persona in order to tell the story and sell the film.","PeriodicalId":130473,"journal":{"name":"From Camelot to Spamalot","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128778382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prelude","authors":"M. Woller","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780197511022.003.0008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197511022.003.0008","url":null,"abstract":"Mark Twain’s 1889 novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court offers a fascinating beginning to the study of musical adaptations of Arthurian legend. Similar and yet vastly different to the other sources considered in this book, Mark Twain harnesses the story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table for a nineteenth-century American reader. Unlike ...","PeriodicalId":130473,"journal":{"name":"From Camelot to Spamalot","volume":"70 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124413240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}