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Great Performances: The Most Happy Fella (1980)
Season Unknown, Episode Unknown
Plot synopsis
16 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I won't reveal the ending, but -

It's about a farm owner who is married (I think this takes place in the old west). He hires Joey, an itinerant farm worker, who is a Casanova type, i.e. has a knack for charming the ladies.

Unfortunately, he seduces the farmer's wife and gets her pregnant, and being a transient type, he doesn't stick around very long. (Well, he would been KILLED if he had)

My favorite song (and beloved by many jazz musicians and vocalists) is "Joey,Joey,Joey" a soliloquy about how he must move on:

Joey, joey, joey - Joey, Joey, Joe - You've been too long, in one place - Now it's time to go, time to go -

Joey, joey, joey - Joey, Joey, Joe - You've been too long - In one town - And the harvest time's - Come and gone -

That's what the wind sings to me - When the bunk I've been bunkin' in gets to feelin' too soft and cozy - When the grub they've been cookin' me gets to tasting too good - And I've had all I want of all the ladies in the neighborhood - She sings -

Etc., Etc.

It's still performed even today, but it was a BIG favorite when I was a kid in high school.
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Lush Life (1993 TV Movie)
9/10
Great music, maudlin story
7 June 2005
I'd say the strongest point is the music by Lennie Niehaus. He also did the music for all of Clint Eastwood's movies. The acting is really terrific, and the story is an accurate portrayal of the Bohemian life style of New York jazz musicians.

One error in some of the reviews: Kathy Baker did NOT sing the songs, Sue Raney did. This was apparently a lip-sync by Raney, who is a well-known and respected vocalist here in southern California.

The producer was generous in letting real musicians have some of the acting roles. For example, Jack Sheldon had a cameo role as one of the musicians, and the obnoxious booking agent was played by Buddy Arnold, a long-time jazz reed player on the west coast.
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