Chapter Seventeen

In this chapter, Rossano gives us a tour of his luxury penthouse in Rome and we concentrate solely on that wonderful musical, South Pacific. Plenty of anecdotes fill these pages, some of them hilarious and some of them of real interest, especially the transformation of the island Kauai into a film set. It really is quite something.

South Pacific continues to be a popular movie and is as relevant today as it was in the 1950s. One, I think, of Rodgers and Hammerstein's best. 

There is a Rodgers and Hammerstein Facebook page dedicated to South Pacific and they occasionally post snippets and info on the film and the stage play. Check it out and join up. The name of the page is simply South Pacific.

Prior to flying to Hawaii to film South Pacific, the Brazzis had a leaving party attended by friends, family and celebrities. Here's a snap from that gathering.

With thanks to Ralph Edwards Productions for the use of this still from This is Your Life. Rossano and Mitzi Gaynor struck up a lifelong friendship almost as soon as they met. Rossano's wife, Lydia, and Mitzi's husband, Jack, were in Hawaii and the four of them would spend their Sundays off together. More about that is, of course, in the book. We get a good insight into Rossano off-set and he is far removed from the serious 'Latin Lover' bestowed upon him by Hollywood.

I managed to locate a couple of shots of the two couples on their day off getting ready to tour the island and an individual one for the die-hard fans.

On the left, the classic Rossano Brazzi pose - the serious Latin Lover. Journalists were focussed purely on that image and seemed to think that he was like this in real life. 

By this chapter, readers will know that he was far removed from the 'serious' side of that description. In the book, I've tried to provide photographs that show Rossano as the man, not the actor. 

In the middle, we see Rossano messing around on set. According to one article I read, Rossano was joking around after the scene where Mitzi Gaynor sings I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair. He began goofing about and the director, Josh Logan, thought it should go in the film. It did go in the original film but was taken out prior to its release. I later learned a different story and it taught me to check everything before writing it down. This was actually a scene written into the Broadway show and Josh Logan decided to cut it.

Rossano did clown around on the set of many of his movies but this incident was not as impromptu as reporters wanted us to believe.

Photos with the permission of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organisation: A Concord Company, www.rnh.com.

South Pacific is, of course, widely available but I'd recommend getting the Blu-Ray DVD edition with all the extras. There are some fascinating documentaries about the making of the film and the role of the military in the South Pacific during World War II. And, of course, the soundtrack is a must-have. Such wonderful songs and melodies. The album cover is iconic, too, with some beautiful colourful shots of the film inside.

One of the songs, You've Got to be Carefully Taught, was thought to be too dangerous for the state of Georgia, USA. They tried to pass a bill to stop the pre-Broadway show being performed in the state purely because of this song. Crazy. It's a two-minute song in a nearly 3-hour stage show. But, it highlighted how racist some people are and this clearly struck a nerve for Georgia. 

Rodgers and Hammerstein stuck to their guns and told the politicians that the song stays in. If it was taken out, the point of the film would be missed. Michener, who wrote the book, sided with Rodgers and Hammerstein. A brave move in a country where the Civil Rights Movement was so active at that time.

Rossano said he always got through a lot of books when he was filming because there was so much waiting around. Here, on the left, he is taking a break from filming South Pacific with his head in a book. The photo on the right is taken at his home.

This chapter was great to work on because there was so much information available to me. If you haven't seen the film in a while, watch it. It's beautifully shot, the acting is great, the songs are a masterclass in songwriting and the theme is as relevant today as it was then.

Here are a couple of shots behind the scenes on South Pacific. The first one shows Rossano, Mitzi and France Luyen (who played Liat) helping themselves to some food between takes. 

And, in the book, I talk about both Rossano and Lydia being huge animal lovers. Rumour had it that the kittens Rossano is holding in this other photo came home with them. Lydia had found them. They were, apparently, strays. The mother couldn't be found so they were brought back to Italy!