How I Came to Write Musicals
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at 11:04AM 
IT'S A SPECIAL GUEST STAR DAY!
We are thrilled to turn The Film Experience over today to Tom Mizer, one half of the songwriting team Mizer & Moore (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel). In addition to his many career accomplishments, he happens to be a longtime TFE reader! Please give him a warm welcome - Nathaniel R.
by Tom Mizer
It’s a little disturbing to discover that the best way to introduce myself to you, good readers, is by having you meet 10 year-old me. During a lockdown cleaning binge, I found a stack of “scrapbooks” I made as a kid out of construction paper and newspaper clippings. The extreme Tom-ness of who I was and who I’d become is all there. I mean, look at just this one page.
First, note the slipshod but intense workmanship. I have not a crafty bone in my body and clearly needed to avoid the visual arts...
An architect friend once plopped me down at their drafting table to prove even I could draw a straight with the right tools; when I lifted up his t-square, the line I had made was still somehow crooked. And so it goes. But I was always telling stories, so I channeled my interests into acting and, ultimately, writing.
But back to the scrapbook. Note that I have devoted a two spread page to the summer movies of 1982.
I have always loved movies, all kinds of movies from Star Wars to Hitchcock to British repression-fests. I have been a regular reader of this site for quite some time thanks to a particular fondness for actresses and awards. There’s a later page in the scrapbook titled “Movies Up for Academy Awards” because what 10-year-old isn’t cutting out ads for The French Lieutenant's Woman ?
Nathaniel recently invited me to join as a panelist for the 1947 smackdown and it was one of the proudest moments of my career.
Finally, hone in on the fact on the fact that in the first image up top, I’ve given pride of place to THREE musicals--three musicals in a time when movie musicals were not cool. (My Mom, god love her, took me to see Grease 2. This led to a lifelong love of Ms. Pfeiffer and, more immediately, an important discussion of what the song “Reproduction” was about.)
Mizer & Moore, photographed by Xanthe Elbrick
I write musicals now. Alongside my writing partner Curtis Moore, we’ve mainly written for theater but recently we had the joy of writing five original songs for the third season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. You can listen to some of our stuff at our official site www.mizerandmoore.com
This is me. And hopefully you’ll enjoy some of what this determined, film-obsessed kid with bad eye-hand coordination has to share about music and movies and behind the scenes on Maisel and such today… ALL DAY!
Oh, one thing you couldn’t know about me from the scrapbook: my husband and I recently adopted a pandemic dog. Her name is Barrett (“Bear”). During her first few weeks with us, the naughty minx tore up a pile of last year’s film and tv screeners. But she pulled out Parasite to sleep with. Seriously. I think she’s gonna fit right in.
also from Tom Mizer today
Oscar winners for Best Original Song
Filming Mrs Maisel's Musical Numbers
Movies to Stage -Musical Adaptations
Meeting Barbra Streisand
Reader Comments (8)
It's almost like you know me in real life... Stories of pets with screeners (sigh, i miss Monty!) and childhood movie scrapbooks! Two of my favourite things.
Well ten year old Tom is adorable. Did your parents know what to do with you?! I can't wait to read more. So which actress do YOU think deserved that Oscar in 1981? ;-)
Thanks, Dave in Hollywood. 10 year old me was a handful. And my midwestern catholic parents, god love 'em, didn't know what to make of me but let me stay up to watch the oscars. (I cried for days when ET lost to Gandhi.) At 10, I would have said Streep or Hepburn was likely to win but would have written in Karen Allen. (I was not as careful about categories then.)
Ugh, Gandhi. Fine, give the award to Ben Kingsley but let's not go crazy about it. As for 1981, Karen Allen IS the leading lady of her movie so writing her in is perfectly acceptable. It's not exactly like Hepburn needed or even wanted another Oscar after all.
Welcome, Tom! Thanks for sharing this and your enthusiasm for music. I look forward to reading today's posts!
nice
Thank you Tom Mizer for sharing your experience about how you come to write musicals. Great and inspirational post! I think many people will be inspired to write songs and earn money through this platform. I am a student of English literature. I have also passionate about writing books, songs, and stories. Currently, I work here - https://edubirdie.com/argumentative-essay-writer where write argumentative essays and other study papers. Your experience inspires! Thanks once again.
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