Word: balalaika
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Hideous Neckties. A world-renowned brain surgeon, Professor Preobrazhensky (the name suggests the Russian word for transfiguration), implants the testicles and pituitary glands of a dead balalaika player in the body of a mongrel dog. Lo, the animal is transformed; he begins to talk and to assume human characteristics. Unfortunately, they are those of the balalaika player, a sodden, crude-minded lowlife. Nevertheless, the dog is welcomed as an equal by the sanctimoniously proletarian house committee of the professor's apartment building. Sharik the dog becomes "Sharikov" the Soviet citizen. He is supplied with identity papers and, except...
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (MGM). A 110-piece symphony orchestra, reinforced with 24 balalaika players and a section of Japanese instruments including a samisen, a koto and a 6-ft. gong (valued at $3,000), plus organ, novachord, electric sonovox, harpsichord, electric piano, tack piano and zither, plays Maurice Jarre's Oscar-winning score. The variety of instruments would be more interesting if the listener could pick them out, but they all seem to play at once. One haunting tune, Lara's Theme, emerges-but just barely...
Cinerama's Russian Adventure. "Who are the Russians? What is Russia? We couldn't possibly supply answers to these questions, but we're going to have a lot of fun trying," drawls Narrator Bing Crosby, fingering a balalaika. Bing thus introduces this Russian-made travel triptych, a cultural exchange import aquiver with evidence that the Soviets lack Cinerama's skill at matching seams. In Kinopanorama-an equivalent three-screen process-cities, rivers, mountains and ice floes all hump up at the center and slope away precipitously...
Then we return to the present (c. 1950) where Rita Tushingham has finished listening to the tale we've finished watching. Leaving Guiness, she walks across the top of a huge dam, accompanied by her balalaika and finance. Guiness cries out to the latter. "Can she play?" and the finance replies that Rita has been able to hold her own with a balalaika since birth...
Jazz KENNY BALL PLAYS FOR THE JET SET (Kapp). The thought of From Russia with Love pounded out in Dixieland style by a sextet of Britons is enough to make purists quail. But the result is surprisingly lively, with a mean banjo taking the balalaika part. Even more surprising is Londonderry Air in shuffle rhythm, and Isle of Capri with a honky-tonk piano intro. Best of all is Alabama Jubilee, a traditional Dixie item done up brown as a hoecake...