Your favorite Momma Rose...- Page 3

[alterego]

Posted: 7/17/05 at 9:16am

Based purely on recordings, it's Merman for me. I was interested to read Dimitri2's comments about Ann Sothern and Joanne Worley. What other stars have played the role in stock and tours?

And yes, the Kay Medford recording is a comic classic!

[kjklo]

Posted: 7/17/05 at 9:54am

Betty Hutton played Rose on the Kenley summer stock circuit in the early-mid sixties. This was the production where Bernadette Peters played Dainty June--the role she had previously understudied in the second national tour.

[wildcat]

Posted: 7/17/05 at 10:53am

Dolores Gray in London and at Papermill in 76 (reportedly terrific)
Kaye Ballard in stock
Mimi Hines in California
Vivian Blaine in stock
Libby Morris in South Africa (wish I'd seen her!)

I recently saw a tape of Merman in a dramatic role in a U.S. Steel Hour play from the 60s called "Honest in the Rain" in which she played a compulsive gambler. Her performance was marvellous...vulnerable, frightened and tragic , qualities I'd never seen her play before. It made me appreciate how well rounded her portrayal of Rose must have been.

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 7/17/05 at 11:13am

Bernadette

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 7/17/05 at 3:26pm

"I recently saw a tape of Merman in a dramatic role in a U.S. Steel Hour play from the 60s called "Honest in the Rain" in which she played a compulsive gambler. Her performance was marvellous...vulnerable, frightened and tragic , qualities I'd never seen her play before..."

I think she had it in her to be a fine dramatic actress but aside from GYPSY she was never really called on to use those talents.

When Merman began her career, they wrote "Merman"-type roles: Wise-cracking, tough talking, heart-of-gold broads. (Kate, Haittie, Bloosom and Reno.) Authors felt the Merman persona would not be believable in a sincere romantic setting, but Irving Berlin gave her a few tender moments in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (such as "I Got Lost in his Arms") promting her to later write "Irving made a lady out of me."

Still, the musical comedy roles never really tapped her dramatic abilities untuil GYPSY and although she hinted she might like to try a dramatic role she was concerned audiences would feel cheated if she didn't sing. (Remember, she didn't start out to be an actress. She wanted to be a singer.)

It is a real shame that not only did she not get to film GYPSY the way she had filmed CALL ME MADAM which was a big hit movie. Unfortunately it's follow up THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS was a box office failure. (Check it out for all the gay subtext, starting with her oldest son played by openly gay Johnny Ray coming in telling the family he is quitting to become a Priest! - That was probably as close to being gay as Hollywood could get in teh 1950s.) The reason it failed had nothing to do with Ethel. It was a poorly scripted film with only the Irving Berlin songs to save it, and his catalogue had already been milked to death in WHITE CHRISTMAS, BLUE SKIES, EASTER PARADE, HOLIDAY INN, and ALEXANDERS RAGTIME BAND!

Even more tragic is the loss of all tapes of the Merman TV version of ANNIE GET YOUR GUN shown on NBC in 1967. Did anyone here see this? Cut to 90 minutes I suspect it was not great.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 7/17/05 at 3:26pm

"I recently saw a tape of Merman in a dramatic role in a U.S. Steel Hour play from the 60s called "Honest in the Rain" in which she played a compulsive gambler. Her performance was marvellous...vulnerable, frightened and tragic , qualities I'd never seen her play before..."

I think she had it in her to be a fine dramatic actress but aside from GYPSY she was never really called on to use those talents.

When Merman began her career, they wrote "Merman"-type roles: Wise-cracking, tough talking, heart-of-gold broads. (Kate, Haittie, Bloosom and Reno.) Authors felt the Merman persona would not be believable in a sincere romantic setting, but Irving Berlin gave her a few tender moments in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (such as "I Got Lost in his Arms") promting her to later write "Irving made a lady out of me."

Still, the musical comedy roles never really tapped her dramatic abilities untuil GYPSY and although she hinted she might like to try a dramatic role she was concerned audiences would feel cheated if she didn't sing. (Remember, she didn't start out to be an actress. She wanted to be a singer.)

It is a real shame that not only did she not get to film GYPSY the way she had filmed CALL ME MADAM which was a big hit movie. Unfortunately it's follow up THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS was a box office failure. (Check it out for all the gay subtext, starting with her oldest son played by openly gay Johnny Ray coming in telling the family he is quitting to become a Priest! - That was probably as close to being gay as Hollywood could get in teh 1950s.) The reason it failed had nothing to do with Ethel. It was a poorly scripted film with only the Irving Berlin songs to save it, and his catalogue had already been milked to death in WHITE CHRISTMAS, BLUE SKIES, EASTER PARADE, HOLIDAY INN, and ALEXANDERS RAGTIME BAND!

Even more tragic is the loss of all tapes of the Merman TV version of ANNIE GET YOUR GUN shown on NBC in 1967. Did anyone here see this? Cut to 90 minutes I suspect it was not great.

[DAME]

Posted: 7/17/05 at 5:31pm

Tyne Dalys Rose was the most thrilling and grounded one I have seen. Angelas was also excellent but more of a performance. To me Bernadette Peters Rose was a embarrasment. Because of work I had to see this production more than once during its short fiasco of a run. She was always in poor voice and some of her bad acting habits where more noticeable than in other things she had done.