How shall we celebrate Ethel Merman's 101st birthday?- Page 2

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 5:31am

I think we should celebrate Ethel's birthday by watching this commercial she did for Vel Dishwashing Liquid as many times as it takes to MEMORIZE it. Then, at an agreed-upon hour, we should all recreate the number in our kitchens dressed in a chiffon mini-dress just as Ethel was when she sang about your "icky" dishes coming out of the sink "smelling like ROSES!"

You think I'm kidding, don't you?

The first time I saw this. I laughed so hard I cried and had to replay it because I couldn't watch the rest of it through my slobbering hysteria.
Ethel sells Vel

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 6:05am

Just for you, BobbyBubby:
Ethel's an Indian Too. A Sioux. A Sioux.

[alterego]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 6:59am

< I'm in too! I'm all for a Ethel Merman Theatre.

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 7:03am

The Ethel Merman Theatre is a fantastic idea.
The problem being is that producers and theatre owners these days would rather name a theatre after themselves!

[NGeorgiaBwayFan]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 7:37am

Miss Pennywise,
That Vel commercial is a treasure!

Take it from the Merm... Try Vel!

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 7:46am

My regular avatar shows Merman with Sandra Church in the final scene of GYPSY. Rose is wearing Louise's full length mink coat, before they go off arm in arm, not like Laurents's ending.

I plan to move my giant sized poster of the playbill of GYPSY to my living room. I plan to listen to my newly acquired CD of HAPPY HUNTING, the disco album, and, of course, GYPSY, which is the best of the five cast albums of that show.

I agree with having a theatre named for Ethel Merman. The Imperial is the most likely candidate since it housed ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, CALL ME MADAM, and the transfer(from the Broadway) of GYPSY.

Thanks for starting this Happy Birthday thread, paljoey. Ethel looked great on "What's My Line".

P.S. HAPPY HUNTING may have had its problems, but the cast album isn't bad. Merman used "Gee But It's Good To Be Here" in all of her concert performanaces after she left Broadway, despite her forbidding its composer from ever talking to her during the rehearsal period.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 8:17am

I'm nervous, given what happened last time I tried to change my avatar.

Oh well. At least she has a top hat.

Happy Ethel Day, everybody!

[Madcap Maisie]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 8:24am

Reg, Ethel in the top hat made my day :)

I'm in!

[philcrosby]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 8:37am

Some of us celebrate the Merm every day!

Happy Birthday, old girl. You changed the face and sound of Broadway forever and will never be forgotten!!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 9:31am

One of my favorite rare YouTube postings is from Happy Hunting (by way of the September 1963 pilot of Ethel Merman's never-picked-up television series "Maggie Brown"):

Ethel Merman and Susan Watson sing "Mutual Admiration Society":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbdSnVOc9ew

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 9:37am

By the way, Reginald--that video also came from the Crazed Collector whom we discussed in the Follies thread.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 9:41am

Then once more: Here's to the Crazed Collector!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 9:57am

And here's one from another friend of Reginald's and mine.

Ethel as Lola Lasagna on Batman!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMF4ZJM1j8g

Updated On: 1/16/09 at 09:57 AM

[NGeorgiaBwayFan]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 10:05am

I love in the Batman clip that her credit is not just "Special Guest Villan", like Burgess Meredith but "Extra Special Guest Villainess"

Updated On: 1/16/09 at 10:05 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 11:27am

"Hello, PeeJay? It me, Ethel! No, not Ethel Barrymore, you pea-brain! ME!"



"...I just wanted you to thank all those nice people on BroadwayWorld for wishing me a happy birthday. And give a special thanks to that little gal from North Georgia and everyone who changed their avatars to pictures of me. (What the hell is an avatar, anyway? I dunno...sounds pretty DIRTY, if you ask me.)

"And while I got you on the line, what's the deal with all those people saying bad things about my girl Patti? She's one of the last of the belters and anyone who says anything bad about her has to answer to ME!

"And one last thing: You tell that smart-ass kid it's ANNIE Get Your Gun, not GRANNY. Tell him Ethel says, 'Shaddup and smile more, baby.'

"All right. I've got to run. Go tell that Leslie Kritzer her next show should be Leslie Kritzer is Ethel Merman in Las Vegas. Yeah. A whole show of HER singing ME. And unlike SOME PEOPLE, I'll even let her release the album! Ha ha!

"Bye, PeeJay! Enjoy MY birthday!"

Updated On: 1/16/09 at 11:27 AM

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 12:15pm

Last Sunday on my radio program I did a Merman tribute and that episode repeats Saturday January 17 from 8-9 am (Eastern time...you can listen through the link below.)

The program begins with music from HELLO DOLLY! in celebration of its 45th anniversary and RAGTIME for its 11th.

Then the rest of the show more or less belongs to Ethel including...

- AN interview recorded with her in her Manhattan apartment from a program I produced in 1979
- A few tracks of her personal reminiscences from the album A MUSICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY
- Composer Steve Cole who is a huge Merman fan and was a friend of hers in the final years of her life sharing his memories.

The full play list can be found at the PROUD-FM website.

If you get a chance to listen please tell me what you think!




FRONT ROW CENTRE January 17 & 18

Updated On: 1/16/09 at 12:15 PM

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 2:26pm

Wow, PalJoey! You know they're looking for medium consultants over at "Blithe Spirit" . . .

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 2:55pm

Ethel Merman would have been a TERRRRRRRIBLE Madame Arcati.

FrontRow--I'll listen to that interview this weekend! I love Ethel Merman: A Musical Autobigraphy. I had it on LP and I have the (Australian?) CD. Was it ever released in the US?

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 2:58pm

"Ethel Merman would have been a TERRRRRRRIBLE Madame Arcati."

Can you imagine?

"You mean I only get one number?! 'Always,' huh? Well, at least it's Irving!"
Updated On: 1/16/09 at 02:58 PM

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 2:58pm

PJ, I'm pretty sure it never was released on CD. In fact, the LP wasn't out all the long, as I recall. Which is a shame, because it contains some vintage Merman at her very best, which is to say, better than anybody.

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 3:09pm

Haha, LOVE it PJ!

Happy B-day Merm!!!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 3:36pm

I bought the Australian CD of Ethel Merman: A Musical Autobiography at Colony, about 10 years ago, for some ridiculously astronomical price.

I had loved the 2-lp set so much I snapped it up anyway.


I can upload the Australian CD to YouSendIt, if anyone would like--but the it doesn't have all the songs of the original 2-LP set.

It consists of Ethel's spoken narrative, telling the fabulous (and mostly fictional) story of her professional life, to organ accompaniment (I kid you not), along with preexisting recordings from her Decca catalog.

Among many other terrific Ethel one-liners, her lead-in to "I Got Rhythm" is classic:

"And so I stood on the stage at the Alvin Theater and held onto that high note...like it was from Tiffany's--and the LAST ONE IN THE WORLD!"

Here's the list from the CD:

1. I Got Rhythm
2. Embraceable You
3. Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries
4. Anything Goes
5. Blow, Gabriel, Blow
6. I Get a Kick Out of You
7. You're the Top
8. It's De'lovely
9. Ridin' High
10. Do I Love You?
11. Friendship
12. Doin' What Comes Natur'lly
13. Moonshine Lullaby
14. You Can't Get a Man with a Gun
15. I'm an Indian Too
16. They Say It's Wonderful
17. I Got Lost in His Arms
18. I Got the Sun in the Morning
19. The Hostess with the Mostes' on the Ball
20. Washington Square Dance
21. You're Just in Love
22. Alexander's Ragtime Band
23. Dearie
24. How Deep Is the Ocean

Here's the list from the LP:

1. I Got Rhythm *
2. Embraceable You *
3. Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries
4. Eadie was a Lady
5. You're an Old Smoothie *
6. Anything Goes *
7. Blow, Gabriel, Blow
8. I Get a Kick Out of You
9. You're the Top
10. It's De'lovely
11. Ridin' High *
12. Down in the Depths on the 90th Floor *
13. This is It *
14. I'll Pay the Cheque *
15. Do I Love You? *
16. Friendship *
17. Let's Be Buddies
18. Make it Another Old Fashioned Please *
19. He's a Right Guy *
20. Doin' What Comes Natur'lly
21. Moonshine Lullaby
22. You Can't Get a Man with a Gun
23. I'm an Indian Too
24. They Say It's Wonderful
25. I Got Lost in His Arms *
26. I Got the Sun in the Morning
27. The Hostess with the Mostes' on the Ball
28. Washington Square Dance
29. You're Just in Love
30. The Best Thing For You
31. Something to Dance About
32. Alexander's Ragtime Band *
33. Dearie
34. How Deep Is the Ocean *

The tracks marked * were new recordings made for this album with the Buddy Cole quartet. The rest were all taken from previous Decca recordings.

Updated On: 1/16/09 at 03:36 PM

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 3:58pm

I love phone calls from Ethel.

I feel like I should change my avatar, too, though.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 4:00pm

If I can do it, you can do it, givemevoice!

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 4:03pm

so now I'm glam Baby Ethel instead of...Baby Patti hanging out with Angela Lansbury and Maxine Andrews?