Broadway: The American Musical on PBS Tonight- Page 2

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:34pm

That's comic Eddie Cantor singing "Makin' Whoopee"--his career started in the 1920s but lasted on film and TV well into the 1940s. "Whoopee" was his "signature" song.

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:37pm

Columnist Walter Winchell was NOT a nice man. During the McCarthy "Witch-Hunt" days of the 1950s, he stated that TONS of entertainers were secret Communists--including Lucille Ball!

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:40pm

A CONNECTICUT YANKEE was based on the Mark Twain Novel A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT.

[musicalmjk]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:41pm

I would recomend The Jazz Singer (1927) for everyone to see at least once in their life.

I would be watching tonight, but I've put off writing this paper for the past 2 days(damn Baseball games being on for 20 some hours) but this is on my must have DVD list. Maybe I'll get the coffee table book, I got the Changing Stages one and its got lots of great info in it. but ill be watching the next two nights, i dont know much about the early musicals, but the 30s- today i know about them.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:41pm

You'd be a fierce competitor in Trivial Pursuit, Mary_Ethel!

Updated On: 10/19/04 at 10:41 PM

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:43pm

GOOD NEWS was a collegiate musical--an attempted revival on Broadway in 1974 failed.

Updated On: 10/19/04 at 10:43 PM

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:50pm

"The Broadway Melody" was later sung in the film SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952).

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:52pm

That last clip was from 42ND STREET (1932), the basis for the later stage musical.

[The Grovers Corners Yenta]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:52pm

I LOVE IT

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:54pm

... Whew! I can't believe Part I is already over--this is GREAT! :)

[NYadgal]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:56pm

Are you sure you didn't write the companion book, M_E?

What a great show - and thanks for the running commentary!

[thirdrowcenter]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:56pm

James Cagney was such a talent.

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 10:57pm

And hopefully Sondheim will have more to say when they're talking about HIS shows. :)

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 11:08pm

Well, Gov., there was musical theater BEFORE Sondheim. :)

By the way, what does your new signature mean?

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 10/19/04 at 11:17pm

It's a long story. Let me see...

There was a thread a while back about horrible stage experiences. ~FloweryFriend~ (a poster here), posted a story about a production of West Side Story gone awry. During the final scene, the boy is supposed to shoot Tony, but the fake gun didn't work. So the boy ran up to Tony, took off his boot, and yelled, "POISON BOOT!!!" Tony, bewildered, fell to the ground dead.

And of course I know there was musical theater before Sondheim.

EDIT-Well, that wasn't quite as long as I remembered it. Oh well. Updated On: 10/19/04 at 11:17 PM

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 12:07am

Guv: That's as awesome as Elaine Stritch's anecdote about the poisoned jelly, when discussing a lousy prop man, during her opening montage of her At Liberty show.


It was amazing to have had the Ziegfeld girl do her "Mandy" routine on the stage at the New Amsterdam...

[NYadgal]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 12:17am

I think I need to purchase the PBS package. Simply taping it is not enough... It's too good!

[Chloe]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 12:21am

It sounded to me like Jeffrey Wright was the actor speaking for Bert Williams - that was a touching segment.

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 12:33am

I LOVE it! Not only is it the history of the Broadway Musical, it's also the history of New York City. I think it's very well done. And yes... I'm definitely buying the DVD. The DVD has 5 additional hours of material! Should be even better!

[NYadgal]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 12:38am

yes, curtain - that's exactly why I want to purchase the package from PBS. I want to see all the additional material! ALL of it!!!

[feinstein9]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 12:39am

was that chip zein singing at some point? i forget what the song was.
it's interesting to see all the songs presented first by other people that became judy classics- dixie melody, swanee, and another was on there but i don't remember which right now. part one was terriffic! i'm really looking forward to tomorrow's episode, with the "golden age."

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 1:16am

adgal... I wouldn't purchase the DVD from PBS. I saw it in a store today for $15.00 less than what they're selling it for on PBS. You should check your local video store before shelling out $59.95 plus shipping and handling.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 7:50am

The DVD will include a 10-minute documentary on the making of WICKED.

Posted: 10/20/04 at 7:52am

Although it may cost more at PBS, I'm pretty sure that the additional money helps to sponsor programs such as this one.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 8:00am

And here in Philly the show wasn't a pledge-a-thon. Woo Hoo! Just two hours of fabulous Broadway uninterupted.