FOLLIES 1971 Video Footage (and some Merrily 1981) — Page 7

I had seen the original 6 times and every revival and concert version I could get to since then. But he hadn't seen it at all, since that one time in September 1971.


He had, of course listened to recordings, and he said before it started that he no longer knew what he remembered from the original production and what he had made up in his head since then. I said that was what the show was about.

I think the moments that rang truest for both of us were "Waiting Around for the Girls Upstairs," Jane Houdyshell's "Broadway Baby," Elaine Paige's "I'm Still Here," Jan Maxwell's "Could I leave You" and Danny Burstein's "Buddy's Blues."

In those moments, all comparison and judgment disappeared. But our youths were shaped by what we felt was the perfection of the original, and everything else about this (or any) production can never erase those memories.

He had never been a Bernadette fan, and her Sally left him cold last night. He felt she wasn't trusting the material, that she was laying too much on top of the music and the lines. He compared it to an opera singer who is trying too hard to act. Her opening moment is gorgeous, but once she starts speaking and singing, the glacierly slow pace of her songs and the Pinter-like pauses she luxuriates in did nothing to overcome his feelings or his rosy memory of Dorothy Collins.

I didn't realize how out-of-control she had become. Seriously, someone needs to speak to her about it. She's becoming as self-indulgent as Mandy Patinkin.

All in all, we were thrilled to see it and hear it--and hear it with the big orchestra.

We had drinks, dinner, saw the show, went for dessert after, hung out for about 8 hours, reminiscing, remembering what kids we were, laughing, flirting a little, crying over dead friends, regretting that we were out of touch for so long, grateful that we shared it then, astonished that we're both still here, 40 years later.

One of my friends called the reunion a "Super-Meta Follies Event."

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Updated On: 3/6/15 at 01:09 PM

Jordan Catalno, for some reason when I PM you it won't let me, but back in this thread you sent me a great recording of the Boston Company try-out. I've completely lost it, just as I was about to burn some stuff, and was wondering if you could *please* PM me another link...

I believe that much of the silent footage I have used was shot on the closing night in Los Angeles. Florence Klotz's assistant shot the stuff from the wings, and we know it's LA because of Alexis's dress in "Lucy and Jessie," which was redesigned for LA. So, there is footage from the wings of Alexis in this dress in "Lucy and Jessie," and we can surmise that ALL the footage shot from the wings was shot that same night in LA. I also think the long shot which can be seen in "Who's That Woman?" and "Live Laugh Love" was from the same night, perhaps the final performance in LA.

Deester2 has the best quality footage and does the most painstaking synching. Amazing and thrilling.

I cannot believe the clarity in that video. I'm very interested in the soundboard recording. It sounds quite clear especially for a show that did use body mics. Or did they clean it up? I know they use mics here and there in the set but still. It;d be interesting to hear the soundboard recording and hear the original book scenes.

One more souvenir of bliss...

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I've been sitting on my copy of Merrily We Roll Along for a while now because uploading it was such a daunting task, but I've finally been able to get access to a good internet collection, so here, finally, is the original production of Merrily We Roll Along:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5kjz2O2LAM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FakzgGkbBIc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuLoiQVrC1I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg5hpZoNlyQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX12Itb1S4Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dsDyWxfshI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1dl3CwZR4s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D1al47oAzc

The parts are in order.

Deester2 has created something amazing! I would like to ask a question.
The video that Deester2 uploaded of Lucy and Jessie isn't the one from the 29 minutes of silent footage from the LA tour. Where does that come from?
All your help is very much appreciated!

Updated On: 3/20/15 at 05:04 AM

From what I´ve understood, there are complete versions from the same set of footage as "Who´s That Woman" of "You´re Gonna Love Tomorrow" and "Live, Laugh, Love".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plZ8L77WM18 

Does anyone know where this footage comes from? I've heard it's about 15-20 minutes shot from NY. 

If anyone has a full copy of this, could you kindly inform me? Thank you very much. 

Follies 1971 is always worthy of bumping. Alongside Spielberg's West Side Story.