Fact or Fiction? Diary of a Mad Playwright

[morosco]

Posted: 2/11/11 at 8:04pm

Just finished reading James Kirkwood's book chronicling the slow disintegration of his play LEGENDS which starred Mary Martin and Carol Channing.

Was Channing really as naughty as she's portrayed in the book?

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 2/11/11 at 9:38pm

Having heard other stoires about her from varying sources, I wouldn't be at ALL surprised if that's how she really is.

[buddy 11432]

Posted: 2/11/11 at 10:00pm

I saw "Legends!" in Boston. Mary Martin was all wrong for her role, whereas Channing was cast well. Yet, Martin was more famous & beloved by audiences and critics, so received almost all the attention. That's life. And Channing was lucky to be in a play that ran over a year on the road.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 2/11/11 at 10:14pm

Why was Channing "lucky"?
She was never hurting for work.
I always thought her husband (the one she slept with twice) was behind a lot of her behavior at the time, I could be wrong.
Kirkwood had a wicked sense of humor so some of the stories are the way his mind captured them.

[buddy 11432]

Posted: 2/11/11 at 11:39pm

Channing was too closely associate with "Hello, Dolly." The Diary of A Mad Playwright is very clear that Carol Channing was only cast in the show because Mary Martin wanted her -- no one else did. Channing may have worked regularly in TV and nightclubs, but very rarely on Broadway in anything but revivals of Dolly.