"Possibilities"

[wickedfan]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 6:41pm

I am doing a revue which has the song "Possibilities" in it. It's a very good song. They gave us a cd with the songs on it. So I listened to it and I couldn't tell who was singing or what show it was from. Sounded like something from the 60's. In case you have no idea, one of the lyrics i nthe song goes: "Baby you're improvable, it won't take long. Mountains can be movable, if the spirit's strong. You've got possibilities, take a woman to tell. You've got possibilities, let me pry you from your shell."

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 6:42pm

The song is "You've Got Possibility's" sung by Linda Lavin from " It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman". Good song & good show*

[wickedfan]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 6:44pm

That's Linda Lavin? I never knew she had a good voice.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 6:46pm

She had a voice than ( 38 years ago ). She once did Gypsy. No idea what her voice is like now

Updated On: 10/16/04 at 06:46 PM

[wickedfan]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 6:47pm

Who did she play in the show? Where does it come up?

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 6:48pm

"You've Got Possibilities" was sung by Linda Lavin (playing Sydney, a Secretary) to Clark Kent in IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE, IT'S SUPERMAN (1967). Score by Strouse/Adams.

During number, Sydney fiddles with Clark's clothes, massages his body, etc., in an attempt to "loosen him up." Song is there because she wants to have an affair with Kent.

Just about only song remembered from that score today. (Show was a flop.)

During run of show, Lavin sang it on The Tonight Show to help drum up business.

My favorite line: "I'm not gonna bite you--YET!"

It's a VERY FUNNY number. :)

Updated On: 10/16/04 at 06:48 PM

[wickedfan]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 6:51pm

Thanks. I do love that song. It doesn't sound like a seduction song, ah well, maybe the staging helped.

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 6:53pm

Lavin started her stage career by doing musicals exclusively (not very good ones, unfortunately) but hasn't sung on Broadway since she replaced Tyne Daly in GYPSY in the 1990s.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 6:54pm

No idea why it flopped. As I recall, it got fairly good reviews across the board. I thought it was delightful. One of those involved said maybe if they had done it years later it would have made it with the Superman craze. I would love to see it revived

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 6:59pm

I think it flopped due to so-so score, and clumsy special effects. Also was compared unfavorably to the pop classic "Batman" TV series airing at the same time.

Interesting Note: The same authors (Newman & Benton) who wrote the book also co-wrote the first SUPERMAN movie (Christopher Reeve, etc.,) in 1978.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 7:02pm

Do you think it could be done at Encores? if with the right director?

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 7:13pm

I don't know, wicked, that's a good question. :)

Original show was done in "campy" 1960s style, which might not go over big with today's audiences. Story about "evil scientist" trying to take over world is kind of dated as well.

But who knows--some critics thought original show wasn't "cartoonish" enough, so maybe with a little fixing, hey you never know...

[kjklo]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 8:25pm

Carol Burnett had an obvious affection for "You've Got Possibilities." She sang it quite a bit on her sixties TV shows.

As for Linda Lavin, I've always loved her rendition of Sondheim's "The Boy From..." which was part of Mary Rodgers's "The Mad Show," another unsuccessful Broadway musical based on cartoon/comics material.