Pristine video of Dorothy Loudon singing Fifty Percent

[morosco]

Posted: 7/19/10 at 8:17pm

We've all seen this before I know but this is a nicely cleaned up print.
Dorothy Loudon performs FIFTY PERCENT live - 1979

[Stewpot]

Posted: 7/19/10 at 8:34pm

Great video, although Maggie at Maries Crisis does a wicked version of this song. If you have never been or seen it, treat yourself.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/19/10 at 9:46pm

I can't tell--is it better quality than this one?

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

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 7/19/10 at 10:37pm

God, she's brilliant!

That's one of my favorite songs.

[tellybox]

Posted: 7/19/10 at 11:19pm

Yeah, PJ. I'd say the poster's link is a smidgen better.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/20/10 at 12:36am

A smidgen of better-quality Dorothy is a smidgen well-worth celebrating.

[fanof many]

Posted: 7/20/10 at 1:53am

Thanks for sharing! What a great performance! Dorothy Loudon was wonderful.

[once a month]

Posted: 7/20/10 at 9:40am

I saw her in Ballroom and this was my favorite song from the score. She's still sorely missed! Thanks for the memeory!

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 7/20/10 at 10:41pm

I loved Ballroom.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/20/10 at 11:11pm

And,m in case anyone looking at this thread has never seen it--or needs to see in NOW...
Dorothy Loudon: VODKA

[tazber]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 7:35am

Wasn't there some discussion last year about a revival? Anyone know what's up with that?

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 7:55am

I thought it was still happening with Jerry Mitchell. He mentioned it in his recent Chatterbox with Seth.

[newintown]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 9:34am

Of course, because Jerry Mitchell is such a better director/choreographer than Michael Bennett. Quel dolt.

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 10:05am

Last I heard, Tyne Daly's name was associated with the revival.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 11:03am

"Of course, because Jerry Mitchell is such a better director/choreographer than Michael Bennett. Quel dolt."


newintown---Better? No. But Jerry Mtichell is a little bit more alive these days than Michael Bennett. It's a shorter commute for him, and he has the advantage of not requiring a seance to helm a revival.

I'm not sure why you're comparing them as better or worse, as if they picked the wrong one between the two.

[newintown]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 11:11am

I thought it was obvious, but if not:

The comparison is drawn because if a genius like Michael Bennett can't make the material work, then a dolt like Jerry Mitchell is certainly not going to improve it.

[tellybox]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 12:01pm

This thread keeps reminding me I need to track down a copy of this on vinyl.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 12:48pm

I don't think there's an assumption that Jerry Mitchell will make it work any better than Michael Bennett. Like 'Chicago', it might just be that the time is now right for the show.

As far as I could tell, there was nothing wrong with 'Ballroom'- I think that following ACL anything would have had a hard time living up to expectation. Nowadays, the same expectation isn't there. The material has the chance to succeed on its own strengths.

[newintown]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 1:25pm

I can see your point, but the comparison isn't the best - Chicago was a mild success originally (936 perfs) and has a good book and score. Ballroom, on the other hand, ran less than four months, has a book that needs more shape and tension (I saw this one), and a very problematic score. Far too many of the songs have nothing to do with the story or characters. "Fifty Percent" is a terrific number, but it doesn't represent the show at all. The movie upon which the show was based was actually much more effective. Bennett's choreography was terrific, but the dancing in the story was backdrop, not the heart of the tale of late-life love story.