Rosalind Russell sings "Everything's Coming Up Roses" on YouTube

[marknyc]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 1:36am

By popular demand - don't call me cruel!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ov99tLrL3n0

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 1:37am

Her version of this song actually has a lot of feeling. I think it should have been mixed with Kirk's version. Like they did for ROSE'S TURN.

[marknyc]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 1:47am

But did you even watch the clip? You posted one minute after I put it up!

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 1:57am

Of course I watched it. I watched it after I posted. I know what Russell's outtakes sound like. I've been listening to them for years. I think this is one of her better outtakes.

[marknyc]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 2:08am

I know the outtakes have been around for years, I just expected people to post their reactions to the clip. It was a lot of work!

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 5:02am

Marknyc, I just watched the clip. Great job!
It's my first time listening to the outtakes so I find it even more fascinating listening to them as I'm watching Russell in the film.
Either way, as little as I care for her acting, and as much as I think the direction is just beyond awful, I wish her actual tracks were used in the film. Maybe because I'm a big supporter of singing actors, but I do not care if she sings on key or hits the notes. I just wish her acting was strong enough.

Updated On: 7/2/08 at 05:02 AM

[marknyc]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 7:52am

Interesting. I feel the reverse - her acting is great, but her singing is unbearable. The film really is an actor's Gypsy - Karl Malden is the best Herbie ever, and Natalie Wood brings real power to her final scenes. Too bad they weren't cast in a straight play!

BTW, Roz was clearly not singing to this playback - I had to use a lot of trickery to keep it in sync.
Updated On: 7/2/08 at 07:52 AM

[gonepishing]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 8:03am

I agree with marknyc. The acting in that film is unbeatable. What many people seem to forget these days is that just because Patti LuPone is singing her ass off right now, "Gypsy" dosen't require great singers for any of the roles. Just look at Tyne Daly, one of the best actresses to play Rose! And as far as Louise, the real Gypsy Rose Lee wasn't a very good singer in actuality, not to mention there haven't been many vocally talented Louises, so there ya go.
Updated On: 7/2/08 at 08:03 AM

[alterego]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 10:10am

And yet somehow she still sounds better than Peters.

[marknyc]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 12:14pm

"Gypsy" dosen't require great singers?? Have you ever tried to sing "You'll Never Get Away From Me"? It has one of the biggest ranges of any Bway show tune. When I sing it, I have to start at the absolute lowest note I can sing. And "Rose's Turn" really needs a diva to put it across. Tyne actually sang quite well, which surprised all of us!

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 12:19pm

I'm siding with Ray. These aren't as awful as I expected them to be.

I can handle weak singing, if the acting makes up for it. And it does here.

[gonepishing]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 1:02pm

"'Gypsy' dosen't require great singers?? Have you ever tried to sing "You'll Never Get Away From Me"? It has one of the biggest ranges of any Bway show tune. When I sing it, I have to start at the absolute lowest note I can sing."

-One exception in the whole score hardly makes Rose vocally demanding.

"And 'Rose's Turn' really needs a diva to put it across."

-I don't see how that's relevant to our debate about singing...
Updated On: 7/2/08 at 01:02 PM

[marknyc]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 4:56pm

Singing isn't just about hitting the notes - it's about selling the song. And singing Mama Rose is one of the biggest challenges any singer can face.

But just in terms of mechanics, you can see where Roz falls down here - she misses all the vocal jumps in "Some People" and just can't do the fortissimos needed in "Roses."
Updated On: 7/2/08 at 04:56 PM

[agentpattycakes]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 5:05pm

I agree that I don't mind actor singers than singer actors - and I feel that, though Russell can't sing well, she puts across the necessary the emotion for this song and isn't half bad.

Really, thank you for putting these together. I really like them.

[gonepishing]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 5:06pm

"Selling" something falls under the category of acting. "Singing" just implies the technique. One can act their way through a song, but that dosen't necessarily make them a talented singer.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 5:20pm

I actually like it better when Louise is NOT a strong singer, it's more like the real GYPSY (not that the play is that realistic, GYPSY Rose Lee was never the back end of a cow), but a more tentative, plantiff LITTLE LAMB is much more touching.

[marknyc]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 5:22pm

"Selling" something falls under the category of acting. "Singing" just implies the technique. One can act their way through a song, but that dosen't necessarily make them a talented singer.
____________

That's why I commented on both in my post.

[nealb1]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 5:37pm

Are any of these clips on the "Gypsy" dvd? I saw Tyne Daly do the show here in LA, July 4th weekend of 1989. It was one of the worst performances I've ever seen. She was beyond awful.

[marknyc]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 5:52pm

Not on the DVD - that's why I made them. I just had to see how they would play as full performances, and what's surprising is that the flaws that are so audible on the CD are not as noticeable when you see the songs performed.

Still unusable, but as others have commented, it makes you wonder if they could have pieced together a useful playback using today's cut-and-paste techniques.

I think I'll make an all-Roz DVD of the whole film, just for fun.