Sondheim & Goldman's TV musical EVENING PRIMROSE out on DVD in April

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 9:11pm

E1 Entertainment is listing a DVD release of EVENING PRIMROSE for April 20.

edit: For some reason the link doesn't take you to to actual page..just do a search on the title and it will come up. There isn't a lot of detail yet but the date is set, apparently.



Evening Primrose

Updated On: 1/12/10 at 09:11 PM

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 9:16pm

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was lucky enough to see this a few months ago and I LOVED it and will be happy to add it to my Sondheim collection.

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 9:20pm

I hope so!

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 9:33pm

Woo Hoo!
This is nightmarishly excellent.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 9:38pm

Even if it's a crappy Kinescope, I will still buy it.

It's got to be better than that "copy of a copy of a copy of Dior" that I currently have. :)

Great news! A well-deserved release. I hope they interview Sondheim and Charmian Carr for it.

[esparza 333]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 9:54pm

Fantastic News!!!!!! I Remember is one of my all time favorite Sondheim songs.

[myshikobit]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 10:11pm

Nice 'Charity' reference, besty! And this news makes me happy :)

[Pgenre]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 10:19pm

As long as Charmian is as bitchy and "over it" in the interview on this as she is on the SOUND OF MUSIC reunion featurette I'll be happy.

P

[madlibrarian]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 10:29pm

Will this be the crappy kinescope or (miracle of miracles) have they found a long lost color videotape?

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 11:00pm

Terrific news!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 11:48pm

It's got to be better than that "copy of a copy of a copy of Dior" that I currently have. :)

I've had it on a video file for several years now and watched it on my computer on an airplane flight a few months ago.

It was delightful to see it on the 2009 version of the 1966 small screen. My copy was better than the copy you can watch on VEOS.com, so I hope this company has some sort of video master they can restore to broadcast quality:
EVENING PRIMROSE on veos.com

Updated On: 1/12/10 at 11:48 PM

Posted: 1/13/10 at 6:37am

Well it could never be restored all the way to original broadcast quality--Sondheim has confirmed that all that exists in the archives is the kinescope, like a lot of tv (especially in cheap ABC) at the time the video tapes were reused. So we only have the black and white kinescope even though the original broadcast was in colour. That said, I think using the original first generation kinescope print it could look really good--at least good enough for me. I'm excited if this is true

(I always thought that the reason we never got it was two factors--the notoriously strict Collier estate--John Collier wrote the source short story--held onto some rights, and James Goldman's notorious--to any Follies fan--widow and her part of the rights)

Posted: 1/13/10 at 10:22pm

A good friend, whom I trust, called the Paley Center (formerly the Museum of Radio and TV or whatever) and asked, and they confirmed this. Apparently a company had approached them asking about their most demanded musical theatre related programming--EP topped the list followed by the Japanese broadcast of Pacific Overtures and the Roz Russell TV version of Wonderful Town.

And further confirmed (no big surprise) was all that was out there is a B&W kinescope, not the colour original.

Posted: 1/13/10 at 10:40pm

I know it would never happen, but I'd love a box set of all the Stage 67 musicals (Stage 67 of course was an odd series, with some dramas, some musicals, some concerts, some documentaries)--the Bacharach/David On the Flipside is floating out there among bootleggers but I've never even seen a copy of the Bock/Harnick Canterville Ghost.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 12:40am

I used to work at the Paley Center, and it's true, EVENING PRIMROSE was selected at least once a day. We've had people travel from all over the place to New York just to watch the tape.

[Dawn Davenport]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 12:56pm

I saw this at the Paley Center a few months back, I loved it. Enough to buy a book of John Collier's short stories that contained Evening Primrose so I could read the original source material (very entertaining writer btw.)

One of my dreams come true would be for them to remake this with Neil Patrick Harris---he sang the HELL out of these songs on a studio recording a few years back. Absolutely glorious!

I found the album at the NY public library (Frogs/Evening Primrose.)

[Pocketsquared Fanadu]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 1:11pm

This is seriously exciting. I saw this at the Paley Center last fall and the attendant told me that I was the third person that day to request it--I actually had to wait until two women finished viewing it. The musical is so much fun, but the period exteriors and interiors of New York and the old Stern's Department Store are pretty delicious, too.

Posted: 1/22/10 at 9:25am

It's now available for pre-order at Amazon.

Amazon Pre Order

[twinbelters]

Posted: 1/22/10 at 5:23pm

Seriously geeking out...

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/22/10 at 6:25pm

Glad it's confirmed! I'm still hoping they have either a commentary track or on-screen interviews with Sondheim and Charmian Carr.

And I hope the sales are good enough (relatively speaking) to perhaps see some of these other kinescopes/videos of TV musicals released on DVD. I know there is an audience for them. How big, and how willing they are to buy them on DVD remains to be seen.

I'm guessing the ones that are already out there (Cinderella, Peter Pan, the TV opera of Amahl and the Night Visitors, etc.) have done well enough.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 1/23/10 at 12:39am

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (1957 Mary Martin version)
BLOOMER GIRL
KISS ME, KATE (1958 Drake/Morrison version)
PACIFIC OVERTURES
WONDERFUL TOWN

would be my top five picks...

Posted: 1/23/10 at 1:18am

PO is under different restrictions--the same ones that have caused Will Rodgers Follies and 42nd Street not to be released--all the performers (apparently--I've been told) would have to be contacted, etc--especially in the age of what happened with Broadways' Lost Treasures