Customer Reviews

The Best of Broadway Musicals - Original Cast Performances from The Ed Sullivan Show

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I owned this on VHS and am pleased that it has made it to DVD. I hope it is the first of many releases of original Broadway performances of the 1950's and 1960's on DVD. Some performances are direct from their Broadway productions, while some are performed several years later. It runs about 56 minutes total and has extra features that provide background information on the musicals presented including creative credits, synospis, original cast, songs, Broadway production dates (including revivals), and when the film version was produced.

The performances are:

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (1966)
"There's No Business Like Show Business" - Ethel Merman

OKLAHOMA! (1955)
"Oklahoma!" - John Raitt, Celeste Holm, Florence Henderson & Barbara Cook
"I Cain't Say No" - Celeste Holm

FLOWER DRUM SONG (1958)
"I Enjoy Being a Girl" - Pat Suzuki

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1959)
"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" - Carol Channing

MY FAIR LADY (1961)

"Wouldn't It Be Loverly" - Julie Andrews

WEST SIDE STORY ( 1961)
"Tonight" - Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert

CAMELOT ( 1961)
"What Do the Simple Folk Do?" - Julie Andrews and Richard Burton

THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT, THE SMELL OF THE CROWD (1965)
"Who Can I Turn To?" - Anthony Newley

MAN OF LA MANCHA ( 1966)
"The Impossible Dream" - Richard Kiley

SWEET CHARITY (1966)
"I'm A Brass Band" - Gwen Verdon

HELLO, DOLLY! ( 1967)
"Before the Parade Passes By" - Pearl Bailey

This is a must-have for any fan of Broadway musicals. I must say that my favorites are Gwen Verdon's "I'm a Brass Band" and Pearl Bailey's "Before the Parade Passes By", both performed while they were still in the Broadway show and with the respective choreography of Bob Fosse and Gower Champion. Seeing Bailey & cast, one can see how "Dolly" was revitalized with an all-black cast taking the show back to sold-out status. These preserved performances give us a mere glimpse into what true Broadway stars were like. The end of the DVD promises that a Volume 2 is in the works. Let's hope there are more to come.

Pretty much without exception, the original cast performances in Broadway musicals are matchless. However, the ephemeral nature of theatre makes it impossible to relive these performances over and over as we do with film, and often Hollywood translations missed out by hiring "bankable" Hollywood names. How lucky that Ed Sullivan led the way in featuring many of the original Broadway greats on his show. Of course, there are MANY more of these segments which I'd like to see make their way to DVD, but the segments presented here are superlative. The running list follows... Almost every one presents a Broadway star who was replaced with an inferior (and dubbed) Hollywood name in the film adaptation.

1.ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (1966)
"There's No Business Like Show Business" - Ethel Merman

2.OKLAHOMA! (1955)
"Oklahoma!" - John Raitt, Celeste Holm, Florence Henderson & Barbara Cook
"I Cain't Say No" - Celeste Holm

3.FLOWER DRUM SONG (1958)
"I Enjoy Being a Girl" - Pat Suzuki

4.GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1959)
"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" - Carol Channing

5.MY FAIR LADY (1961)
"Wouldn't It Be Loverly" - Julie Andrews

5.WEST SIDE STORY ( 1961)
"Tonight" - Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert

6.CAMELOT ( 1961)
"What Do the Simple Folk Do?" - Julie Andrews and Richard Burton

7.THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT, THE SMELL OF THE CROWD (1965)
"Who Can I Turn To?" - Anthony Newley

8.MAN OF LA MANCHA ( 1966)
"The Impossible Dream" - Richard Kiley

9.SWEET CHARITY (1966)
"I'm A Brass Band" - Gwen Verdon

10.HELLO, DOLLY! ( 1967)
"Before the Parade Passes By" - Pearl Bailey

This is a historical collection of Broadway hits by some of the greatest stars that have graced the American musical theater, and includes interviews with Oscar Hammerstein, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, and Richard Rodgers conducts his "Oklahoma !" in the first segment.
A small portion of Ethel Merman singing "There's No Business Like Show Business" is part of the introduction, and John Raitt is the narrator throughout.
The two selections from "Oklahoma", are in concert format, the rest of the scenes are in costume, though all are performed during the Ed Sullivan telecasts. Most of it is in black and white, with the last three songs from '66 and '67 in color.

"Oklahoma !" (1955): "Oklahoma !", with John Raitt, Celeste Holm, Florence Henderson, Barbara Cook and Richard Collett. "I Cain't Say No", with Celeste Holm.
"Flower Drum Song" (1958): "I Enjoy Being a Girl", with the petite, sparkling Pat Suzuki.
"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1959): "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" with Carol Channing, who has fun at the end of the song going down the aisle of the theater throwing rhinestone bangles into the audience.
"My Fair Lady" (1961): "Wouldn't it be Loverly" with the beautiful Julie Andrews and the singers and dancers from the cast.
"West Side Story" (1958): "Tonight" with Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert. Carol Lawrence is radiant, and both are vocally superb. It's a lovely scene, even with the very shaky balcony rail they are hanging on to !
"Camelot" (1961): "What do the Simple Folk Do ?" with Julie Andrews and Richard Burton. Burton, here in his glorious prime, is hilarious as he dances a very awkward jig. The man could act, and even sing, but he could definitely not dance...and he knows it, making it a very funny scene.
"The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd" (1965): "Who Can I Turn To ?", with Anthony Newley, singing in the show he wrote with Leslie Bricusse. One of the most unique talents of his era, Newley is riveting in this song.
"Man of La Mancha" (1966): "The Impossible Dream", with the marvelous Richard Kiley.
"Sweet Charity" (1966): "I'm a Brass Band", brilliantly performed by Gwen Verdon. Verdon was the quintessential interpreter of her husband, Bob Fosse's choreography, as can be seen here.
"Hello Dolly !" (1967): "Before the Parade Passes By", with the one and only Pearl Bailey, looking fabulous and singing her heart out.

So many of these extraordinary artists are no longer with us, and I miss the kind of entertainment that the Ed Sullivan Show provided television viewers. In between the plate-spinners and other oddities, he presented superb performances by the very best in show business, all looking unvarnished and so real. If you are a fan of musical theater, this is a collection of gems well worth watching. Total running time is 56 minutes.

This is the exact same DVD as the other Ed Sullivan Broadway DVD. I bought it because there was no desciption and I wanted to see what this was. I don't know why Amazon decided to sell the exact same thing with a different title, but here it is. This is really "The Best of Broadway Musicals" on The Ed Sullivan Show. It runs 57 mins and has performances from "Hello Dolly", "MY Fair Lady", "Oklahoma!", "West Side Story" and others. For a fuller description, please see the other Ed Sullivan Broadway DVD.

I must respectfully disagree with the reviewer who felt that most of the performances on this DVD were "wooden." My reaction was quite the opposite! I felt that the actors and actresses were really performing the parts, just as they would have done them in the actual shows. I often forgot that I was, in fact, watching a clip from a variety show, and felt as though I were watching the show itself on Broadway (and I have been to many Broadway shows, so I certainly know what that experience is like!)
I especially enjoyed seeing the clips of Julie Andrews in "My Fair Lady," Carole Lawrence and Richard Beymer in "West Side Story," and Celeste Holm in "Oklahoma!" Of course, there were a few actors and/or shows which I just don't personally like very much (Anthony Newley, "Man of La Mancha," Gwen Verdon), but that's not to say that their performances weren't well done.
I also enjoyed the narration by John Raitt, and hoped to see more of him (he is just shown singing the title song from "Oklahoma!") There is supposed to be a "Part 2" DVD coming out with more of Raitt included, as well as performances from many other shows. I hope it is released soon!
My only reason for not giving this DVD 5 stars is that the quality of some of the clips isn't very good, but that is understandable considering how old they are.
I would definitely recommend this DVD over "Broadway's Lost Treasures," which I found very disappointing.

If you have a real love for the history of musical theatre, this DVD is a must for your collection. There are several highlights that are simply joyous. The Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence "Tonight" duet is heart rendering and a treat for the ears! This alone is worth the price of this DVD. But, add to that the young and beautiful Julie Andrews in her prime as she delivers the quintessential version of "Lovely". And, you will understand why so many raved about Pearl Bailey in "Hello Dolly". When she sings "Before the Parade Passes By", she does not merely sing the music, she also sings the lyrics and this is something Carol Channing never really did. The great Gwen Verdon singing and dancing as only she could from "Sweet Charity", the magnificent voice of Richard Kiley delivering the ultimate version of "The Impossible Dream" and vibrant Pat Suzuki belting out "I Enjoy Being A Girl" make this a special treat. Add to that Celeste Holm's "I Can't Say No" (nobody does it better) and the sight of the legendary Barbara Cook as part of the group (John Raitt, Florence Henderson, Celeste Holm) singing a rousing version of "Oklahoma" and you have one great DVD. The only song that does not come across well is Carol Channing singing a rather forced version of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend". But why quibble. Buy this infectious delight!

This DVD is an absolute joy to watch in that it captures what I have only ever read about: the "magic" of the Broadway Musical. Here all the performers sing without radio mikes, studio mixers and god knows what other electronic devices used these days to get a performer's voice in tune and past the footlights. Being born in the wrong country and at the wrong time (in relation to the Golden Age of Broadway) I have never had the opportunity to see and feel the "magic" of a Broadway show - yes I have seen Australian productions and as good as they are they do not create the magic that is suggested to me by the Broadway cast recordings. To all those lovers of the Broadway Musical please buy this DVD so the studio will release Volume 2. Volume 1 is well worth the money. Bring on Volume 2!

What you will find on this DVD is nearly 60 minutes of pure entertainment! Complete performances by some of the great Broadway and theater performers of the 1950's and 60's. With the exception of one, these are FULL performances without editing or voice-over. If you've ever watched a tribute show where you get to see a 15-second blip of a classic performance, then you need to add this DVD to your collection.

My only flaw (hence 4 stars, not 5) is that the first number with Ethel Merman is incomplete; although it is listed on the back cover of the DVD, it is NOT listed on the inside "Chapter Index", nor is it included on the DVD Scene Index. Chapter 1 is simply titled "Introduction" and includes a portion of the performance. Again the only flaw.

The overall quality is very good, keeping in mind there was no Dolby Surround Sound 30 plus years ago! The DVD extras are just filler, nothing substantial, some text to read about each show. By all means, this DVD is worth the money, and if people support this type of programming, I imaine the companies will produce more - a second volume is indicated in the credits.

Like the rest, I loved this and my only complaint was also the incomplete Merman "There's No Business Like Show Biz." I want Vol. 2 -- where is it? This DVD promised it and even gave you the lineup. Btw, it was great fun to see Richard Burton dance and Barbara Cook VERY petite.

I bought this DVD with great delight as I love Broadway Musicals. I was quite disapointed in the performances of the songs. The performers for the most part were wooden and uninspired. Carol Channing singing "Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend" was a notable exception, though. She conveyed the fun and humor of the song and gave a great performance. There was close to no staging, just the artist standing there singing. The interviews with the composers while interesting, would have been better as part of the extras. They seem to simply be there to fill out the DVD. The space could have been better filled by more performances.
I expected so much more than what this DVD delivered. Buy "Broadway's Lost Treasures, instead. The money is better spent and the DVD is much more entertaining.