Customer Reviews

Mary Martin and Ethel Merman - Their Legendary Appearance on the Ford 50th Anniversary Show

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The musical excerpts on this DVD of Ethel Merman and Mary Martin are nice. But, for $18, I'd like more than 27 minutes of excerpts from a historic 1953 telecast that likely was one-to-two hours in length. If these musical excerpts survive, I suspect the remainder of the telecast (including other guest stars, dialog, opening and closing credits, etc.) likely survive too, and the entire program is what I assumed I would be getting when I purchased this DVD. In the past, I have purchased other vintage TV variety programs on DVD only to discover that the programs had been edited (in the case of The Milton Berle Collection, the musical numbers performed by guest stars have been deleted from the 10 shows in the collection). I don't understand why. In these times of wanting to restore movies to their original released version and including extra material and/or cut scenes, why should we have to settle for 27 minutes of "highlights" from a historic telecast?

I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT ON SOME OF THE QUESTIONS POSED IN THE ABOVE REVIEWS. YES, THE WHOLE SHOW IS AVAILABLE. BACK IN 1980 A SECOND RATE COMPANY RELEASED THE WHOLE SHOW ON TAPE (REMEMBER VHS) ALONG WITH "AN EVENING WITH MARY MARTIN AND NOEL COWARD" AND MANY MORE. THEY WERE TOTALY ILLEGAL AND WERE PULLED WITHIN A FEW MONTHS OF RELEASE. I BOUGHT THEM BOTH AND HAVE ENJOYED THEM EVER SINCE. I STILL ORDERED THE DVD AS THE QUALITY OF WHAT THEY RELEASED WAS NOT GREAT. REMEMBER THESE WERE MADE ON KINESCOPE, THIS WAS DONE BY FILMING TV SETS. SO ALL THE LIMITATIONS OF TV BROADCASTING IN THE 1950'S ARE EVIDENT ON THE TAPE. BESIDES THE GREAT PERFORMANCES ON THE SHOW, IT IS INTERESTING TO SEE HOW A BIG LIVE PRODUCTION WAS DONE IN THE 1950'S. THE CAMERA'S WERE HUGH AND DID NOT MOVE VERY EASILY, THIS IS PARTICULARY INTERESTING DURING DANCE NUMBERS WHEN THEY TRIED TO MOVE THE CAMERA'S. A DVD OF THE WHOLE SHOW WOULD BE AN INTERESTING HISTORICAL LOOK AT THE BEGINNING OF TELEVISION. I HAVEN'T SEEN THIS TAPE IN YEARS AND I THINK I'LL TAKE A LOOK AT IT AGAIN. SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE ON MY BIG HDTV SCREEN.

INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THIS SHOW AIRED ON BOTH NBC AND CBS ON THE SAME NIGHT AT THE SAME TIME. I DON'T THINK THAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE. I'M SURE THE MAIN REASON THE WHOLE SHOW WAS NEVER RELEASED WAS DUE TO THE NUMBER OF PERFORMANCES AND THE MUSIC THAT WAS USED. ROGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN WERE HOSTS OF THE SHOW, ALSO ED MURROW AND MANY MORE. MUSIC RIGHTS ARE PROBABLY THE REASON THIS SHOW HAS NEVER BEEN RELEASED. SAME WITH THE MILTON BERLE SHOWS. PUBLISHERS WHO HOLD THE RIGHTS TO THE MUSIC CAN DEMAND ANY FEE THEY SEE FIT TO CHARGE. IF YOU ARE PUTTING TOGETHER A VIDEO WITH LOTS OF MUSIC IT WOULD PROBABLY COST A FORTUNE TO GET ALL THE RIGHTS. REMEMBER THE VERY FUNNY MOVIE "LOVE AT FIRST BITE". IN THE FILM THEY USED THE SONG "I LOVE THE NIGHT LIFE". WHEN THE TAPE AND LASER DISC WERE RELEASED A DIFFERENT SONG WAS USED AS THEY NEVER GOT THE RIGHTS FOR USE ON VIDEO. TO ME THAT SONG MADE THE MOVIE AND JUST WASN'T THE SAME ON LASER AND VIDEO WITHOUT IT.

IN THE LAST QUARTER CENTURY MUSIC RIGHTS COMPANIES HAVE BEEN FORMED THAT CLEAR ALL MUSIC FOR FILMS AND SUBSEQUENT VIDEO RELEASES. THAT WAS NOT THE CASE BACK THEN AND I ASSUME THE COST OF RELEASING "THE FORD 50TH ANIVERSARY SHOW" ON DVD WOULD BE ASTRONOMICAL. ESPECIALLY SINCE ROGERS AND HAMMERSTEINS MUSIC WAS INVOLVED. THEY KEEP A VERY TIGHT REIGN ON THEIR MUSIC. I SUGGEST WRITING THE COMPANY THAT PUT OUT THIS DVD AND REQUESTING THE WHOLE SHOW. IT CAN'T HURT.

HOPE YOU FOUND MY COMMENTS INTERESTING.

I saw this duet live on television when I was 12 years old. It was the most thrilling thing I had ever seen on television. I bought the record album and wore it out. It is absolutely thrilling that it has finally been released on DVD. Whatever the cost of the DVD, it is priceless.

I was so pleased to see excerpts from this legendary programme finally released on DVD. I have shared it with my theatre classes and they have generally been enthused about the performances, especially Mary Martin who is quite funny in the fashion sequence. They were generally not as receptive to Merman. Perhaps Martin knew how to play to the camera to better effect. I wish I coud find some footage to demonstrate Merman's genius but maybe someday there will be a DVD available with her performance from Gypsy.

A fantastic classic has been released on DVD. It is a magnificent record of one of the most magical nights on televison and in musical theater. There have never been and will never be two such wonderful talents an Mary Martin and Ethel Merman. Although their styles were completely different they compliment each other perfectly. There is an electric feeling that seems to come through the screen as they perform both individually and together. Their duet is MAGNIFICENT.
This is a DVD that any lover of theater, great performances and magical happenings must have for their collection.

The magic that each lady created in a theatre comes through wonderfully in this production even if it is in black and white and not the razor sharp image that would be available today. To have seen either one live was unforgettable and that comes through in this program. They end the duet with both singing "No Business Like Show Business" from "Annie Get Your Gun" which both starred in - Merman on Broadway and Martin on tour and on TV.

I have long cherished the original 10 inch LP that was issued at the time of the original telecast and now I have both the picture and sound.

Unfortunately, both ladies are no longer with us, but they will live forever in this terrific DVD.

What female singer would dare agree to a live television 13 minute duet with Ethel Merman in 1953, when Merman was at the very top of her form? Mary Martin, that's who and Mary more than holds her own. The ladies alternate songs, but electic sparks really fly when they sing together (especially when they are each singing different songs -- sounds strange, but they hit a home run every time). This a magical duet that set the style and tone for every television duet that followed. But, you will soon forget that you are watching history in the making and listen and watch these two extraordinary women do what they do better than just about anyone else --- sing and entertain an audience. Some would argue that Broadway's finest night was June 15, 1953 in a NBC studio where this duet was sung, they would not be far wrong!

Great; one caveat - why not issue the entire show which included the equally legendary Marian Anderson. The timing is rather skimpy. But for lovers of Broadway, timeless.

This teaming of Mary Martin and Ethel Merman was just way too short at 27 minutes. When you talk about show business greats, these two WERE Broadway!

Some may quibble at the short length of this DVD, but as far as I am concerned the second half, with the famous duet between these two divas - that lasts 13 mnutes! - is worth the price of the DVD.

JUST BRILLIANT. I see now why they were so appreciated, and it really shows more on here than ever!

As a record collector in Canada, I was not the first to fall on the 10 inches 33 rpm record of this show, buying it and listening to it over and over. Did I dream of seeing it? You bet! It is a real treasure and what fun camaraderie passes between Merman & Martin!
BUT, for Canada buyers: BEWARE of stores who sells this short DVD at 54$! It was much less expensive to buy it here + shipping!
DVD is short? It is not complete? It is much better than only hearing it!! Please, were lucky to have it anyway! There is more than the record itself (don't miss Martin's sketch on fashion passing fancies !!! Delightful!). Just imagine if the film itself had been destroyed? Just imagine all the great stuff that has not been kept through time?
Let's enjoy what we have!