Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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222 of 223 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Broadway performances, July 30, 2003
By A Customer
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.
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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Invaluable, October 28, 2004
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
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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
historic Broadway gems, January 30, 2004
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.
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