Old favorites
for our Spring Pledge Drive!
Carol Channing was 43 years old when she originated the role
of Dolly Levy.
The role had been written by Jerry Herman for Ethel Merman,
but she turned it down,
as did Mary Martin,
although they both ended up playing it eventually.
Nancy Walker auditioned,
but Carol got the part.
Ten Tony Awards (including one for Channing),
a record that held for 37 years!
Charles Nelson Reilly and Jerry Dodge
(well, his back half!)
as Cornelius and Barnaby,
skulking in Miss Molloy's hat shop
(speaking of hat's, EVERYONE would still wear one
if they could look like these!).
Hello Dolly! was the first LP I ever owned,
pre-dating my acquisition of the Beatles' Revolver album by one year!
At the cast album recording:
Above David Burns, Charles and Jerry,
and below, Charles and Jerry with Carol.
The album was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.
What horse DO we put our money on?
Stubby Kaye, Douglas Dean and Johnny Silver
sing/argue it out
in the opener of Guys And Dolls.
Robert Alda as Sky Masterson,
and Isabel Bigley as Sister Sarah.
Composer/lyricist Frank Loesser had a real problem with Isabel;
at one point he slapped her
out of frustration that she "sing louder!"
She walked.
Dozens of roses and probably as many apologies later,
she came back.
Wouldn't fly now, Frank.
"Secondary couple"
Vivian Blaine and Sam Levene as
Adelaide and Nathan,
probs in a discussion of postponed nuptials...
...and happier moments with Queen Elizabeth in
1950.
The "Bushel and a Peck" song
taken to its literal extreme!
An American In Paris,
an amalgamation of Gershwin goodies
and great dance,
inspired by the 1951 movie with Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron.
Let's see how the National Touring Company of it
does next week,
when it hits the Rochester Auditorium!
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