| re: No need to revive "Funny Girl" | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 11:09 pm EDT 09/09/14 |
| In reply to: | No need to revive "Funny Girl" - Indavidzopinion 10:56 pm EDT 09/09/14 |
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| All the more reason to revive Funny Girl - to remind people that one absolutely CAN write a theatre piece based on the life of a famous singer, with an entirely original score that pays tribute to the performer's style without relying on any of the actual songs she was known for. Something Beautiful was obviously not designed to show, unfortunately. (Something the film of Funny Girl didn't quite trust either, lol.) | |
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| re: No need to revive "Funny Girl" | |
| Posted by: | keikekaze 12:11 am EDT 09/10/14 |
| In reply to: | re: No need to revive "Funny Girl" - Chromolume 11:09 pm EDT 09/09/14 |
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| Well, presumably they would have used "My Man" in the stage production too if they could have got the rights to it. But I'm so glad they couldn't, and didn't! Both of the two songs Styne and Merrill wrote to make us forget about it--"Who Are You Now?" and "The Music That Makes Me Dance"--are better songs. | |
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| MY MAN | |
| Posted by: | Page 10:45 am EDT 09/11/14 |
| In reply to: | re: No need to revive "Funny Girl" - keikekaze 12:11 am EDT 09/10/14 |
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| This was the original title. I've always loved "Who Are You Now?" and "The Music That Makes Me Dance," and disappointed these were not in the film version. | |
| Link | Wikipedia FUNNY GIRL |
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| re: No need to revive "Funny Girl" | |
| Posted by: | pierce 12:54 am EDT 09/10/14 |
| In reply to: | re: No need to revive "Funny Girl" - keikekaze 12:11 am EDT 09/10/14 |
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| I'd read that Jule Styne was vehemently opposed to using "My Man" in the Funny Girl stage show. I'm not sure if he went into Gypsy mode over it (ie, threatening to withdraw his entire score unless "Little Lamb" was reinstated) but he made it clear the song wasn't needed, since he and Bob Merrill could come up with something equally good. And on the basis of "The Music That Makes Me Dance," he may have been right. He lobbied against using "My Man" in the film, but he was overruled. And he went on record stating that the stage show's conclusion was far more effective than the film's. | |
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| Question about title tune: "Funny Girl" | |
| Posted by: | lordofspeech 10:15 am EDT 09/10/14 |
| In reply to: | re: No need to revive "Funny Girl" - pierce 12:54 am EDT 09/10/14 |
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| It's not in the show, and it's a lovely-but-sleight song in the film. I wonder if there ever was a title song in the show which got dropped, and, also, was the film tune one that had been dropped from the show or was it brand new? | |
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| Follow-up question - plus Streisand's recording | |
| Posted by: | stevemr 10:31 am EDT 09/10/14 |
| In reply to: | Question about title tune: "Funny Girl" - lordofspeech 10:15 am EDT 09/10/14 |
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| There IS a "Funny Girl" title song that came out shortly after the show opened. I don't know the genesis ---(a) whether it was written for the show and dropped, (b)whether it was written after the opening to give the show a title song, but never used, or (c) a song intended to capitalize on the new hit show/star, but never intended to be used in the show. The upbeat jazzy scoring seems out of keeping with the style of the show. Perhaps some other poster knows the answer. In any event, I've attached a link to the song itself, curiously attached to a Betty Boop cartoon. | |
| Link | Streisand sings "Funny Girl" title song - 1964 |
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| The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single | |
| Posted by: | pierce 12:42 pm EDT 09/10/14 |
| In reply to: | Follow-up question - plus Streisand's recording - stevemr 10:31 am EDT 09/10/14 |
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| It's hard to find definitive information about the first "Funny Girl" single (released in 1964). Most sources indicate it was originally written for Funny Girl but discarded almost immediately; it never reached the point where it was staged for the show's out-of-town tryouts. However, it wound up being used as a promotional tool for the production, being released as a single with "Absent Minded Me" - another Styne/Merrill song cut from the score - on the flip side. The single was released after "People" became a top 5 hit; while it never appeared on a Streisand album, it received a substantial amount of airplay on adult contemporary radio stations and became a moderate hit, peaking at #44 on the Billboard charts. More info linked below - | |
| Link | "Funny Girl" - The 1964 Single |
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| re: The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 02:39 pm EDT 09/10/14 |
| In reply to: | The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single - pierce 12:42 pm EDT 09/10/14 |
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| what a concise, helpful and informative post. thanks! | |
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| re: The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single | |
| Posted by: | lordofspeech 04:45 pm EDT 09/10/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single - enoch10 02:39 pm EDT 09/10/14 |
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| Thank you. I'm left wondering where it might've fit in the original show. An explanation to her mother and cronies about how the Nick relationship might be workable? A replacement for an onstage number? ("Cornet Man"?). To open the second act instead of "Sadie"? Nice breezy song but doesn't seem to fit in the show. Such a wealth of talent, that Mr. Styne. | |
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| re: The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single | |
| Posted by: | pierce 01:18 am EDT 09/11/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single - lordofspeech 04:45 pm EDT 09/10/14 |
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| Your suggestion that it may have been intended as an onstage number - placed, perhaps, where "Cornet Man" ended up - seems the most likely possibility. It would have been a way of establishing (to both the audience at Keeney's and the audience at the Winter Garden) that Fanny Brice's character was happy & proud to be the girl who keeps 'em laughing, but she also had a vulnerable streak. However, I should point out that I also read the song was never intended for the Broadway show; that it was written strictly as a promotional tool - a way of keeping the words Funny Girl in front of the public. If Jule Styne and Bob Merrill were still around, they'd be able to give us more great songs & also the full back story on this one. Then again, I can always ask Barbra; sometimes we get together for sushi on Columbus Avenue. NOT. | |
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| re: The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 02:29 pm EDT 09/11/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single - pierce 01:18 am EDT 09/11/14 |
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| "However, I should point out that I also read the song was never intended for the Broadway show; that it was written strictly as a promotional tool - a way of keeping the words Funny Girl in front of the public." If that's true, it seems incredibly strange to me that anyone would decide it was a good idea to promote a new Broadway musical with a song that was never intended to be in the show. | |
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| re: The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 05:30 pm EDT 09/11/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single - Michael_Portantiere 02:29 pm EDT 09/11/14 |
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| It does seem odd but Streisand was already becoming a big recording star so perhaps that was why. The song was not on the pre-production demo that was recorded, which had many other cut songs. | |
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| re: The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single | |
| Posted by: | pierce 05:26 am EDT 09/12/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single - AlanScott 05:30 pm EDT 09/11/14 |
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| I always found it strange that Columbia Records didn't issue the OCR of Funny Girl; after all, Columbia was Streisand's label and she'd already released three best selling solo albums for them by the time the show opened. In addition, Columbia released two additional LPs in 1962 that Streisand appeared on - the OCR of I Can Get It For You Wholesale and the studio recording of Harold Rome's Pins and Needles. However, the statement that appears on the Streisand Archives website about Funny Girl and Capitol Records is as follows - Capitol invested in the show (reportedly one third of its final cost), and producer Ray Stark, in turn, negotiated a deal in which Capitol would release the original cast album. Columbia's president, Goddard Lieberson, heard the score while the show was in early development and passed on the cast album. For Capitol's use of Barbra Streisand, however, Lieberson required the right to have her record four singles from the show. However, the statement doesn't make clear WHEN in the show's "early development" Lieberson passed on the cast album. Was it before Streisand became involved? I wonder. Streisand did record four songs from the score for Columbia in December 1963, but two of them ("Who Are You Now" and "Cornet Man") were never released. I can only assume that the "Funny Girl"/"Absent Minded Me" single satisfied the terms of this stipulation. And while its true the "Funny Girl" single sold reasonably well - only three Streisand singles cracked the Billboard top 50 during the 60s, and this was one of them - it didn't come close to selling as well as the Funny Girl OCR, which peaked at number 2 on the charts and went gold. It also won the Grammy Award for Best Cast Recording, perhaps the only time the show took an award from Hello, Dolly! that season. But regarding the "Funny Girl" single, I'd heard the show originally had a musical number that Streisand would perform on roller skates, and that seemed the appropriate place for this long-lost title song. But it turns out that Jule Styne and Bob Merrill wrote "I Did It On Roller Skates (And I Can't Wait To Do It On Skis)" for that moment, so I'm still in the dark about where the song might have been used in the show. That is, if it had been written for the show at all. | |
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| re: The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 12:28 pm EDT 09/12/14 |
| In reply to: | re: The 1964 "Funny Girl" Single - pierce 05:26 am EDT 09/12/14 |
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| this is covered in the recent biography, hello gorgeous: becoming barbra streisand by far the best i've ever read on her and, i think, i've read them all. it only goes up to 1964 which is great because other than the albums - and, after her return the tours - i kind of lose interest after that. i honestly can't remember whether capitol had made the investments before she was cast or not - i think so. it's a good question. i'm not sure lieberson "passed" on the album, i doubt he had a choice. if capitol invested early they had dibs. though, i do remember his name coming up repeatedly during this time so i could well be wrong. again this is all covered well in the book and it bothers me i can't remember. there was a lot going on when i read it but i suspect it has more to do with finally having all those brain cells i wasted in the 70s catch up with me. it's motivation to read the book again which was as readable as it was informative. | |
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| re: Follow-up question - plus Streisand's recording | |
| Posted by: | tandelor 10:37 am EDT 09/10/14 |
| In reply to: | Follow-up question - plus Streisand's recording - stevemr 10:31 am EDT 09/10/14 |
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| The Funny Girl song in the movie must have been specifically written for the film because it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Someone may correct me but I believe it would have to be original to the movie in order to be considered. How many remember Aretha singing it on the Awards show with that antler head piece? | |
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| re: No need to revive "Funny Girl" | |
| Posted by: | manfan 07:28 am EDT 09/10/14 |
| In reply to: | re: No need to revive "Funny Girl" - pierce 12:54 am EDT 09/10/14 |
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| True. The bigger question is... Has anyone actually read Funny Girl lately? I was researching a season and read it this summer, I am a big fan of the film and of course, La Streisand. What a clunky bore. The book not Barbra. It should be called Funny Momma With Dull Codependent Daughter. Legendary show. Lengendary performance. Legendary score. No need to revive INDEED. Watch the DVD - at least you can fast forward or sleep through the scenes. | |
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| re: No need to revive "Funny Girl" | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 11:02 am EDT 09/10/14 |
| In reply to: | re: No need to revive "Funny Girl" - manfan 07:28 am EDT 09/10/14 |
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| The original stage production of FUNNY GIRL had such a phenomenally talented star in Barbra Streisand, and such great music by Jule Styne, that the show overall became a bit hit and is generally perceived as a good musical despite the fact that a lot of the lyrics are quite poorly written, as is much of the book. Similarly, the film version overcame these flaws thanks to Streisand's best screen performance, excellent direction, superb cinematography, and again, that great music. Plus, of course, the script was rather extensively rewritten. | |
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