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re: Riedel/RazzleDazzle/Fact Check

Posted by: keikekaze 02:43 pm EST 11/01/15
In reply to: Riedel/RazzleDazzle/Fact Check - NewtonUK 09:20 am EST 11/01/15

We've had a conversation similar to this one recently. It seems to me, if I'm recalling the other thread correctly, Riedel may have made his comment about the "only 17 productions had opened" while in the middle of some anecdote keyed to some date in the 1962-63 season, possibly some time in November, 1962? If that's the case, and he meant that only 17 productions had opened so far by the date of the anecdote, then that might have been correct. I think the 17th Broadway production of the 1962-63 season opened some time in November. But I haven't got the book, so you'll have to tell me. And Riedel probably should have specified more clearly that he meant "opened so far," if that's what he meant.

The remark about "more than 50 productions" opening every year circa 1900 is also technically true--but so far short of the mark that, I agree, it looks like wild guesswork rather than anything that had been checked.


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re: Riedel/RazzleDazzle/Fact Check

Posted by: NewtonUK 08:48 am EST 11/02/15
In reply to: re: Riedel/RazzleDazzle/Fact Check - keikekaze 02:43 pm EST 11/01/15

The 1962-1963 error (17 openings) seems to be referencing the whole season. Regardless, its a misleading statement. The 1962-1963 was not much different than the two prior or two after, in number of shows produced, and % of flops. The book seems to be saying that this is an outlandishly small number of shows.

The 1900 error? Well - whats puzzling to me is that you can just click on the IBDB site an count the number of shows in any season - and also click thru and find out how many were original (1st Broadway production) and how many were revivals - or in the case of 1900, shows that closed over the summer and re-opened.

The number 50 had to come from somewhere - maybe from the bio of the Shuberts that Riedel quotes.

Still - for something simple like a numbers of shows - a hard fact - it seems more than odd not to do, or have someone do, a quick check of it.


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re: Riedel/RazzleDazzle/Fact Check

Posted by: davei2000 03:26 pm EST 11/01/15
In reply to: re: Riedel/RazzleDazzle/Fact Check - keikekaze 02:43 pm EST 11/01/15

You can look at the passage in question on Amazon. It's on page 5, and appears to be paraphrasing Leland Hayward speaking in a meeting that occurred at the end of the season. The Times article Riedel quotes on p. 3, supposedly published on the same day as the meeting, appeared on June 7.


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