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re: David Kaufman on Theater Talk
Posted by: CCentero 03:38 pm EDT 07/09/17
In reply to: David Kaufman on Theater Talk - MarjorieMae 12:33 pm EDT 07/09/17

You're right about the German film not being a documentary--it's not even a docudrama. Hard as Martin worked in South Pacific, Kaufman's not really correct about Nellie being on the stage practically the whole time. I thought Sondra Lee was absolutely delightful and more interesting and astute about Martin than Kaufman. As with his Doris Day book, he throws lots of stuff together without really being able to articulate why he's talking about his subject in the first place.
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re: David Kaufman on Theater Talk
Posted by: JohnDunlop 11:33 pm EDT 07/09/17
In reply to: re: David Kaufman on Theater Talk - CCentero 03:38 pm EDT 07/09/17

About a decade ago, I met one of the people who is quoted often in Kaufman's book. She appeared in three shows with Mary and one with Ethel Merman. She was much kinder in discussing Martin being aloof from the cast. She got to really know Mary only much later when they both lived in Rancho Mirage.

I am confused about the negative comments about Kaufman.

Martin's life was complicated, especially her marriage to Halliday. Even Martin touches on it in her autobiography. But, on talk shows, Martin talked about her Halliday marriage as ideal. Mary Martin may have been unknowable to Sondra Lee, but not to Paul Gregory, Janet Gaynor's last husband, who greatly disliked Mary.
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re: David Kaufman on Theater Talk
Posted by: JohnDunlop 09:20 pm EDT 07/09/17
In reply to: re: David Kaufman on Theater Talk - CCentero 03:38 pm EDT 07/09/17

I agree with you about Kaufman and do not remember him suggesting in the book that Martin may have been asexual. Kaufman did write that Martin may have married a gay man (Richard Halliday) because she did not enjoy so much sex with her first husband, Ben Hagman.

Frankly, I moved the subject away from Maria von Trapp because it's been common knowledge for decades that the film was not a documentary. Common knowledge to me perhaps because I saw the Sound of Music in 1960
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re: David Kaufman on Theater Talk
Posted by: CCentero 09:30 pm EDT 07/09/17
In reply to: re: David Kaufman on Theater Talk - JohnDunlop 09:20 pm EDT 07/09/17

Sondra Lee opined that Martin was probably asexual on the show.

Our problem with Kaufman saying that it was a documentary is that it makes him sound far less authoritative. Anyone who knows the von Trapp story knows why the German drama is pivotal.
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re: David Kaufman on Theater Talk
Posted by: JohnDunlop 11:08 pm EDT 07/09/17
In reply to: re: David Kaufman on Theater Talk - CCentero 09:30 pm EDT 07/09/17

I watched the show again. It was Kaufman who made the point about Mary being asexual.

You are right about Kaufman saying the von Trapp film was a documentary. However, in his book, Kaufman quotes Richard Rodgers, as follows, "The German picture had very little singing in it, was more or less a dramatic story about the Trapp family." Either way. Kaufman spoke incorrectly on Theater Talk I agree that it is a major mistake.
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re: David Kaufman on Theater Talk
Last Edit: CCentero 11:53 pm EDT 07/09/17
Posted by: CCentero 11:46 pm EDT 07/09/17
In reply to: re: David Kaufman on Theater Talk - JohnDunlop 11:08 pm EDT 07/09/17

Lee also said it toward the end of the interview.

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re: David Kaufman on Theater Talk
Posted by: JohnDunlop 12:01 am EDT 07/10/17
In reply to: re: David Kaufman on Theater Talk - CCentero 11:46 pm EDT 07/09/17

Sondra Lee strongly statement by far was that she barely knew Martin.
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