I am second to none in my admiration for and love of Shirley Booth. That said, based on the recordings of a Tree Grows in Brooklyn and By the Beautiful Sea, it's not clear that she could have sung all of Dolly--I know Channing was no Joan Sutherland, but she seemed to me to have the ability (in her prime) to reach notes that might have been out of Booth's range. But I've never seen a Dolly Levi to match either Booth or Channing (and I saw Midler, whom I enjoyed in her own way, and Streisand, who thrilled this twelve year old, though now, of course, the ridiculousness of the casting seems evident, though the singing of Herman's score by her has never been bettered, IMO).
I remember reading an interview with Channing in which she recalled seeing Ruth Gordon in the audience at Dolly one night--and said Gordon never once cracked a smile. Of course, Channing claimed that her "good friend" Mary Martin didn't get a single laugh as Dolly. Love 'em all, don't get me wrong (and would have loved to see Gordon onstage as Dolly, though I think she would not have read as well during that period on film--it was only from Daisy clover on that she seemed to film well), but it must be complicated to see others play the role you played. (Whenever I see an Uncle Vanya, I am critical of both the Vanya and Serebriakov, remember the exquisite work done by two 17 year olds, Dan Castellaneta and me, in the OPRFHS production in 1975!--;)) |
