Threaded Order Chronological Order
| Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 07:38 pm EDT 05/31/23 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 07:37 pm EDT 05/31/23 | |
|
|
|
| ''I would have loved to have done ‘Annie Get Your Gun.’ I would have loved to have done ‘Mame’ and ‘Gypsy'...'' Meantime, shame on CBS for passing on producing Burnett's 90th birthday special. Her classic CBS variety show ran 11 seasons & won 25 Emmys. |
|
| Link | Variety.com: Carol Burnett Pitched CBS Her 90th Birthday Celebration, But They Declined - Giving NBC a Monster Hit |
| reply to this message | |
| I am glad she didn't. | |
| Posted by: TheOtherOne 09:32 am EDT 06/01/23 | |
| In reply to: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - WaymanWong 07:37 pm EDT 05/31/23 | |
|
|
|
| Those shows all happened very successfully without her, but I can't imagine a comparable substitute for The Carol Burnett Show. | |
| reply to this message |
| re: I am glad she didn't. | |
| Posted by: Thom915 03:18 pm EDT 06/01/23 | |
| In reply to: I am glad she didn't. - TheOtherOne 09:32 am EDT 06/01/23 | |
|
|
|
| I quite agree. The Carol Burnett Show was classic variety television of not the best, then one of the best. But I do wish she had come back perhaps on hiatus for a limited run in one of those shows she mentioned. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: I am glad she didn't. | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 09:22 pm EDT 06/04/23 | |
| In reply to: re: I am glad she didn't. - Thom915 03:18 pm EDT 06/01/23 | |
|
|
|
| If memory serves, during the run of the Tyne Daly Gypsy, some columnist wrote that there was the possibility that Burnett, Minnelli and Debbie Reynolds might each do limited runs of two months as Rose. It was also written that Burnett might do a limited run of the show in Toronto, which would be filmed for television. I'm still sorry that it wasn't shot for television with Daly. |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: I am glad she didn't. | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 09:32 pm EDT 06/04/23 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 09:29 pm EDT 06/04/23 | |
| In reply to: re: I am glad she didn't. - AlanScott 09:22 pm EDT 06/04/23 | |
|
|
|
| I love Burnett but her Rose would not have interested me. Reynolds, not an ideal fit vocally or temperamentally, at least at first consideration, might have brought something new. I thought her Woman of the Year performance was one of the most accomplished of the eighties. The show - second tier work from a gifted team - finally made sense with her in mysterious ways. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| She made me fall in love with theater… | |
| Posted by: bythesea2007 07:29 am EDT 06/01/23 | |
| In reply to: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - WaymanWong 07:37 pm EDT 05/31/23 | |
|
|
|
| After seeing her in my first Broadway show, Fade Out/Fade In. Sat there in awe. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' | |
| Posted by: mikem 11:31 pm EDT 05/31/23 | |
| In reply to: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - WaymanWong 07:37 pm EDT 05/31/23 | |
|
|
|
| I'm confused why CBS would have passed on this special, which was No.1 for the night. That it was a ratings success is no surprise. Her Dec 2017 50th Anniversary special, which was on CBS, had the largest total audience for an entertainment/non-sports special that year since the Oscars 9 months before. I feel lucky to have seen Burnett and Brian Dennehy in Love Letters a few years back. A really wonderful night. |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' | |
| Posted by: Zelgo 09:06 am EDT 06/01/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - mikem 11:31 pm EDT 05/31/23 | |
|
|
|
| I adore Burnett, but the TV anniversary special seemed hastily put together without the polish of other such events. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 11:58 am EDT 06/01/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - Zelgo 09:06 am EDT 06/01/23 | |
|
|
|
| For once I agree with you. Fortunately, I recorded it on my DVR and was able to see the show and fast forward through the commercials. I'm not sorry I watched it. I enjoyed seeing Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews together talking about their remarkable friendship dating back to the days of The Garry Moore Show, when both were such kids. Nevertheless, much of the show wasn't very good. A lot of the entertainment was substandard. Billy Porter, in particular, looked out of shape, and his voice sounded terrible. The classic clips from The Carol Burnett Show were fun to re-visit, but because they were not shown in their entirety, just highlights, at times there was insufficient context and they didn't exactly work. The 50th anniversary show was better organized, more cohesive, and far more entertaining. |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' | |
| Last Edit: Zelgo 03:21 pm EDT 06/01/23 | |
| Posted by: Zelgo 03:11 pm EDT 06/01/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - BroadwayTonyJ 11:58 am EDT 06/01/23 | |
|
|
|
| This is the first time you agree with me? I assumed by opinions were loved and accepted by all... |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 04:14 pm EDT 06/01/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - Zelgo 03:11 pm EDT 06/01/23 | |
|
|
|
| I frequently read your posts and respect your opinions, even if I don't agree with them. I believe we have always been civil and responsible with each other in our exchanges. It took a lot of courage to post an honest criticism of the Burnett Special, a lot more than I had after seeing it. I respect bravery. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' | |
| Posted by: mikem 11:09 am EDT 06/01/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - Zelgo 09:06 am EDT 06/01/23 | |
|
|
|
| Yes, I agree with you that it didn't seem very polished. The 50th Anniversary Special was much better. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' | |
| Posted by: pecansforall 08:14 pm EDT 05/31/23 | |
| In reply to: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - WaymanWong 07:37 pm EDT 05/31/23 | |
|
|
|
| A class act. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| Carol Burnett and Rock Hudson toured in “I Do, I Do” in summer 1974 | |
| Posted by: seeseveryshow 10:36 pm EDT 06/01/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - pecansforall 08:14 pm EDT 05/31/23 | |
|
|
|
| Saw them at Kennedy Center in a memorable production. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' | |
| Posted by: portenopete 09:42 pm EDT 05/31/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - pecansforall 08:14 pm EDT 05/31/23 | |
|
|
|
| And there are few people whose singing brings me greater joy. That warm throb in her voice is just so damned listenable. If she'd stuck it out in musicals and FADE OUT/FADE IN hadn't gone south, I suspect many shows would have been written for her. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' | |
| Posted by: twiceroyale 10:10 am EDT 06/01/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - portenopete 09:42 pm EDT 05/31/23 | |
|
|
|
| I was under the impression that FADE OUT/ FADE IN was doing good business and that it closed because Ms Burnett wanted out to go to Hollywood. |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 12:39 pm EDT 06/01/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - twiceroyale 10:10 am EDT 06/01/23 | |
|
|
|
| It's a complicated story, well documented in Suskin's Second Act Trouble. Fade Out - Fade In was the ultimate star vehicle, written for Burnett. If she had been able to meet the demands of 8 shows a week for a year's run, the show would have been a solid hit. However, she was taping TV stuff during the day and performing in the Broadway production at night. She began missing performances. She had health issues. There was an injury in a taxi, a failed attempt to get out of her contract, charges and counter charges between the producers and Burnett's lawyers, suspension of performances, a court order against Burnett, et cetera, et cetera. The final result was a funny, surefire-hit musical comedy smash that ended up being a total loss flop. Burnett went on to become a beloved TV star. She dabbled in theatre from time to time after that. Decades later she did apologize for her behavior in Fade Out - Fade In. You have to read Suskin's book for the full story with all the details. Burnett's TV and movie career never really suffered, and she remains incredibly popular and respected by fans and the industry today. Suskin's book also details Liza Minnelli's travails in another sure-fire hit The Act that ended up being a huge commercial disaster and really hurt her reputation in some quarters (although not with her fans). |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' | |
| Last Edit: keikekaze 03:32 pm EDT 06/01/23 | |
| Posted by: keikekaze 03:31 pm EDT 06/01/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - BroadwayTonyJ 12:39 pm EDT 06/01/23 | |
|
|
|
| I can add that the TV stuff Burnett was taping during the daytime in 1964 was the weekly variety series The Entertainers, which ran for 26 weeks during the 1964-65 TV season, and in which Burnett, Caterina Valente, John Davidson, and others were all weekly regulars. The mystery, to me, is why Burnett ever agreed to do eight a week in a Broadway musical and try to rehearse and tape a weekly TV variety show at the same time. Did she somehow not realize that they were going to conflict? Anyway, the impression I've gathered from various sources is that Fade Out--Fade In was doing hit business during the first six months of its run, from May of 1964 until the fall. Then Burnett became exhausted, was hospitalized, and sought out of her contract with the musical. The producers refused, and the show closed temporarily while the case went to arbitration. The arbitration ruled for the producers and Burnett went back into the musical, which re-opened early in 1965. But it closed just eight weeks later. That temporary closing apparently proved fatal to the box office, causing a lot of people to believe the show had closed permanently, and in such a bountiful year as 1964 there were plenty of other new hits (Dolly, Funny Girl, Fiddler, etc) to distract people's attention from Fade Out--Fade In. I agree that if Burnett could have remained in the show for a solid year without problems, Fade Out--Fade In would have been a profitable hit. |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 01:52 am EDT 06/02/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Carol Burnett: 'If I had stayed in New York, doing Broadway ...' - keikekaze 03:31 pm EDT 06/01/23 | |
|
|
|
| I would have to read the chapter in Suskin's book to get the rest of the story. I left out some really nasty stuff because there's no need to open old wounds. The show was supposed to open a year earlier but Burnett's pregnancy delayed it. I'm pretty sure Carol committed to the show before The Entertainers happened. Fade Out - Fade In was a smash hit as long as she showed up for every performance. When she started missing shows, her lawyers tried to buy out her contract but the producers refused. I remember they brought in Betty Hutton for a time, but that didn't work out. Audiences didn't want to see the show without Burnett. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
Time to render: 0.432146 seconds.