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Musicals on Television: 1956-1957 Special thanks to Roy Perkins and Lee Bridges for contributing details on several forgotten broadcasts for this page. Paris in the Springtime When the rights to another project fell through, NBC quickly threw together this tale of Americans falling in love in Paris -- using existing songs and some top-notch performers. Critics were not impressed. I Love Lucy: Lucy Goes to Scotland In a mini-musical dream sequence, Lucy dreams of her ancestry as a MacGillicuddy. We get Lucy and Ricky in kilts (he struggles with a Scottish accent?), while Fred and Ethel appear as a two-headed dragon. A nice bit of campy silliness, and loads of fun for Lucille Ball fans. Bloomer Girl Cook headed a well-chosen cast -- Keith Andes would later display his good looks and solid baritone in Lucille Ball's Broadway tuner Wildcat. DeMille recreated her original dances from the Broadway production, including the acclaimed "Civil War Ballet." Pirate copies of this broadcast are not too hard to find. If you don't know Bloomer Girl, this polished production will be a pleasant surprise. High Tor
What a marvelous line-up of talent! Crosby played a man obsessed with a mountain ("tor" in Dutch) that he owns in upstate New York. He falls in love with a Dutch ghost(Andrews) who has haunted the place for 300 years. Eventually, Crosby realizes their love is doomed and returns to his fiancée (Olsen) – a sort of reverse Brigadoon. At $300,000, High Tor was the most expensive TV production up to that time, and the first special filmed for broadcast by CBS. A rare album exists, and there are some charming songs in the score. It got a so-so critical reception. (Fun trivia note: this originally aired just five days before Julie opened on Broadway in My Fair Lady, a show authored by Nancy Olsen's then-husband Alan Jay Lerner.) The Adventures of Marco Polo The original leads from Broadway's Kismet starred here, with a score based on themes by Rimsky-Korsakov. The story was loosely inspired by the explorer who opened China to the West. It was well received, and Columbia released a LP of the score. A Bell for Adano Schwartz & Dietz musicalized John Hersey's popular novel about American troops occupying an Italian village during World War II. Holiday Based loosely on Elmer Rice's play The Grand Tour, the plot involved a New England schoolteacher who falls in love with a married embezzling banker during a trip to Europe. In the end she uses her inheritance to cover his crime and then sends him back to his wife. Despite the distinguished cast (Morrow was having a busy year - see Marco Polo above), few recall this production. The Bachelor March (who hosted The $64,000 Question) played an executive who juggles three mistresses at once until he realizes he loves his secretary (Haney). The score by popular TV host Steve Allen got solid reviews. Rosalinda Manhattan Tower Musicals101 visitor Roy Perkins brought this one to our attention. It was a collection of vignettes depicting the everyday drama of life in New York City. No less than four recordings of the score were released – none using the TV cast. The most popular version was an album by pop idol Patti Page. Jack and the Beanstalk Jack was portrayed by young Joel Grey, a full decade before his Broadway triumph in Cabaret. The reviews were poor, but the ratings set a record. Tom Sawyer This song-packed version of Twain's classic was so popular it led to a musical version of The Adventures of Huck Finn a year later. High Button Shoes The delightful Fabray repeated her Broadway role. Although I have not seen this one, it must have lost something without the show's original comic star, Phil Silvers. The Stingiest Man in Town One of the best scores ever written for this classic Christmas story. An all-star cast of Broadway, opera and pop talents make the most of the witty, melodic songs. Although no kinescope has been available for viewing in my lifetime, the soundtrack album is a prized collector's item. A cheesy 1978 animated remake did this fine material no justice. Ruggles of Red Gap Harry Leon Wilson's classic comedy makes a charming musical as a British butler finds himself confronting Mid-western Americans and their customs. A 1980s album release of this score by STET brought renewed interest in the score. Redgrave had a fine singing voice, and Powell, Wayne and Coca delight in their turns here. Some delightful songs, one of which ("I'm In Pursuit of Happiness") would later be re-written as Gypsy's "You'll Never Get Away From Me." "A Ride On A Rainbow" became an underground classic on the cabaret circuit – the whole Styne-Robin score is a treat. Cinderella
The only musical written for television that has merited two TV re-makes (1964 & 1998) as well as major stage productions -- but then, it is also the only TV musical with a score by Rodgers & Hammerstein. Andrews is perfect as Cinderella, while Ballard and Ghostley have a blast as the stepsisters. Future TV star Jon Cypher is handsome but otherwise inly okay as the Prince, and the real life couple of Lindsay and Stickney recall their legendary Life With Father stage chemistry as the cuddly King & Queen. The surviving kinescope (a technical film never intended for viewing) of the telecast is missing a few sections. There is a complete (and equally enjoyable) kinescope of the dress rehearsal, which has several different features – it seems R&H managed to slip in a few last minute re-writes. Because it was not properly filmed, it could not be rebroadcast – but its one-time showing had an estimated audience of 107 million, which meant almost every television in the United States had tuned in. The endearing R&H score includes "In My Own Little Corner," "Ten Minutes Ago," "Stepsister's Lament," and "Do I Love You." Note: while the kinescopes are in black and white, this was broadcast in color for the few who had it. Available on DVD, and well worth seeing. The Yeoman of the Guard Broadway royalty starred in this abbreviated version of Gilbert & Sullivan's classic. A Man's Game Chaos ensues in the locker room when a baseball team signs up a female pitcher. The team wives (as well as the pitcher's husband) threaten revolt until she gives up her job because she is pregnant – how 1950s can you get?! He's For Me Decades before Friends, two young men fall in love with the two young ladies who live in the apartment across the hall. Who's Earnest? This hour-long adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest was so well-received that the authors expanded it into a successful full-length off-Broadway musical called Earnest in Love three years later. The score is delicious, and the casting of this TV version suggests it was in good hands. Pinocchio The classic fairy tale with an interesting cast. Musicals101 visitors have written in with warm memories of this telecast, and of Rooney's performance. The Adventures of Huck Finn Imagine trying to cram this mammoth story into a mere 60 minutes – leaving time for commercials! Impressive cast, but not a critical winner. The Pied Piper of Hamlin This was adapted and released as a feature film in 1961 – the only TV musical so far to make the jump to the large screen. I enjoyed seeing the film as a child, but a recent viewing showed it to be painfully low on wit. One unusual feature: all the dialogue is in rhyme. The songs are clumsy adaptations of classical melodies by Edvard Grieg. An aging but game Claude Rains looks silly prancing about in tights, (The Invisible Man dancing?) but Van Johnson does the best anyone could with such lifeless material. Whatever its faults, the show was so well remembered that over a decade later Van Johnson played " The Minstrel" (a bad guy who spoke only in rhyme) on TV's Batman. Annie Get Your Gun Martin & Raitt finished off a smash hit national tour of Annie Get Your Gun with this broadcast, and a good time was had by all. You might not think Martin was a likely successor to Merman, but this Texas native is sensational as Oakley. If you can dig up a pirate copy, its well worth seeing. (The Raitt-Martin cast album is on CD but suffers from major cuts in the score.) Junior Miss A stellar songwriting team makes this one worthy of mention. Yet another take on the misunderstood teenager dealing with a well-intentioned father and a nasty older sibling – an old hat plot, even in 1957.
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