GREAT PERFORMANCES: BROADWAY SINGS THE MUSIC OF JULE STYNE (TV)

Summary

One in this series of dramatic arts programs. This concert special, recorded at the St. James Theatre in New York City, celebrates the works of songwriter Jule Styne. The program opens as Styne chats with a young pianist, and Ann Reinking, Donna McKechnie and Chita Rivera take the stage to perform "Let Me Entertain You" from "Gypsy." Styne talks with Jack Klugman about their experiences in Chicago, and Patti Austin sings "Sunday." Jeffrey Osborn sings "I Don't Want to Walk Without You," and then joins Austin for "Saturday Night (is the Loneliest Night of the Week)". Styne talks with frequent collaborator Sammy Cahn about their work, and Jack Jones sings "I've Heard That Song Before" from the film "Youth on Parade" (1942). Hal Linden sings "It's Been A Long, Lone Time," and Fran Jeffries sings "Five Minutes More" from the film "Sweetheart of Sigma Chi" (1946). The Cavalcade Singers perform the Christmas classic "Let It Snow," and Jeffries sings "The Things We Did Last Summer" and "I'll Walk Alone" from the film "Follow the Boys" (1944). Cahn and Styne discuss Gene Autry and his famous country songs, also noting that Frank Sinatra personally selected them to write the music for "Anchors Aweigh" (1945), which they followed up with the soundtrack to "Romance on the High Seas" (1948) starring Doris Day. Rivera sings "Every Street's a Boulevard (In Old New York)," and Vic Damone and Diahann Carroll take the stage for "I Fall in Love Too Easily" from "Anchors Aweigh," "Just in Time" and "Time After Time" from "It Happened in Brooklyn" (1947).

Austin sings "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" from "Glad to See You," and as Styne chats with a number of the night's performers around a piano, Adolph Green perform "Captain Hook's Waltz" from "Peter Pan." Linden songs "Long Before I Knew You" from "Bells Are Ringing," and Phyllis Newman sings "It's the Perfect Relationship" from the same show. Carol Channing arrives and sings "A Little Girl From Little Rock" from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," and Styne sits down with playwright Arthur Laurents to discuss the real-life inspiration behind "Gypsy." Linda Lavin sings "Some People" from the show, and Maurice Hines performs a tap dance to "All I Need is the Girl." Clips are shown of the film versions of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953) starring Marilyn Monroe and "Funny Girl" (1968) starring Barbra Streisand, and Mariette Hartley performs the title song from "Funny Girl" with Styne onstage. Melissa Manchester then sings "The Music That Makes Me Dance," cut from the film version of "Funny Girl." Styne takes the stage and jokes about his multiple Academy Award nominations and losses, performing a medley of songs that failed to win a statue, including "It's Magic" from "Romance on the High Seas," "I've Heard That Song Before," "I'll Walk Alone" and "I Fall in Love Too Easily." "Three Coins in the Fountain" (1955), for which he finally won an Oscar for the title song, is then performed by Austin, Larry Kert, Newman, Linden, Jones, Rex Smith, Channing, Osborn, Jeffries, Michael Feinstein and others.

Next, Feinstein performs "Never Never Land" from "Peter Pan," and Austin sings "Small World" from "Gypsy." Lyricists Green and Betty Comden sing "It's a Simple Little System" from "Bells Are Ringing," joined by the rest of the evening's cast, followed by a medley of songs including "Make Someone Happy" from "Do Re Mi," "It's You or No One" from "High Seas," "I Still Get Jealous," "You're My Girl" and "It's High Time" from "Blondes." Channing sings "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from "Blondes," and Kert performs "Not Mine." Linden sings "Rainbows End" from "Pieces of Eight," and Feinstein performs "A Ride on a Rainbow." Several singers perform "Mu-Cha-Cha" from "Bells," and Osborn sings the more recent number "Hey Look, No Crying." Jones sings "People" from "Funny Girl," and Austin leads the entire cast in "Everything's Coming Up Roses" from "Gypsy." Finally, Styne and his young friend close the evening with "Together (Wherever We Go)" from "Gypsy." Commercials deleted.

Details

• NETWORK: PBS
• DATE: March 20, 1987 9:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:57:52
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:74543
• GENRE: Music
• SUBJECT HEADING: Music; Specials; Broadway
• SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 1987
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Jac Venza … Executive Producer
• Barry Brown … Coordinating Producer
• Fritz Holt … Coordinating Producer
• David Horn … Producer
• Jane E. Neufeld … Associate Producer
• Julie Schapiro … Associate Producer
• John McClure … Audio Producer
• Joe Layton … Director
• Gary Halvorson … Director
• Robert L. Freedman … Writer
• Don Pippin … Conductor
• Alan Johnson … Choreographer
• David-Michael Johnson … Singer
• Patrice Pickering … Singer
• Brian Quinn … Singer
• Bubba Dean Rambo … Singer
• Deanna Wells … Singer
• Bob Wrenn … Singer
• Raymond del Barrio … Dancer
• Gary Chapman … Dancer
• Betsy Friday … Dancer
• Mamie Duncan Gibbs … Dancer
• Danny Herman … Dancer
• Jane Lanier … Dancer
• Rob Marshall … Dancer
• Harrison McEldowney … Dancer
• Sarah Miles … Dancer
• Dan O'Grady … Dancer
• George Russell … Dancer
• Ty Stephens … Dancer
• Ann Reinking … Performer
• Donna McKechnie … Performer
• Chita Rivera … Performer
• Patti Austin … Performer
• Jeffrey Osborne … Performer
• Jack Jones … Performer
• Hal Linden … Performer
• Fran Jeffries … Performer
• The Cavalcade Singers … Performer
• Diahann Carroll … Performer
• Vic Damone … Performer
• Adolph Green … Performer
• Phyllis Newman … Performer
• Carol Channing … Performer
• Linda Lavin … Performer
• Maurice Hines … Performer
• Mariette Hartley … Performer
• Melissa Manchester … Performer
• Larry Kert … Performer
• Rex Smith … Performer
• Michael Feinstein … Performer
• Betty Comden … Performer
• Jule Styne … Guest
• Sammy Cahn … Guest
• Jack Klugman … Guest
• Arthur Laurents … Guest
• Joseph Bousso … Cast, The Boy
• Gene Autry
• Frank Sinatra
• Doris Day
• Marilyn Monroe
• Barbra Streisand