Based on the semi-hit Broadway musical of 1968 and starring original stage star Joel Grey, this TV version has been re-fashioned in significant ways. The premise here is that a small group of modern-day performers have gotten together in a rehearsal studio to celebrate George M. Cohan's life and work. Bernadette Peters also returns from the original cast, along with a cohort of movie, television and stage stars as the other cast members.
Joel GreyGeorge M. Cohan
Red ButtonsSam Harris
Jack CassidyJerry Cohan
Nanette FabrayNellie Cohan
Blythe DannerAgnes Nolan
Anita GilletteEthel Levey
Bernadette PetersJosie Cohan
Lewis J. StadlenStage Manager
Jesse WhiteE.F. AlbeeAndy BewDancer
From an ominous Lecturer, a small 1930s middle American community learns of the Harper Affair, in which young Jimmy Harper finds his life of promise turn into a life of debauchery and murder thanks to the new drug menace marijuana. Along the way, he receives help from his girlfriend Mary and Jesus Himself, but always finds himself in the arms of the Reefer Man and the rest of the denizens of the Reefer Den.
Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews join forces for their third TV Special. Following the format of their first two specials, Julie and Carol: Together Again is an entertaining hour of comedy, song, and dance, featuring clips from their first performances together, an extended medley of 70s and 80s hit songs and even riotous a rap number!
This was the first of two one-hour musical specials which were part of CBS' 1968 multi-million-dollar contract with Doris Day's production company, a contract that Day insists to this day was negotiated by her husband and manager Martin Melcher without her knowledge. When Melcher died suddenly in April 1968, Day chose to go ahead and honour the contract, appearing in both specials as well as starring in her eponymous sitcom for five seasons, from 1968-1973.
America's sweetheart Doris Day offers songs and sketches with some of her famous friends in this smash hit television special from 1975. John Denver and Day sing a few entertaining duets, and funnyman Tim Conway joins in on a couple of skits. Then, Rich Little impersonates some of Day's legendary co-stars, including Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and Jack Lemmon. Songs include selections from Love Me or Leave Me, Teacher's Pet, Calamity Jane and more.
Ruth Sherwood and her sister, Eileen, have moved to 1935 Greenwich Village. They're surrounded by colorful Village characters (including an out-of-work football player known as the Wreck, and Mr. Appopolous, a modern painter and their landlord) and embark on various New York adventures. Ruth, who's trying to make it as a writer, meets up with a sleazy newspaper writer named Chick and a kindly editor named Bob, both of whom take an interest in both her career and her.
Billed as the "full-hour musical spectacular that won Nancy Sinatra the coveted Hollywood Star of Tomorrow award," this 1967 NBC-TV special, sponsored by Royal Crown Cola, is hosted by Nancy and features Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Lee Hazlewood and Frank Sinatra (billed as 'A Very Close Relative'). Brother Frank, Jr. makes a cameo appearance (and doesn't sing a note). Conspicuously absent from the program is Nancy's biggest hit: "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'".
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without some traditional Christmas favourites such as Julie’s Christmas Special. This special aired on ABC-TV on December 14, 1973 and featured special guests Peter Ustinov and Peggy Lee. Most memorably, Andrews and Lee duet on a trippy, campy medley that delightfully careens from hit to hit over the most fun 8 and a half minutes you'll ever have with your pants on. Andrews plays a TV Hostess whose wandered into a cardboard forest and stumbles across Lee as the Sugar Plum Fairy lazing on a divan and ready for some fun - complete with ultra soft-focus and a bedazzled microphone.
A musical special celebrating the fruitful collaboration of Broadway lyricist/librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe. Stars from the current Broadway hit "Camelot" and from past triumphs such as "My Fair Lady," and the film "Gigi" perform the romantic, sophisticated songs of Lerner and Loewe.
The Julie Andrews Show is a television special that was broadcast by NBC in November 1965. This was Andrews' first solo American TV Special, although she had previously starred in several dramatic television works (High Tor, Cinderella) and co-starred with Carol Burnett in a major special. However by November 1965 Andrews was now a major movie star with both Mary Poppins and Sound of Music still in cinemas and an Oscar already sitting on her mantelpiece. Julie's guests included Gene Kelly and The New Christy Minstrels.
In a staggering example of lacking imagination, Petula Clark's third US TV Special was given the exact same name as her first. Unbelievably, a third special also had that exact same title a few years later! Guests: Peggy Lee, Dean Martin, the Everly Brothers, David Frost. Songs: Beautiful Sounds, duet w/ Peggy Lee (I'm A Woman/Wedding Bell Blues), Games People Play (w/ The Everly Brothers), duet medley w/ Dean Martin on a horse (Hey Good Lookin'/Detour/Things/I Walk The Line/Just A Little Lovin'), medley (Come Together/Great Come And Get It Day), When Johnny Comes Marching Home (w/ Lee), Fool On The Hill.
George Burns, Dom DeLuise, Danny De Vito, Dean-Paul Martin and Roger Moore provide arms for A-M to lean on as she impersonates Hollywood stereotypes, from a rejected script girl to an over-the-hill sex symbol. Highlights include Ann-Margret's slowed-down rendition of I Will Survive and a jaw dropping version of Stouthearted Men that looks like it is set in the backroom of a 70s gay club!
Musical Special designed to showcase the minimal talents of Raquel Welch. Highlights include: a scene featuring Welch and Mickey Rooney, portraying a cab driver with seemingly magical abilities; a scene featuring Welch in a subway station performing a medley and dance sequence; a scene wherein Welch attempts to sing “Money Makes the World Go Round”; Raquel performing a version of “We Are Family” in a martial arts training class; Rooney and Welch performing “Heaven on Earth”; Welch performing “Don’t Rain on My Parade” while escaping from a straitjacket; Welch performing “A Quiet Thing”; and Welch and Rooney performing “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.”
On January 23, 1997, Tori Amos gave a sell-out benefit concert at the Felt Forum in New York City to launch "Unlock the Silence", a year-long promotional and fund-raising campaign sponsored by cK Calvin Klein to raise awareness of the extraordinary work undertaken by RAINN, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, a non-profit organization who offer support and counseling to survivors of sexual assault. Tori performs compositions from her three albums, including "Silent All These Years", which appeared on her 1992 debut album "Little Earthquakes" and is the touchstone track for the "Unlock the Silence" campaign.
The Fabulous Fifties, CBS, combines style, humor, and imagination. It was rich in touches of quality showmanship and equally rich in the memories of a decade which it revived. In recognition, the Peabody Television Award for entertainment is presented to The Fabulous Fifties, with a special word of praise for producer Leland Hayward and the top talent which appeared in this memorable entertainment special*. *The two-hour special featured comic takes and commentary about the previous decade by, among others, Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Dick Van Dyke, Shelley Berman, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Jackie Gleason, Eric Severeid and Henry Fonda.
The most glittering, expensive, and exhausting videotaping session in television history took place Friday February 19, 1982 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The event, for which ticket-buyers paid up to $1,000 a seat (tax-deductible as a contribution to the Actors' Fund) was billed as "The Night of 100 Stars" but, actually, around 230 stars took part. And most of the audience of 5,800 had no idea in advance that they were paying to see a TV taping, complete with long waits for set and costume changes, tape rewinding, and the like. Executive producer Alexander Cohen estimated that the 5,800 Radio City Music Hall seats sold out at prices ranging from $25 to $1,000. The show itself cost about $4 million to produce and was expected to yield around $2 million for the new addition to the Actors Fund retirement home in Englewood, N. J. ABC is reputed to have paid more than $5 million for the television rights.
Shirley MacLaine in concert, featuring highlights from her films like Sweet Charity and Irma La Douce. There's also a dramatic reading from The Turning Point and an entertaining illustration of how the styles of some of her famed choreographers differ.
Hosted by Cyril Ritchard, with performances by Florence Henderson, Barbara Harris, Stanley Holloway, John Cullum, Patricia McBride and Edward Villella. Songs include; On A Clear Day, The Heather On The Hill, Wait Till Were Sixty-Five, Wouldnt It Be Loverly?, Camelot, Why Cant A Woman Be More Like A Man?, How Could You Believe Me?, I Remember It Well, Without You, Gigi, Im Getting Married In The Morning, Hurry, Its Lovely Up Here, Melinda, On The S.S. Bernard Cohn, What Did I have That I Dont Have?, Ive Grown Accustomed To Her Face, Its Almost Like Being In Love, Bonnie Jean, Waltz At Maxims (She Is Not Thinking Of Me), I Could Have Danced All Night, On The Street Where You Live, and Come Back To Me.
Book-ending the year 1975 with two big budget TV Specials, Ann -Margret also earned her second Oscar nomination that year, for Tommy. In January, "Ann-Margret Olssen" premiered and was titled with the star's maiden name. This second special premiered late in the year and was titled with the star's married name. Her husband Roger Smith also appears in the opening sequences. Presented by the Bell System's Family Theatre, the program was filmed at the ATV Studios at BBC Elstree Centre, Borehamwood, England.
A CBS television special, renowned for its legendary "Yma, Ava....Yma, Uta... Yma, Oona" sequence. Annie: the Women in the Life of a Man (1970), won Anne Bancroft her only Emmy for her portrayal of 14 different woman in 14 musical and comedy sketches. Bancroft's husband Mel Brooks contributed to the script and also appears onscreen.
Musical Special featuring Shirley MacLaine in her tribute to chorus dancers, colloquially known as "gypsies." Produced by Cy Coleman and Fred Ebb, the special uses a self-referential show business plot in which the star rehearses for her television special about the life of a dancer. MacLaine performed a wide range of songs including "Lucy's Back in Town," during which Lucille Ball made a "surprise" appearance. The program won Outstanding Special: Comedy-Variety or Music at that year's Emmys as well as awards for writing (Ebb), music composition (Coleman), and choreography (Tony Charmoli).