MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SCREENING SERIES, THE: A TRIBUTE TO RICHARD RODGERS: THE SOUND OF HIS MUSIC: PACKAGE 5: PERSON TO PERSON & AMERICA APPLAUDS: AN EVENING FOR RICHARD RODGERS
Summary
Summing up Richard Rodgers's lasting popularity New
York Times drama critic Brooks Atkinson wrote, "He is
the greatest. And everyone knows it because his music
is in the air every day of our lives." Having published
his first song when he was only fifteen years old,
Rodgers went on to create some of the most instantly
recognizable and most beautiful melodies in the history
of the American musical. Such standards as "Manhattan,"
"With a Song in My Heart," "Isn't It Romantic?," "My
Funny Valentine," "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin',"
"You'll Never Walk Alone," "Shall We Dance?," and "The
Sound of Music" do not even begin to suggest the number
of enduring songs he created. Rodgers's immeasurable
contribution to twentieth-century music is the subject
of a worldwide centennial salute that celebrates the
breadth and versatility of his work, which encompasses
theater, television, radio, records, and film.
Television made the composer a familiar face--to go
with the famous name--with Rodgers appearing on
tributes, talk shows, and variety series where his songs
were performed for an eager public. In addition, there
were television adaptations of his musicals ranging from
collaborations with Lorenz Hart like "A Connecticut
Yankee" and "Dearest Enemy" (which had been their first
full score for Broadway) to Rodgers's personal favorite,
"Carousel," which he wrote with Oscar Hammerstein II.
Rodgers & Hammerstein's one original work for
television, "Cinderella," with Julie Andrews in the
lead, became one of the highest-rated specials in
history. All of these programs are included as part of
the Museum's contribution to the Richard Rodgers 2002
Centennial. Also being screened are a long-unseen
episode of "The Tonight Show" saluting Rodgers; a rare
1951 special, "An Evening for Richard Rodgers,"
featuring Mary Martin; a little-known, locally produced
revue "Rodgers and Hart Revisited;" and highlights of
Rodgers songs from "The Ed Sullivan Show."
"Person to Person"
Edward R. Murrow interviews Richard Rodgers and his
wife Dorothy, who are seen in their Manhattan apartment.
The composer answers his most frequently asked
question, "Which do you write firstÑthe words or the
music?" and performs a few bars of the song that won
him an Academy Award, "It Might as Well Be Spring."
(1953; 20 minutes)
"America Applauds: An Evening for Richard Rodgers"
(Recently Rediscovered)
Rodgers's friends and colleagues pay tribute to him in
this long-unseen special. Among the original Broadway
cast members reprising the songs they introduced are
Vivienne Segal ("Bewitched" from "Pal Joey") and Alfred
Drake ("People Will Say We're in Love" from
"Oklahoma!"). Vera Zorina dances "Rodgers in Three
Quarter Time," a ballet created expressly for the show
set to three Rodgers waltzes, and Mary Martin sings
"Wonderful Guy" as Rodgers himself accompanies her on
piano.
(1951; 55 minutes)
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 2001
- RUNNING TIME: 1:09:18
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: T:69934
- GENRE: Talk/Interviews; Music
- SUBJECT HEADING: Composers; Music, popular (songs, etc.); Musical revues, comedies, etc. - Excerpts
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "Person to Person":
- John A. Aaron … Producer
- Jesse Zousmer … Producer
- Aaron Ehrlich … Production (Misc.)
- Charles N. Hill … Production (Misc.)
- John Horn … Production (Misc.)
- David Moore … Production (Misc.)
- Robert Sammon … Production (Misc.)
- Franklin Schaffner … Production (Misc.)
- Edward R. Murrow … Host, Interviewer
- Bob Dixon … Announcer
- Dorothy Rodgers … Guest
- Richard Rodgers … Guest
- Hammerstein, Oscar, II
- Lorenz Hart
- For "America Applauds":
- Henry Souvaine … Producer
- James S. Pollak … Production (Misc.), Production Coordinator
- Leo Hurwitz … Director
- Kirk Browning … Direction (Misc.), Assistant Director
- Orland Tamburri … Direction (Misc.), Technical Director
- Shevelove, B. G. (See also: Shevelove, Burt) … Direction (Misc.), Staged by
- Max Wilk … Writer
- Richard Rodgers … Composer
- Hammerstein, Oscar, II … Lyricist
- Lorenz Hart … Lyricist
- Valerie Bettis … Choreographer
- Max Meth … Music (Misc. Credits), Musical Director
- Crane Calder … Music (Misc. Credits), Choral Director
- John Daly … Host
- Valerie Bettis … Performer, Dancer
- John Brownlee … Performer, Singer
- Buddy Cole … Performer, Instrumentalist, Pianist
- Bing Crosby … Performer, Singer
- Russel Crouse … Performer, Singer
- Alfred Drake … Performer, Singer
- Stan Freeman … Performer, Instrumentalist, Pianist
- Hal Hackett … Performer, Singer
- Jane Harvey … Performer, Singer
- Celeste Holm … Performer, Singer
- Warren Karo … Performer, Singer
- Bob Kennedy … Performer, Singer
- Charles Kullman … Performer, Singer
- Howard Lindsay … Performer, Singer
- Mary Martin … Performer, Singer
- Dorothy Maynor … Performer, Singer
- McGuire, Biff (See also: McGuire, William Biff) … Performer, Singer
- Margot Moser … Performer, Singer
- Patrice Munsel … Performer, Singer
- Richard Rodgers … Performer, Instrumentalist, Pianist
- Vivienne Segal … Performer, Singer
- Brian Sullivan … Performer, Singer
- Deems Taylor … Performer, Singer
- Hugh Thompson … Performer, Singer
- Iva Withers … Performer, Singer
- Vera Zorina … Performer, Dancer
- Rudolph Bing
- Hammerstein, Oscar, II
- Lorenz Hart
- Moss Hart
- Leland Hayward
- Theresa Helburn
- Edith Meiser