PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PRODUCERS CIRCLE: AN EVENING WITH ANGELA LANSBURY {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's Producers Circle series. This evening honors actress Angela Lansbury. Pat Mitchell (president and CEO, The Paley Center for Media) gives a brief history of The Paley Center and notes its recent name change. She then discusses Lansbury’s career, with special attention to her television work, before welcoming Lansbury to the stage.
The discussion touches on such topics as: Lansbury’s early dramatic education in London and New York; her original dreams of stage acting and surprise at finding film roles; her early Academy Award nominations -- and the pleasure she took in not winning; the rise of television in the 1950s; the importance of self-preparation on early television dramas; worries about getting typecast as a television actor; her instinct for choosing roles; her ability to make roles look “easy;” why she returned to television in "Murder, She Wrote"; the evolution of “Murder, She Wrote” character Jessica Fletcher, and how the part was originally written for Jean Stapleton; her shock at the series running for twelve years; the challenges of gaining worldwide fame as a TV star; changes she made to the show when becoming an executive producer; her family’s direct involvement with the program; the loss of her husband Peter Shaw in 2003; her later work in "more serious" television dramas; her interest in finding “humanity” within characters; her talent for accents; assessing herself as a character actress; and her work in musicals and participation in Tony Awards shows.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: the use of Broadway actors on “Murder, She Wrote;” her mother's encouragement of early dance training; work in the 1996 television musical “Mrs. Santa Claus;” her ability to play many different ages on film; playing opposite Michael York in the 1970 film "Something for Everyone"; her desire to do "one more great movie role"; "the incredible opportunity" to co-star in the 1948 film “State of the Union” with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn; memories of working with "great dame" Bette Davis; and how her friendship with Stephen Sondheim led to the role of Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd.”
Clips featuring Lansbury are interspersed throughout the program, including: “Ford Theatre: The Ming Lama” (1953); “Four Star Playhouse: A String of Beads” (1954); “The Eleventh Hour” (1963); “Murder, She Wrote” (1984), (1985), (1996), (1992); “Hallmark Hall of Fame: The Shell Seekers” (1989); “The Love She Sought" (a.k.a. "A Green Journey") (1990); Hallmark Hall of Fame: “The Blackwater Lightship” (2004); “Law and Order: Trial by Jury” (2005); the 40th Annual Academy Awards ceremony (1968); “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (1982); and the 41st Annual Tony Awards show (1987).
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 14, 2007 6:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:18:39
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:91948
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Pat Mitchell … Host
- Angela Lansbury … Guest
- Bette Davis
- Katharine Hepburn
- Peter Shaw
- Stephen Sondheim
- Jean Stapleton
- Spencer Tracy
- Michael York