Jerry Herman’s musical “Hello, Dolly!” dominated the 18th Tony Awards which took place at the New York Hilton on May 24, 1964. “Hello, Dolly!” entered the ceremony with 11 nominations and walked out with ten awards including best musical, best actress for Carol Channing, original score for Herman and for Gower Champion’s choreography and direction.
Other musicals in contention for multiple awards that year were “High Spirits,” based on Noel Coward’s classic comedy “Blithe Spirit,” “Funny Girl,” which transformed Barbra Streisand into a Broadway superstar, and “110 in the Shade,” based on the straight play “The Rainmaker.”
Bert Lahr, best known as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” won lead actor in a musical for “Foxy,” based on Ben Jonson’s “Volpone.” The musical was not a hit closed after 72 performances. Also nominated in the category was Bob Fosse for a short-lived revival of Rodgers and Hart’s “Pal Joey.
Other musicals in contention for multiple awards that year were “High Spirits,” based on Noel Coward’s classic comedy “Blithe Spirit,” “Funny Girl,” which transformed Barbra Streisand into a Broadway superstar, and “110 in the Shade,” based on the straight play “The Rainmaker.”
Bert Lahr, best known as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” won lead actor in a musical for “Foxy,” based on Ben Jonson’s “Volpone.” The musical was not a hit closed after 72 performances. Also nominated in the category was Bob Fosse for a short-lived revival of Rodgers and Hart’s “Pal Joey.
- 5/15/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
A screen legend for over 70 years, Shirley MacLaine boasts a diverse career across Broadway, film, and television. With six Academy Award nominations and a Best Actress win for Terms of Endearment, she continues adding to her impressive filmography.
Born Shirley MacLean Beaty in Richmond, Virginia in 1934, she started her career as a dancer replacing Carol Haney in the Broadway production of The Pajama Game in 1954. She made her acting debut alongside John Forsythe in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble with Harry (1955), followed by roles in Artists and Models (1955) and Around the World in 80 Days (1956). Her standout performance in Billy Wilder’s The Apartment (1960), starring alongside Jack Lemmon, earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress with Billy Wilder winning in the Best Picture and Director category.
She would go on to star in classics including All in a Night’s Work (1961), My Geisha (1962), Irma La Douce (1962), and Sweet Charity...
Born Shirley MacLean Beaty in Richmond, Virginia in 1934, she started her career as a dancer replacing Carol Haney in the Broadway production of The Pajama Game in 1954. She made her acting debut alongside John Forsythe in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble with Harry (1955), followed by roles in Artists and Models (1955) and Around the World in 80 Days (1956). Her standout performance in Billy Wilder’s The Apartment (1960), starring alongside Jack Lemmon, earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress with Billy Wilder winning in the Best Picture and Director category.
She would go on to star in classics including All in a Night’s Work (1961), My Geisha (1962), Irma La Douce (1962), and Sweet Charity...
- 4/24/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
Jodie Comer has become the 100th performer to win a Tony Award for their Broadway debut for her performance in the play, “Prima Facie.”
She won Best Actress in a Play for portraying Tess, a lawyer who concentrates in providing legal defense for men who are accused of sexual assault but soon has the unthinkable happen to her. She is the 11th person to win the category for her first outing on a Broadway stage. She joins:
SEE2023 Tony Awards: Every winner (and nominee) in all 26 competitive categories
Martita Hunt, “The Madwoman of Chaillot” (1949)
Beryl Reid, “The Killing of Sister George” (1967)
Phyllis Frelich, “Children of a Lesser God” (1980)
Jane Lapotaire, “Piaf” (1981)
Joan Allen, “Burn This” (1988)
Pauline Collins, “Shirley Valentine” (1989)
Janet McTeer, “A Doll’s House” (1997)
Marie Mullen, “The Beauty Queen of Leeane” (1998)
Jennifer Ehle, “The Real Thing” (2000)
Deanna Dunagan, “August: Osage County” (2008)
Below are the Broadway debuts in the seven other...
She won Best Actress in a Play for portraying Tess, a lawyer who concentrates in providing legal defense for men who are accused of sexual assault but soon has the unthinkable happen to her. She is the 11th person to win the category for her first outing on a Broadway stage. She joins:
SEE2023 Tony Awards: Every winner (and nominee) in all 26 competitive categories
Martita Hunt, “The Madwoman of Chaillot” (1949)
Beryl Reid, “The Killing of Sister George” (1967)
Phyllis Frelich, “Children of a Lesser God” (1980)
Jane Lapotaire, “Piaf” (1981)
Joan Allen, “Burn This” (1988)
Pauline Collins, “Shirley Valentine” (1989)
Janet McTeer, “A Doll’s House” (1997)
Marie Mullen, “The Beauty Queen of Leeane” (1998)
Jennifer Ehle, “The Real Thing” (2000)
Deanna Dunagan, “August: Osage County” (2008)
Below are the Broadway debuts in the seven other...
- 6/12/2023
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Myles Frost became the latest addition to the list of people who have taken home a Tony Award for their Broadway debut. His win makes him the 98th member of this particular winners’ club.
Frost, who won Best Actor in a Musical for playing Michael Jackson in “Mj,” is the 13th person to win that category for their first time stepping into a character on a Broadway stage. He joins:
Ezio Pinza, “South Pacific” (1950)
Robert Alda, “Guys and Dolls” (1951)
Robert Lindsay, “Me and My Girl” (1987)
Brent Carver, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (1993)
Alan Cumming, “Cabaret” (1998)
Hugh Jackman, “The Boy From Oz” (2004)
John Lloyd Young, “Jersey Boys” (2006)
Paulo Szot, “South Pacific” (2008)
David Álvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish (joint nomination), “Billy Elliot” (2009)
Douglas Hodge, “La Cage aux Folles” (2010)
See 2022 Tony Awards: Every winner (and nominee) in all 26 categories
Below are the Broadway debuts in the seven other acting categories that have...
Frost, who won Best Actor in a Musical for playing Michael Jackson in “Mj,” is the 13th person to win that category for their first time stepping into a character on a Broadway stage. He joins:
Ezio Pinza, “South Pacific” (1950)
Robert Alda, “Guys and Dolls” (1951)
Robert Lindsay, “Me and My Girl” (1987)
Brent Carver, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (1993)
Alan Cumming, “Cabaret” (1998)
Hugh Jackman, “The Boy From Oz” (2004)
John Lloyd Young, “Jersey Boys” (2006)
Paulo Szot, “South Pacific” (2008)
David Álvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish (joint nomination), “Billy Elliot” (2009)
Douglas Hodge, “La Cage aux Folles” (2010)
See 2022 Tony Awards: Every winner (and nominee) in all 26 categories
Below are the Broadway debuts in the seven other acting categories that have...
- 6/13/2022
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Barbra Streisand was all of 21 when she opened on Broadway in 1964 in the role that made her one of the greatest stars: Fanny Brice in the musical “Funny Girl.” And on her 80th birthday April 24, Jonah Hill’s baby sister Beanie Feldstein stars in Streisand’s signature role in the first rialto revival of the bio-musical.
In commemoration of Brice, Streisand and Feldstein here are some fun facts, tidbits and trivia about the musical.
Who was Fanny Brice?
Brice, who was born in 1891, was just 18 when she made her Broadway debut in “Ziegfeld Follies of 1910.” She headlined a series of shows for the next quarter-century with the last being “Ziegfeld Follies of 1936.” She made her film debut in 1928’s “My Man,” appeared as herself in 1936’s “The Great Ziegfeld” and made her last screen appearance in 1945’s “Ziegfeld Follies.” She was best known for playing a mischievous little girl named Baby Snooks.
In commemoration of Brice, Streisand and Feldstein here are some fun facts, tidbits and trivia about the musical.
Who was Fanny Brice?
Brice, who was born in 1891, was just 18 when she made her Broadway debut in “Ziegfeld Follies of 1910.” She headlined a series of shows for the next quarter-century with the last being “Ziegfeld Follies of 1936.” She made her film debut in 1928’s “My Man,” appeared as herself in 1936’s “The Great Ziegfeld” and made her last screen appearance in 1945’s “Ziegfeld Follies.” She was best known for playing a mischievous little girl named Baby Snooks.
- 4/23/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
New superlatives are needed to express just how good is this wonderful Americana musical from the 1950s boom years. The Broadway creator tapped Hollywood’s most qualified (and creative) director of musicals for the stage to screen conversion, retaining much of the original New York talent. Doris Day is a sensation as Babe Williams, whose romantic and labor problems play out at a sleepwear factory. The color design is a delight, every song is a keeper, and the talent on view makes one want to clap, sixty-five years later.
The Pajama Game
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1957 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 101 min. / Street Date January 26, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Doris Day, John Raitt, Carol Haney, Eddie Foy Jr., Reta Shaw, Barbara Nichols, Thelma Pelish, Jack Straw.
Cinematography: Harry Stradling Sr.
Film Editor: William H. Ziegler
Art Direction: Malcolm C. Bert
Choreography: Bob Fosse
Musical Supervision: Ray Heindorf
Songs by: Richard Adler,...
The Pajama Game
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1957 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 101 min. / Street Date January 26, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Doris Day, John Raitt, Carol Haney, Eddie Foy Jr., Reta Shaw, Barbara Nichols, Thelma Pelish, Jack Straw.
Cinematography: Harry Stradling Sr.
Film Editor: William H. Ziegler
Art Direction: Malcolm C. Bert
Choreography: Bob Fosse
Musical Supervision: Ray Heindorf
Songs by: Richard Adler,...
- 1/16/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Shirley MacLaine was only 16 years old when she left Arlington, Va., and headed for Broadway. With a lifetime of dance classes behind her — her mom enrolled her in ballet when she was 3 to help strengthen her weak ankles — she landed a summer gig as a chorus girl in “Oklahoma!” She returned to her hometown to finish school, then made a beeline back to the Great White Way.
“Once I graduated from high school, there was no question what I was going to do,” MacLaine tells Variety from her ranch in Santa Fe, N.M.
Her life changed overnight when, as dancer in the original 1954 production of “The Pajama Game,” she replaced star Carol Haney after she sprained her ankle. A few months later, MacLaine was signed by Paramount Pictures.
In the more than six decades since, MacLaine has earned five Oscar nominations for acting, finally taking home the gold in...
“Once I graduated from high school, there was no question what I was going to do,” MacLaine tells Variety from her ranch in Santa Fe, N.M.
Her life changed overnight when, as dancer in the original 1954 production of “The Pajama Game,” she replaced star Carol Haney after she sprained her ankle. A few months later, MacLaine was signed by Paramount Pictures.
In the more than six decades since, MacLaine has earned five Oscar nominations for acting, finally taking home the gold in...
- 11/2/2020
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Harold Prince, the Broadway icon who produced or directed some of the 20th century’s most famous musicals West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Damn Yankees, Cabaret, Evita and The Phantom of the Opera, died today in Reykjavik, Iceland, after a brief illness. He was 91.
If you’ve ever hummed — or belted out — a showtune from the past half-century, there’s a good chance “Hal” Prince was involved in the original production of its musical. Winner of 21 Tony Awards — the second-most of anyone after Roger S. Berlind — he also produced or directed such iconic Main Stem musicals as The Pajama Game, Candide, A Little Night Music, Show Boat, Company, Fiorello! and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Eight shows he produced won the Tony for Best Musical — ranging from The Pajama Game (1955) to Candide (1974). He also won the Best Direction of a Musical for eight shows including Show Boat,...
If you’ve ever hummed — or belted out — a showtune from the past half-century, there’s a good chance “Hal” Prince was involved in the original production of its musical. Winner of 21 Tony Awards — the second-most of anyone after Roger S. Berlind — he also produced or directed such iconic Main Stem musicals as The Pajama Game, Candide, A Little Night Music, Show Boat, Company, Fiorello! and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Eight shows he produced won the Tony for Best Musical — ranging from The Pajama Game (1955) to Candide (1974). He also won the Best Direction of a Musical for eight shows including Show Boat,...
- 7/31/2019
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
I don’t know if Garland fans still go around chanting ‘Judy Judy Judy’ at her every appearance, but they do have a timeless song ‘n’ dance number to celebrate here. Her last MGM movie is only a so-so vehicle but Gene Kelly and the studio’s top music & dance talent work hard to put it over the top. Garland’s lack of stability is still an issue. For much of the movie she looks visibly overweight, yet in the showstopper ‘Get Happy’ she suddenly slims down to the best — maybe not the healthiest — look of her career.
Summer Stock
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1950 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 109 min. / Street Date April 30, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, Phil Silvers, Ray Collins, Nita Bieber, Carleton Carpenter, Hans Conried, Jeanne Coyne, Carol Haney, Almira Sessions.
Cinematography: Robert H. Planck
Film Editor: Albert Akst...
Summer Stock
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1950 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 109 min. / Street Date April 30, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, Phil Silvers, Ray Collins, Nita Bieber, Carleton Carpenter, Hans Conried, Jeanne Coyne, Carol Haney, Almira Sessions.
Cinematography: Robert H. Planck
Film Editor: Albert Akst...
- 5/4/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
FX's new series Fosse/Verdon has its subjects right there in the title: legendary choreographer Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon, the dancer who inspired much of his most iconic work. The duo's professional relationship led to some of the most memorable work in contemporary musical theater and dance, and their off-stage relationship was also well-known for its passion and volatility. While Verdon was probably Fosse's most famous romantic partner, she certainly wasn't his only one. Fosse married (and divorced) three times in his life, as well as having a serious girlfriend for six years near the end of his life. His wives have gotten overshadowed by his legacy, but all of them were remarkable in their own rights.
Fosse's first wife was Mary Ann Niles, who also was his first dance partner. They married in 1947 and made their New York City stage debut in Call Me Mister a few years later.
Fosse's first wife was Mary Ann Niles, who also was his first dance partner. They married in 1947 and made their New York City stage debut in Call Me Mister a few years later.
- 4/4/2019
- by Amanda Prahl
- Popsugar.com
or, Savant picks The Most Impressive Discs of 2015
This is the actual view from Savant Central, looking due North.
What a year! I was able to take one very nice trip back East too see Washington D.C. for the first time, or at least as much as two days' walking in the hot sun and then cool rain would allow. Back home in Los Angeles, we've had a year of extreme drought -- my lawn is looking patriotically ratty -- and we're expecting something called El Niño, that's supposed to be just shy of Old-Testament build-me-an-ark intensity. We withstood heat waves like those in Day the Earth Caught Fire, and now we'll get the storms part. This has been a wild year for DVD Savant, which is still a little unsettled. DVDtalk has been very patient and generous, and so have Stuart Galbraith & Joe Dante; so far everything...
This is the actual view from Savant Central, looking due North.
What a year! I was able to take one very nice trip back East too see Washington D.C. for the first time, or at least as much as two days' walking in the hot sun and then cool rain would allow. Back home in Los Angeles, we've had a year of extreme drought -- my lawn is looking patriotically ratty -- and we're expecting something called El Niño, that's supposed to be just shy of Old-Testament build-me-an-ark intensity. We withstood heat waves like those in Day the Earth Caught Fire, and now we'll get the storms part. This has been a wild year for DVD Savant, which is still a little unsettled. DVDtalk has been very patient and generous, and so have Stuart Galbraith & Joe Dante; so far everything...
- 12/15/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Happy 80th birthday, Shirley MacLaine!
The legendary, award-winning actress, who was born April 24, 1934 in Richmond, Va, started out as a dancer and got her big break on Broadway. She made her first film with Alfred Hitchcock, became a Rat Pack regular, flirted briefly with politics but has never stopped acting as she enters her 7th decade in Hollywood.
She started off as a lovably kooky ingenue, but is known today for her cantankerous matriarch roles in "Downton Abbey," "Bernie," "Steel Magnolias," "Guarding Tess," and, of course, her Oscar-winning role as Aurora Greenway in "Terms of Endearment."
Her next gig is a singing and dancing role on "Glee," of course. Happy Birthday to one of the most talented, most colorful character actresses of all time.
1. She was named after Shirley Temple.
2. She's been performing since age 3, when she began doing ballet.
3. As a girl, she pretended she was Rita Hayworth, since...
The legendary, award-winning actress, who was born April 24, 1934 in Richmond, Va, started out as a dancer and got her big break on Broadway. She made her first film with Alfred Hitchcock, became a Rat Pack regular, flirted briefly with politics but has never stopped acting as she enters her 7th decade in Hollywood.
She started off as a lovably kooky ingenue, but is known today for her cantankerous matriarch roles in "Downton Abbey," "Bernie," "Steel Magnolias," "Guarding Tess," and, of course, her Oscar-winning role as Aurora Greenway in "Terms of Endearment."
Her next gig is a singing and dancing role on "Glee," of course. Happy Birthday to one of the most talented, most colorful character actresses of all time.
1. She was named after Shirley Temple.
2. She's been performing since age 3, when she began doing ballet.
3. As a girl, she pretended she was Rita Hayworth, since...
- 4/24/2014
- by Sharon Knolle
- Moviefone
Top 10 Aliya Whiteley 28 May 2013 - 06:55
The 1930s to the end of the 20th century saw the release of some classic tap dancing movies. Here's Aliya's pick of the 10 best...
Either you love movies in which people suddenly break into tap dance routines to express their innermost desires, or you hate them. If you hate them, you’re in luck – they pretty much don’t exist in modern film any more.
Having said that, there have been some great dancing moments in the last few years, such as Amy Adams having a me party in The Muppets, or Meryl Streep bouncing up and down on the bed in Mamma Mia! But these aren’t tap dances, and they’re much more about enthusiasm than skill. Or High School Musical, Take The Lead and others give us great modern or ballroom dancing, but within the context of people putting on a show,...
The 1930s to the end of the 20th century saw the release of some classic tap dancing movies. Here's Aliya's pick of the 10 best...
Either you love movies in which people suddenly break into tap dance routines to express their innermost desires, or you hate them. If you hate them, you’re in luck – they pretty much don’t exist in modern film any more.
Having said that, there have been some great dancing moments in the last few years, such as Amy Adams having a me party in The Muppets, or Meryl Streep bouncing up and down on the bed in Mamma Mia! But these aren’t tap dances, and they’re much more about enthusiasm than skill. Or High School Musical, Take The Lead and others give us great modern or ballroom dancing, but within the context of people putting on a show,...
- 5/24/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
'Singin' in the Rain' 60th Anniversary: 25 Things You Didn't Know About Hollywood's Greatest Musical
In a year when the Best Picture Oscar went to a comedy about Hollywood's turbulent transition from silence to sound, "Singin' in the Rain" suddenly seems timely again. The beloved musical, which marks the 60th anniversary of its release in U.S. theaters in April, is not only fondly remembered for its exuberantly athletic song-and-dance numbers, but also for its witty dramatization of the birth of Hollywood's sound era. If you haven't seen it, imagine 2011's "The Artist" with spoken dialogue and without the heroic dog. But of course, you have seen it, even if you don't realize it. The title number, featuring a soaked but joyful Gene Kelly, is one of the most iconic (and most frequently parodied) sequences in film history. The film's impact on popular culture is enormous, from making stars out of Debbie Reynolds and Cyd Charisse to influencing directors as far-flung as Jacques Demy and Stanley Kubrick.
- 3/30/2012
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
"Funny Face" shouldn't have worked. It was a musical with a borrowed score, based on a stage play its author had failed to sell, with a leading man past his prime and a leading lady, 30 years younger, who had a thin singing voice. Indeed, the film, released 55 years ago today (on February 13, 1957), was not a hit. Yet today, it's regarded as a visually sumptuous classic, with Fred Astaire dancing with impossible grace at 58 and Audrey Hepburn in one of her most stylish, iconic performances. Still, as beloved as "Funny Face" is, many viewers may not know of the real-life love story that inspired the movie, or about the film's ties to such far-flung projects as the "Eloise" novels and the counterculture drama "Five Easy Pieces." Here, then, are 25 little-known facts about "Funny Face." 1. The movie's title and four of its songs came from George Gershwin's 1927 Broadway musical "Funny Face.
- 2/13/2012
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
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