Musical Comedy Tonight; Part 1

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This record is featured in “Exploring Public Media in the Peabody Awards Collection.” This record is featured in “Peabody Awards Collection.”
Program
Musical Comedy Tonight
Segment
Part 1
Producing Organization
KCET (Television station : Los Angeles, Calif.)
Dena Pictures, Inc.
Contributing Organization
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-526-mc8rb6x59w
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Description
Program Description
"MUSICAL COMEDY TONIGHT, created, hosted and written by Sylvia Fine Kaye, recreates lavish production numbers from Broadway hits to examine the impact of American musical comedy on our culture. The overview of musical theatre stars (in alphabetical order) Carol Burnett, Richard Chamberlain, John Davidson, Agnes de Mille, Sandy Duncan, Rock Hudson, Ethel Merman, Bernadette Peters and Bobby Van in memorable numbers from 'Good News,' 'Anything Goes,' 'Oklahoma!' and 'Company'--each musical from a major period of American theatre and each a ground-breaker in developing different possibilities for the form. The 90-minute special was taped in front of a live audience, capturing the dynamics and excitement of living theatre. The sets, costumes and orchestrations duplicate as closely as possible the original Broadway performances. Each 'On-Stage' performance is punctuated by a series of historical 'Back-Stage' notes by Kaye. "The first Broadway hit highlighted in MUSICAL COMEDY TONIGHT is 'Good News' (1927), which Sylvia Kaye considers to be 'the first mass audience musical.' Set during the football craze in America during the 1920s, it captures the spirit of college life. The music on Broadway changed in the '30s with such hits as Cole Porter's 'Anything Goes' (1934). This segment features Ethel Merman who starred in the original cast. In 'Oklahoma!' (1943), the songs were an essential part of the plot. Agnes de Mille rechoreographed for MUSICAL COMEDY TONIGHT several of the ballets she prepared for the original production. The overview concludes with selections from Stephen Sondheim's masterful evocation of the 60s, 'Company' (1970)."--1979 Peabody Awards entry form.
Broadcast Date
1979-10-01
Asset type
Program
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
01:00:32.629
Credits
Director: Harris, Stan
Executive Producer: Kaye, Sylvia Fine
Guest: Merman, Ethel
Guest: Peters, Bernadette
Guest: Hudson, Rock
Guest: Davidson, John
Guest: Duncan, Sandy
Guest: Burnett, Carol
Guest: Van, Bobby
Guest: Chamberlain, Richard
Host: Kaye, Sylvia Fine
Producing Organization: KCET (Television station : Los Angeles, Calif.)
Producing Organization: Dena Pictures, Inc.
Writer: Kaye, Sylvia Fine
AAPB Contributor Holdings
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia
Identifier: cpb-aacip-b8b3a099e3c (Filename)
Format: U-matic
Duration: 01:30:00
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Citations
Chicago: “Musical Comedy Tonight; Part 1,” 1979-10-01, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed December 4, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-mc8rb6x59w.
MLA: “Musical Comedy Tonight; Part 1.” 1979-10-01. The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. December 4, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-mc8rb6x59w>.
APA: Musical Comedy Tonight; Part 1. Boston, MA: The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-mc8rb6x59w