Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)

Starring:Julie Andrews, Nancy Anderson (II), John Cullum, Jonathan Freeman, Chris Gantt, Michael C. Hall, John Herrera, Joe Holt, Gene Jones, Jane Krakowski, Ron McClarty, Audra McDonald, John McMartin, Jonathan Marc Sherman, Stephen Spinella, Mary Testa, Andrew Weems, Jeffrey Wright, Chip Zien, Tim Breese
Director: Michael Kantor
Studio: Pbs Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Like its fellow PBS series Ken Burns' Jazz, Broadway: The American Musical is an ambitious and absorbing exploration of a unique American art form that has always been best experienced in live performance. Hosted and narrated by Julie Andrews, the six-part, six-hour documentary traces the history of musical theater from its roots in vaudeville, operetta, and minstrel shows, to the dawn of what would become the modern American musical, Show Boat, and on through many changes that seemed to reflect those in American culture itself. Significant creators discussed include Florenz Ziegfeld, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Bob Fosse, and David Merrick, and notable shows (Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Company, Cats, and recent hit Wicked, among others) are analyzed through performance clips and interviews with songwriters, stars, directors, producers, critics, and historians.

The series' most obvious weakness is its use of only brief excerpts of the performances--no song is heard in full. The sheer scope of the series no doubt played a part in that, as well as complicated rights issues, but the core problem is that musical theater has always been a live medium, rarely documented and even more rarely released to the general public. The documentary's producers make do with audio recordings, still photographs, and bits of footage, often in grainy black and white. Thankfully, they resist over-relying on feature-film musicals--which look much better and are sometimes excellent (but more often mediocre) translations--and when used such footage is clearly identified. That makes it all the more frustrating, however, that almost all of the other footage is not identified, because that is what fans are less familiar with and would be most interested in. The 1950s footage looks to be mostly from TV programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show; by the 1960s we have live footage from the Tony Awards (easily identifiable by the backdrops); and the newest shows might have been shot on stage. But early Ethel Merman and other random clips are mysteries, perhaps even to the producers themselves.

Amazon.com

Like its fellow PBS series Ken Burns' Jazz, Broadway: The American Musical is an ambitious and absorbing exploration of a unique American art form that has always been best experienced in live performance. Hosted and narrated by Julie Andrews, the six-part, six-hour documentary traces the history of musical theater from its roots in vaudeville, operetta, and minstrel shows, to the dawn of what would become the modern American musical, Show Boat, and on through many changes that seemed to reflect those in American culture itself. Significant creators discussed include Florenz Ziegfeld, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Bob Fosse, and David Merrick, and notable shows (Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Company, Cats, and recent hit Wicked, among others) are analyzed through performance clips and interviews with songwriters, stars, directors, producers, critics, and historians.

The series' most obvious weakness is its use of only brief excerpts of the performances--no song is heard in full. The sheer scope of the series no doubt played a part in that, as well as complicated rights issues, but the core problem is that musical theater has always been a live medium, rarely documented and even more rarely released to the general public. The documentary's producers make do with audio recordings, still photographs, and bits of footage, often in grainy black and white. Thankfully, they resist over-relying on feature-film musicals--which look much better and are sometimes excellent (but more often mediocre) translations--and when used such footage is clearly identified. That makes it all the more frustrating, however, that almost all of the other footage is not identified, because that is what fans are less familiar with and would be most interested in. The 1950s footage looks to be mostly from TV programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show; by the 1960s we have live footage from the Tony Awards (easily identifiable by the backdrops); and the newest shows might have been shot on stage. But early Ethel Merman and other random clips are mysteries, perhaps even to the producers themselves.

Amazon.com

The series' most obvious weakness is its use of only brief excerpts of the performances--no song is heard in full. The sheer scope of the series no doubt played a part in that, as well as complicated rights issues, but the core problem is that musical theater has always been a live medium, rarely documented and even more rarely released to the general public. The documentary's producers make do with audio recordings, still photographs, and bits of footage, often in grainy black and white. Thankfully, they resist over-relying on feature-film musicals--which look much better and are sometimes excellent (but more often mediocre) translations--and when used such footage is clearly identified. That makes it all the more frustrating, however, that almost all of the other footage is not identified, because that is what fans are less familiar with and would be most interested in. The 1950s footage looks to be mostly from TV programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show; by the 1960s we have live footage from the Tony Awards (easily identifiable by the backdrops); and the newest shows might have been shot on stage. But early Ethel Merman and other random clips are mysteries, perhaps even to the producers themselves.

Customer Reviews:

Timeline of Broadway Theatre.......2007-01-08

'Broadway - The Amercian Musical' is a PBS series which tries to tell the story of Broadway in several chapters. More than being a focus on any one show or even time period, this documentary tries to tell the narrative of Broadway.

Julie Andrews hosts and narrates the special, and then we are presented with footage and photos of historical Broadway images, songs, and shows accompanied by interviews with people associated with Broadway. Stephen Sondheim is a notable interviewee who contributes first-hand to the PBS special to tell the story of Broadway. Either way, it works.

The story starts with the 'Ziegfeld Follies' and in Ziegfeld, presents the important role of producer in making Broadway musicals come to life. The 'Ziegfeld Follies' was a series of theatrical reviews which featured songs, dance, and the "Ziegfield girl," an often attractive female employed to be an actor or dancer in the show, establishing this stereotype.

It goes on to chronicle the contributions of the major composers of the Broadway stage; namely, Gershwin, Berlin, Kern, Rodgers, Porter, Bernstein, and Sondheim, among others. It also celebrates the giants of the Broadway stage, like singer Ethel Merman who could hold a note 'forever'. The documentary will often turn its focus to a particular musical or song within in order to illustrate a larger point about the Broadway narrative.

Equally included in the story of Broadway are contemporary musicals, like 'Rent' and 'The Lion King.' It is this continuous, ubiquitous nature of the Broadway tradition that draws me in to this documentary. Watching 'Broadway - The American Musical' is both a fun and educational experience. So, take your pick. You can watch it to learn or you can watch it just to enjoy.

Broadway for Dummies........2006-02-26

...and being a self-professed "dummy" on the American Musical Theater I found this sort of "Broadway History 101" to be at best an entertaining starting point, . I believe director Michael Kantor was handicapped from the start since the whole history of the "Great White Way" encompasses such a huge array of giants and geniuses (Ziegfeld, Jolson, Gershwin...) that at a mere six hours, the documentary feels like being on a bus tour speeding by at 90 miles an hour. That odd feeling is magnified no better than Episode Four: "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'(1943-1960), the single most important gem in the chest. As been noted elsewhere, that golden era of the fabulous "Book Musicals" which produced an unmatchable run of landmark classics like "Oklahoma" and "My Fair Lady" could have alone been given a six hour treatment instead of the rushed, caffeinated hour presented here. Clearly, the episode in Brodway parlance "lays an egg," compromising this projects overall quality.

Still, there is fun to be had here and the filmakers manage to skirt PBS' tendency to turn a giddy subject into a multi-cultural funeral march. Julie Andrews is an exquisite host and I disagree with criticism about the high amount of movie clips used in episodes One through Three. Movies of the 1930's in particular the early "talkies" appropriated so much of Broadway's luster and lore it seems only natural to use them. I also loved the novel use of a song's lyrics by showing the words playfully dancing in an about a sheet of music or a photograph. And best of all, the "talking heads" used here all have something interesting to say with humour and clarity- a key element missing in, say, Ken Burn's "Jazz."

Reasonably good for an incredibly ambitious project.......2005-12-30

Any effort to survey the whole history of the Broadway musical theatre inevitably involves difficult choices of what to include and what to omit, plus the scarcity of earliest material. On the whole, the six-episode documentary works....I don't know how many factual errors were made or how many errors were picked up by other reviewers, but as a major fan of Jimmy Durante and the author of what is the most comprehensive coverage of his career (JIMMY DURANTE: HIS SHOW BUSINESS CAREER, McFarland & Company, 1995, still in print), I was startled to see in the "musical comedies" section of episode two, just before the Jolson segment, that a brief clip from an unidentified movie claimed it showed, left to right, (Lou) Clayton, (Jimmy) Durante, and (Eddie) Jackson. In fact the people were Rudy Vallee, Jimmy Durante, and Cliff ("Ukelele Ike") Edwards, from the Fox film GEORGE WHITE'S SCANDALS (1934), not the famous vaudeville team of Clayton, Jackson and Durante. That team appeared in only one film, ROADHOUSE NIGHTS (Paramount, 1930), together with Helen Morgan. Neither Durante nor his early partners ever appeared in any of George White's theatre productions.

Broadway -The American Musical (PBS Series).......2005-10-14

Several hours of reliving some wonderful "Show" memories, an era
when musicals were tops. Not to be missed by anybody who loves
first rate musicals.

The American Musical: Close To Perfection!.......2005-10-03

I think 'The American Musical' is a sophisticated and -far as I know- the most complete collection of highlights of American Musical Theatre.
Very fine (short) documentaries of 'standardsetting' shows as: 'Show Boat', 'The Lion King' and 'Wicked'.

Within three dvd's it is clearly shown that the American musical is an artform with final results that are close to perfection (European opera is warned!).

As a teacher at the Rotterdam Conservatory (NL) of the Musical Theatre Department I believe this collection should at least be in every library and if possible: in every (theatre)student's dvd-colection!

L.H. Rotterdam (Holland)

When Hell Freezes Over, I'll Skate (Broadway Theatre Archive)

Average customer rating:

"The black man cannot be destroyed...that's gospel truth."

When Hell Freezes Over, I'll Skate (Broadway Theatre Archive)
Starring: Clinton Derricks-Carroll , Lynne Thigpen , Reginald VelJohnson , Marilyn Winbush , and Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter
Director: Emile Ardolino , and Vinnette Carroll
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000BV1Z9
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Description

This lively, spirit-lifting musical celebrates the sheer joy - and survival - of black music, song and poetry since the days of America's Civil War. With utter grace and ease, the gifted eight-member singing ensemble glides from gospel to disco and from slave quarter sermons to contemporary black poetry. Stars TonyÂ's Civil War. With utter grace and ease, the gifted eight-member singing ensemble glides from gospel to disco and from slave quarter sermons to contemporary black poetry. Stars TonyÂ® - winners Cleavant Derricks (Dreamgirls) and the late Lynne Thigpen (An American Daughter, The District).By Vinette Carroll.

Customer Reviews:

"The black man cannot be destroyed...that's gospel truth.".......2005-01-23

This Vinnette Carroll production, brought to life by a talented 8-member troupe of singers and dancers, features a combination of poetry and song which reflects the African-American experience. Inspiring, at the same time that it is an indictment of the treatment black America endured over the ages, the production celebrates the ultimate triumph of the rich and varied African-American culture.

With music created and directed by Tony Award winner Cleavant Derricks and his twin brother Clinton Derricks-Carroll, the revue showcases the performers and their melodies and rhythms, rather than musical instruments. Hand-clapping, simple drums, and a single piano or sax often provide the only accompaniment.

Joyful and enthusiastic, the music ranges from early chants and marches, as in "When the Colored Band Comes Marching Down the Street," through folk dance, gospel, revival music, blues, and disco. The late Lynne Thigpen is the female anchor, doing a passionate blues solo, her voice a contrast to the soprano of Lynne Clifton-Allen, who "just spreads her mouth and shouts, 'Come to Jesus'" in a gospel song. Clevant Derricks is a powerful interpreter/singer throughout, as is his twin, Clinton Derricks-Carroll, whose stirring bass/baritone inspires both the live audience and the viewer.

The production contains almost as much poetry as it does music, with poems by Countee Cullen, Julian Bond, Nikki Giovanni, and Langston Hughes, among others, enacted by the talented cast. Sometimes humorous and satiric, the poems range from the elegantly expressed to the vernacular, always showcasing attitudes and events which have led to moments of triumph, including domestic triumph. Gracefully blending songs, dance, and poetry, the revue creates a moving and comprehensive tribute to the enduring spirit of Black America. As one singer attests, "You can't put out the fiery spirit [of] my soul." Mary Whipple

Average customer rating:

Duke Is Tops
Starring: Ralph Cooper, The Basin Street Boys, Rubber Neck Boys, Marie Bryant, Laurence Criner, Monte Hawley, Vernon McCalla, Edward Thompson, Rubberneck Holmes, Neva Peoples Lena Horne
Director: William L. Nolte
Manufacturer: Reel Enterprises
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD-R

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Description

Duke pretends that he sold his contract with his sweetheart to a talent scout in order for her to go to New York to sing. She goes to New York and fails, while her boyfriend joins a traveling medicine show after his show failed without her. He rushes to her side when he hears the news and convinces a club owner to let him put on an elaborate show with his people and his girlfriend. . Lena Horne's first appearance.

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