C L A U D E Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I'd love to know where this is from because this paragraph seems to be preceded by more info. A pretty fair representation with a couple pieces of minor misinformation. The show did capacity (or near to it) business its entire run, not just the first few weeks. I don't think Lucy was "missing performances" in the accepted sense. There was the 2 week vacation in February. There may have been another, but as far as I know anyway, they were planned in advance. Lucy knew that the audience came to see HER in Wildcat and not "Wildcat". I don't know for a fact but I think that even with the fainting incidents she was back on stage the next night, except for the last one. Wildcat did its best business that last month. I think people were (accurately) predicting that she would not be able to stay with the show. I agree that instead of cutting the Wildcat song completely that the townspeople could have sung it to her, with a few lyric modifications. I think "Janie" is the more mysterious cut of the two because a) her character needed at least ONE plaintive ballad and this one defined her greed, tempering it with a sympathetic motivation (though I suppose it was conveyed in dialogue after that )and 2) The song doesn't seem to be taxing her vocal chords at all. In fact, "Janie" is probably Lucy's best Wildcat singing, a hint of vibrato here and there and a playful grace note in "and often enou-ough". She's spot on with the notes except for the last "get" which is half-sung (although not right on the note) and half shouted. Broadway history revisionists seem to want to label Wildcat a flop. It was anything but. I think the attitude, that has gotten snarkier as the years go by, is fueled by the backlash of her "stealing " the Mame movie from Angela. They tend to lump Wildcat and Mame together as examples of Lucy's failed attempts at musicals. It's probable that the MameIsWildcat/WildcatIsMame crowd has never heard the cast album because her voice is totally different. It's hard to believe that a mere 12 years separated the two roles. To put that in perspective, if Mame was being filmed today in 2015, Wildcat would have left the boards in 2003. Lucy's personal notices were almost all in the positive-to-rave range. With all the focus on "Oil" in recent years, maybe it's time to update Wildcat for Broadway, this time setting it in the Middle East. The lead could wear a burka the whole time so no one would know when the understudy was on! She could sing her "What Takes My Fancy" duet with another old coot with a rifle, a character based on Dick Cheney. "Ah Ah Ah install an air force base. Ah Ah Ah shoot someone in the face Ah Ah Ah Ah name someone who's nice Ah Ah Ah Ah Condoleesa Rice... I likes to work at halliburton One things for certain, we don't do bids. Transparency laws, we are skirtin' Pay Halliburton, or charge it to your kids..." Thanks for that, i HATE revisionist history, LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvsbway Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 You make a good point on how things really were vs how we remember them. I was reading another Bway book this week and there was a passing reference to her “frequent absences”. It seems in hindsight that is what the Bway historians remember most about this show when in fact you point out it really wasn’t that much. I think back then actors were not as absent as much. Today far more people are in and out of shows. In really only gets talked about when it either is health driven or just laziness. In the 2000s Donna Murphy in Wonderful Town and Bernadette in Gypsy were in and out a lot with health issues and it made the papers. Compared with other absences like Sara Ramirez and Karen Olivio in West Side Story that seemed to be in and out just because they didn’t feel like doing the show. These made the papers too. It’s rare today to find someone like a Merman or a Channing who had a high level of fame and never missed a show. I think Hugh Jackman would be one I give the award to. Very famous but never out. What strikes me listening to the cast album is how different her voice is. It’s almost like she never had this voice again or before. The last time we got real singing (not character) before 60’ was LLT. The next time we get real singing again are variety shows in the 60s. It just never sounds the same as those 2 times. I compare Lucy’s Steve Lawrence Show rendition of HLMO to the album cut. She is leaps and bounds better on Steve’s show. I don’t know if it had to do with fatigue around the time the album was recorded. I know the Sullivan Show performance she was really run down. I think the rule people use nowadays to determine flop vs hit is if the show made back its investment. I know Wildcat did but back then the investment was far less than the millions now days. So was it a flop because it didn’t run as long as anticipated? Shows didn’t have huge year after year runs then. Was it because it had to close because the star could not do it anymore and they were all coming to see her? Or was it only a flop in hindsight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 You make a good point on how things really were vs how we remember them. I was reading another Bway book this week and there was a passing reference to her “frequent absences”. It seems in hindsight that is what the Bway historians remember most about this show when in fact you point out it really wasn’t that much. I think back then actors were not as absent as much. Today far more people are in and out of shows. In really only gets talked about when it either is health driven or just laziness. In the 2000s Donna Murphy in Wonderful Town and Bernadette in Gypsy were in and out a lot with health issues and it made the papers. Compared with other absences like Sara Ramirez and Karen Olivio in West Side Story that seemed to be in and out just because they didn’t feel like doing the show. These made the papers too. It’s rare today to find someone like a Merman or a Channing who had a high level of fame and never missed a show. I think Hugh Jackman would be one I give the award to. Very famous but never out. What strikes me listening to the cast album is how different her voice is. It’s almost like she never had this voice again or before. The last time we got real singing (not character) before 60’ was LLT. The next time we get real singing again are variety shows in the 60s. It just never sounds the same as those 2 times. I compare Lucy’s Steve Lawrence Show rendition of HLMO to the album cut. She is leaps and bounds better on Steve’s show. I don’t know if it had to do with fatigue around the time the album was recorded. I know the Sullivan Show performance she was really run down. I think the rule people use nowadays to determine flop vs hit is if the show made back its investment. I know Wildcat did but back then the investment was far less than the millions now days. So was it a flop because it didn’t run as long as anticipated? Shows didn’t have huge year after year runs then. Was it because it had to close because the star could not do it anymore and they were all coming to see her? Or was it only a flop in hindsight? Then, there's also that OH HERE COMES THE BIG TV STAR, SHE'S NOT ONE OF US HERE ON BROADWAY type thing, I know it's common NOW but not back then. Remember the line quoted so many times that Lucy had to give back 165 thousand of her money as she closed the show and they had bought tons of tickets in advance? If that's not a hit, i don't know what is, tickets were far cheaper back then too. Not the ridiculous prices of today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted March 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 I got this baby signed in person tonight! :HALKING: :HALKING: She was so sweet, grabbed the album and called her husband, Tony, over to show him who every single person in this photo was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie2 Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 You lucky dog, you! Is that Dumb, Awful, Rhoda I see on the far right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted March 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 You lucky dog, you! Is that Dumb, Awful, Rhoda I see on the far right? LOL That's her! "Over there on the right, that's your chubby wife." - Valerie to Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvsbway Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 That is fantastic!. On the rare album too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted March 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 And a photo: https://instagram.com/p/zwEZWmwRbD/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 I got this baby signed in person tonight! :HALKING: :HALKING: She was so sweet, grabbed the album and called her husband, Tony, over to show him who every single person in this photo was. What's your address again and when do you go out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 I don't know of another show that closed at the end of an SRO month. Maybe "The Act" with Liza calling it quits. "Wildcat" in its original Broadway run did not make back its investment. I don't know how subsequent profits go towards the original investment but the show had a healthy afterlife with regional productions into 1963. The cast album did very well, better than I thought. And then there are the rights to the music. "HLMO" was a gold mine for somebody. Maybe those profits revert back to the composers. Broadway in and around the time of Wildcat was populated with TV people: Phil Silvers, George Gobel, Sid Caesar and Jackie Gleason, who missed performances and walked out on "Take Me Along" after his contract was up. He didn't get the same disdain that Lucy seemed to get. Gleason even won the Tony. Not even a nomination for Lucy, a horrible oversight considering it was her talent that carried this show, but all accounts save a few, not much of one. I agree that Lucy never sounded the same as on the Cast Album. I'm so grateful that there's some record of her singing well. Broadway albums in those days were recorded virtually live with little time for retakes. (hence leaving in the cough/clearing of throat as she's waiting for her next line in "tippy Tippy Toes"). A day was set aside for the recording, a Sunday because in those days, theaters were dark from the end of the Saturday evening until the next performance Monday night. And no heavy mixing like is done nowadays. The orchestra was right there along with the cast. But I think she never sounded better. You make a good point on how things really were vs how we remember them. I was reading another Bway book this week and there was a passing reference to her “frequent absences”. It seems in hindsight that is what the Bway historians remember most about this show when in fact you point out it really wasn’t that much. I think back then actors were not as absent as much.Today far more people are in and out of shows. In really only gets talked about when it either is health driven or just laziness. In the 2000s Donna Murphy in Wonderful Town and Bernadette in Gypsy were in and out a lot with health issues and it made the papers. Compared with other absences like Sara Ramirez and Karen Olivio in West Side Story that seemed to be in and out just because they didn’t feel like doing the show. These made the papers too. It’s rare today to find someone like a Merman or a Channing who had a high level of fame and never missed a show. I think Hugh Jackman would be one I give the award to. Very famous but never out.What strikes me listening to the cast album is how different her voice is. It’s almost like she never had this voice again or before. The last time we got real singing (not character) before 60’ was LLT. The next time we get real singing again are variety shows in the 60s. It just never sounds the same as those 2 times. I compare Lucy’s Steve Lawrence Show rendition of HLMO to the album cut. She is leaps and bounds better on Steve’s show. I don’t know if it had to do with fatigue around the time the album was recorded. I know the Sullivan Show performance she was really run down.I think the rule people use nowadays to determine flop vs hit is if the show made back its investment. I know Wildcat did but back then the investment was far less than the millions now days. So was it a flop because it didn’t run as long as anticipated? Shows didn’t have huge year after year runs then. Was it because it had to close because the star could not do it anymore and they were all coming to see her? Or was it only a flop in hindsight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 I don't know of another show that closed at the end of an SRO month. Maybe "The Act" with Liza calling it quits. "Wildcat" in its original Broadway run did not make back its investment. I don't know how subsequent profits go towards the original investment but the show had a healthy afterlife with regional productions into 1963. The cast album did very well, better than I thought. And then there are the rights to the music. "HLMO" was a gold mine for somebody. Maybe those profits revert back to the composers. Broadway in and around the time of Wildcat was populated with TV people: Phil Silvers, George Gobel, Sid Caesar and Jackie Gleason, who missed performances and walked out on "Take Me Along" after his contract was up. He didn't get the same disdain that Lucy seemed to get. Gleason even won the Tony. Not even a nomination for Lucy, a horrible oversight considering it was her talent that carried this show, but all accounts save a few, not much of one. I agree that Lucy never sounded the same as on the Cast Album. I'm so grateful that there's some record of her singing well. Broadway albums in those days were recorded virtually live with little time for retakes. (hence leaving in the cough/clearing of throat as she's waiting for her next line in "tippy Tippy Toes"). A day was set aside for the recording, a Sunday because in those days, theaters were dark from the end of the Saturday evening until the next performance Monday night. And no heavy mixing like is done nowadays. The orchestra was right there along with the cast. But I think she never sounded better. Geez, on has to wonder where on earth you get all this great information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeySanJoaquin Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 And a photo: https://instagram.com/p/zwEZWmwRbD/ Super Cool -- and she looks younger than ever!! What was the event??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leenorman Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 And a photo: https://instagram.com/p/zwEZWmwRbD/ Where was she? Performing? And....how is she? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted March 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 Super Cool -- and she looks younger than ever!! What was the event??? Where was she? Performing? And....how is she? She was participating in a lecture series called Unique Lives & Experiences. Lucie participated in this series a couple of years ago, doing a talk on her mother and the power of laughter. Valerie's speech, which lasted about an hour and a quarter was entitled Living Fearlessly with Cancer: One Day at a Time. It was a very spontaneous discussion, which was fun, and it was followed by a 45 minute Q&A led by a moderator taking written questions from the audience. Valerie was very upbeat and seemed to be doing very well, all thing considered. Her next speech is in Denver next Monday, and she'll be speaking at other venues as part of this series in San Jose and Vancouver. http://www.uniquelives.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 She was participating in a lecture series called Unique Lives & Experiences. Lucie participated in this series a couple of years ago, doing a talk on her mother and the power of laughter. Valerie's speech, which lasted about an hour and a quarter was entitled Living Fearlessly with Cancer: One Day at a Time. It was a very spontaneous discussion, which was fun, and it was followed by a 45 minute Q&A led by a moderator taking written questions from the audience. Valerie was very upbeat and seemed to be doing very well, all thing considered. Her next speech is in Denver next Monday, and she'll be speaking at other venues as part of this series in San Jose and Vancouver. http://www.uniquelives.com/ Good for her for beating it and now helping others with her great advice, she should be admired for that, great work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvsbway Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted March 23, 2015 Report Share Posted March 23, 2015 Looks like a still from the Sullivan show to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted March 23, 2015 Report Share Posted March 23, 2015 Looks like a still from the Sullivan show to me. Really? Dun't remember all that smoke though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvsbway Posted March 23, 2015 Report Share Posted March 23, 2015 It is from Sullivan but I forget if this is the beginning or end of the song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvsbway Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvsbway Posted August 10, 2015 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 "They took out 2 shhhhhssss" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeySanJoaquin Posted August 11, 2015 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 Real hair here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted August 11, 2015 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 "All I have to do is start the Stutz Bearcat and the "Generation Gap" will be solved!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted February 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leenorman Posted February 6, 2016 Report Share Posted February 6, 2016 WHAT A TROUPER!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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