Composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim whose works include such Broadway hits as “A Little Night Music”, “Company” and “Follies”, talks about the origin of a song from his latest Broadway musical, “Pacific Overtures”. On camera with him are film critic Frank Rich and John Weidman author of “Pacific Overtures” as a straight play who expanded it to the musical book for the show. A highlight of the program is the performance of the song “Someone in a Tree.” with Sondheim at the piano sung by Mako, James Dybas, Geddie Watanbe and Mark Hsu Syers the men who sing it on the Broadway stage.
Tag: USA
Poet-playwright-teacher, Kenneth Koch, author of “Wishes, Lies and Dreams,” an anthology of children’s poetry, shows how children can write poetry. He explains his teaching techniques and demonstrates the writing of poetry with a group of children utilizing the possibilities in a television studio.
Two professional people marry, but the wife insists that they be celibate for the first three months, just to see if they are truly compatible. The husband tries various tricks to lure his wife into bed, but she trumps his every serve. Finally, when she is ready for love, he isn’t, having contracted a bad case of poison oak.
Beatles’ “significance” pushed to the breaking point in this bizarre documentary that juxtaposes their songs (sung by a number of rock stars) with World War II newsreel footage. Helen Reddy sings “Fool On The Hill” while Hitler relaxes at Bertchtesgaden, and Rod Stewart husks “Get Back” while Nazi troops goose step.
A varied group of immigrants head for the USA aboard S.S. Mauronia, including Russians Sascha, Mischa, Toscha, and Olga. Sascha has fallen for Scots lassie Heather; Olga is courted by Chris Jansen, valet of first class passenger Larry Beaumont. Heather catches Larry’s eye, to the discomfiture of Larry’s other flame Diana. On arrival, Heather has immigration trouble, and a variety of complications ensue…
In this experimental play, first produced in 1928, Eugene O’Neill bares the inner souls of his characters by having them speak their thoughts as well as their dialog. Nins Leeds, the daughter of an Ivy League professor, is devastated by the loss of her fiance in World War I. Ignoring the unconditional love of the novelist Charlie Marsden, she rebounds by marrying an amiable fool, Sam Evans, in the hope that a child will give meaning to the marriage. Nina is thus devastated when she learns a secret know only to Sam’s mother- insanity runs in the family and could be inherited by any child of Sam’s…
Wendell Corey and Forrest Tucker, the Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy of Republic, star as a pair of World War II Army Air Corps officers. In between their battles over the affections of beautiful nurse Vera Hruba Ralston, Corey and Tucker prepare to fly a bombing mission in the South Pacific. Before boarding their B29 Superfortress, Tucker appears to be chickening out, but he’s steadfastly at his cockpit post at takeoff time. For a big-budget war picture, Wild Blue Yonder contains a surprising amount of chorus boy-style singing.
Married just out of high school and eager to be on their own, Roslyn and Michael soon discover that family life isn’t all that it seems. As their relationship begins to suffer, Michael looks for love on the side while Roslyn is led astray by her rebellious best friend. When Roslyn starts to believe that good times can only be found with bad boys like the cool but volatile Joey, her once-happy life is at risk of coming to an unexpected end.