Last night, I happened to catch the final half-hour of a certain fund-raising drive on my local PBS channel – and they were showing an absolutely MARVELOUS documentary called Broadway: The Golden Age<\/a><\/i>. It’s eventually going to be a 3-part extravaganza – and last night the first part was shown – which talks about “the golden age” – Broadway in the late 40s and 1950s. When there were sometimes 80 new plays a season. What??? Some of the interviews were just absolutely classic – I am so glad I caught just a tiny bit of it. I made my pledge (I always need to be reminded – I am on a newsletter that lets me know when these fundraising drives occur) and sat back to just REVEL in the damn thing.<\/p>\n Stevie – Alex – Mitchell – Curly – have you seen this documentary? I know I saw the huge one on the Broadway musical (Broadway: The American Musical<\/i><\/a>)- that was ALSO on PBS, and it was something like a 10-part extravaganza – and it was unbelievable. It was on a couple of months ago, and I was home on a Saturday, and I watched the whole eniter THING.<\/p>\n But back to “The Golden Age”: First of all, the people they interviewed are just GIANTS to me. Angela Lansbury – talking about Mame<\/i> – and how it was really the only part she could remember really wanting<\/i>. And she really had to convince them that she could do it. She didn’t have a big enough name. But of course she ended up giving the performance of her life – a performance that is now seen as iconic. Lansbury said, near the close of the special, “I will never … ever … get a part like that again.” And she knew it at the time. She needed to come out of this enormous comfort zone to play that part (even though she was already VERY successful) – and boy did she ever.<\/p>\n Gena Rowlands! My own personal idol. She said, “We were live – there were no mikes on the actors – I remember watching a play with Ben Gazzara – who had the best speaking voice on Broadway – and I was sitting in the balcony, and he was whispering<\/i> – and I could hear it. We had trained voices then!” Then – the next clip was Ben Gazzara (who, please. I just absolutely love that guy) saying, with a wry little grin, “I remember whispering during some show I did – and being heard …”<\/p>\n What I wouldn’t give to see Ben Gazzara live. Those performances he gave in the 50s … I mean, they’re also iconic. People still reference them. They’re still seen as kind of IT. Here he is with Barbara Bel Geddes in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof<\/i>:<\/p>\n It also basically brought tears to my eyes to hear how many times Laurette Taylor was referenced. She is the guiding light – she’s “the one” we all aspire to. I didn’t even SEE her performance as Amanda Wingfield in the original Glass Menagerie<\/i> – of course I didn’t! It was in the 1940s!! But still. It’s a landmark. A high-water mark for everybody. Funny and weirdly gratifying thing: I am now #1 on Google for “Laurette Taylor”<\/a> because of this post.<\/a> I wrote that over 2 years ago. And slowly, without my knowing it, it has been climbing the Google rankings … I can’t tell you how many people have written to me because of that post. Laurette Taylor really MEANS something to people who know who she is. And most people don’t know who she is. One of our greatest American treasures – and no one knows who she is. Shame, shame, shame. Well, I am proud of the fact that my little post is up there at the top of the list – because it’s a tribute, basically – a tribute to this giant of American theatre. She should be remembered. And since that post is now #1, more and more people have been finding it (I can see in my traffic reports) – and that makes me feel even better.<\/p>\n People in the PBS special last night even say her name differently … it’s iconic. It means something. All you need to do in certain crowds is say “Laurette Taylor” and people just KNOW.<\/p>\n Elaine Stritch is just amazing, I love her crotchety honest old self. What a phenomenal performer. Truly.<\/p>\n Tommy Tune was interviewed and he said something about how he felt like it was a shame that “revivals” were taking up so much space – when there were so many NEW plays and musicals that should be nurtured! Then they cut immediately to Elaine Stritch and she says, “There are new generations who should see Kiss Me Kate – who should see Guys and Dolls – one of the greatest musicals ever written – I think the revival trend is great!” Wearing her little wool hat, with her pissed honest eyes. Love that woman. Love Tommy Tune, too. I can see both views …<\/p>\n There was a big section on Marlon Brando which was absolutely awesome. They interviewed Karl Malden – who worked with Brando many many times, also in Truckline Cafe<\/i> which was Brando’s big break. At least in the theatrical community. That’s when he became known to THEM. Streetcar<\/i> was when he crossed over into the public’s consciousness – but Truckline<\/i> was almost a bigger break, because it made Streetcar<\/i> possible. There are multiple eyewitness accounts (Pauline Kael, for one) of his performance in Truckline<\/i> – and how exciting it was. People literally thought they had found some guy off the street and put him on stage – it was that believable. Malden said something very interesting – that Brando “shattered the transitional period between two different styles of acting.” There was already a trend towards a more “realistic” style of acting – Montgomery Clift, etc. – and Brando basically trashed the old world with one performance. He didn’t set out to do that. That was not his goal. He just was a genius – it was his destiny, that’s all.<\/p>\n I did a Google search for photos of Brando in Truckline<\/i> – but nothing came up immediately. I did, however, find a page of his notes that he made for The Godfather<\/i> on the back of the pages of his script. It’s an insight into the mind of a great actor. I love stuff like this because it is evidence that Brando wasn’t just a freak-talent – who worked on instinct. He was a craftsman. He thought about his work. He made choices based on script analysis. The things all competent actors should do. It’s just that his instrument, his emotional instrument, was 100% available to him when he got “in the moment”. Most actors are lucky if they get to 80 or 90 percent, and they cherish those rare moments when they are 100%. Brando just got out of the damn way when he was acting. No barrier between himself and his impulses. Very very rare.<\/p>\n But look at his notes here:<\/p>\n #Nose broken early in youth to account for difficulty …<\/p>\n Gives me chills.<\/p>\n They interviewed Kim Hunter who said, “When you act opposite that kind of truth – it makes you better than you think you are. You are in a whole new world.” Then there was a still from the Broadway production of Streetcar<\/i> – black and white – Marlon, in his sweat-stained T shirt, holding onto Kim Hunter’s arms, and yelling at her. It was a still: And my God. It was so damn real – Humphrey Bogart always said that, in acting, “Truth should be 6 feet back in your eyes.” That photograph of Marlon Brando is exactly what he was talking about.<\/p>\n Kim Hunter said something really interesting. She said, “Brando made bad choices onstage. Brando made mistakes, and he made wrong choices. But one thing he never was – was a phony.”<\/p>\n And that, my friends, is an acting genius.<\/p>\n They interviewed Jerry Orbach quite a bit. I miss that man, I really do. What a career.<\/p>\n Basically, the whole time I was watching last night – I yearned for a time machine. I would literally kill to be able to see Brando as Stanley, or Gena Rowlands in Middle of the Night<\/i>, Ben Gazzara in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof<\/i>, Lansbury as Mame, Gwen Verdon in pretty much anything … these giants. Giants of the American theatre.<\/p>\n I am certainly hoping that there is a repeat of Broadway: The Golden Age<\/i> – I missed the beginning of it. And I look forward to the next 2 installments which apparently take us up to the present day. Through the revolutionary theatrical moment that was Hair<\/i> … up to now.<\/p>\n Oh, and Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson joined the telethon host in the studio – to talk about their experiences in the New York theatre throughout the years. They have seen it all. They were THERE. It was great – Strange. Seeing the two of them is somehow like seeing an old friend. Their work, and not just their work, but their LIVES – have been such an inspiration to me personally.<\/p>\n It’s funny: I admire these people SO MUCH for performances I have never seen. I think it was John Gielgud who said that acting in the theatre was like “sculpting in snow” and it is very true. We have eyewitness accounts. And for the more recent shows, we have video of it. But there is nothing like seeing it live. Nothing. It’s sacred to me – live theatre – and so seeing these people – like Wallach – who gave performances on Broadway during the 50s and 60s that people STILL talk about – hell, look at me, I’M talking about them and I didn’t even see them – is very moving to me. Their work means so much to me.<\/p>\n I grew up on public television (zoom-ah-zoom-ah-zoom-ah-zoom And, of course, Masterpiece Theater. COME ON!!). Supporting public television is kinda engrained in me. Last night was a gorgeous moment when I remembered why! Money well spent.<\/p>\n Beautiful documentary!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last night, I happened to catch the final half-hour of a certain fund-raising drive on my local PBS channel – and they were showing an absolutely MARVELOUS documentary called Broadway: The Golden Age. It’s eventually going to be a 3-part … Continue reading