BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL - new series on PBS

Yes, let's have some Donald O'Connor stories, please!

I just remember tooling by his house on my bike -- never did get to meet him. Awwwww....

He had already made "Singin' in the Rain" which I saw at the old Alex Theater in Glendale -- now used for a loT of stage presentations including the taping of the "Last Comic Standing" TV series. I guess he decided to invest in the very large corner home in what is literally a small LA suburb nestled in a glen or dale (hence Glendale!) of the foothills of the Mt. Wilson range.

awwww is right. Ill be copying his A&E bio shortly. I'll check out his house (if they show it) (lol)

I'll have to look for that bio! Perhaps they will show the house as he owned if for at least a decade and I'm not sure where he moved to after that (I think the Hollwood Hills where he many have again been my neighbor!) The Rat Pack used to gather at I think Joey Bishop's home on the very top of the hill and we could spy on them with a telescope in the back patio. 'Lizabeth Scott (a big Lesbian) lived down the street -- Hollywood Blvd. in the hills above Laurel Canyon Drive. I was once whisked off to some private club up Laurel in a speeding Thunderbird and all I could think of was Montgomery Cliff having his accident on that same stretch of road after leaving Elizabeth's Taylor's house party. Yikes! (I made it out okay but didn't want to get in that car with Robin again, no -- not Batman's Robin but equally off-the-wall.)

I'll let you know if they show O'Connor's house. I'll probably copy it over the weekend. I remember Lizabeth Scott, with the deep throaty voice, in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. Actually, I saw almost every one of her movies. I read that she started out as an understudy for Tallulah Bankhead in B'way's Skin of Our Teeth.

One of my favorite films ("Martha Ivers") and Hollywood rumor was Lizabeth Scott and Barbara Stanwyck were an item at one time. Okay, I took Mom shopping at Bed and Bath and over lunch asked to confirm the Donald O'Conner history. I got my aunts mixed up -- he live near my Aunt Lois who had a very rural house in Sherman Oaks, California. So it wasn't Glendale. Mom said we did see Donald out doing gardening from time to time. This coincides with my Aunt Lois' small business in her home making decorative food covers for picnicking, made out of a or brass copper mesh. I do remember got suckered into cutting out some of the felt decorations for some lemonade and lunch. At least they should have served champagne! (Well, I was a bit young to be sipping on champagne).

Interesting story, L.W. I hope the lemonade wasn't spiked?

I found the O'Connor tape and hope I have the whole hour. I can't play it yet as I'm still recording musicals from TV. But, I'll let you know over the weekend.

I had heard about Lizabeth Scott, but not Barbara Stanwyck, and if you recall, Stanwyck played a Lesbian in love with Capucine in "Walk on the Wild Side", a role considered quite daring for her at the time. (The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is one of my favorites, too. )

Smiked lemonade? Not a good idea -- Sherman Oaks is in the San Fernando Valley and as I remember it was usually over 100 deg. during the day in the summer. Barbara was AC/DC as far as the rumors go. You know those Hollywood rumors. Actually wished I had more personal history with the Big White Way instead of Tinsel Town.

Lightwizard: I watched the Donald O'Connor bio this evening, but no pictures of his home in California. Just a mention that he was born in Chicago and later moved to California.
He certainly experienced a lot of tragedies, his father having died in his 40s, his six year old sister killed by a motorist while she was pushing Donald's stroller, and two brothers having died before they were in their 50s. Both of his parents had been circus performers turned vaudevilians with young Donald as part of their act. Donald was 11 when he made his first movie. For many years he was addicted to alcohol, which caused a rift in his marriage for some time. But, he overcame the addiction and reunited with his life for a marriage which lasted some 40 years or more.

He was a very private person -- the lots in that area of Sherman Oaks were enormous and the houses were set back deep under Oak and Eucalyptus trees. He could be seen puttering around the front gardens from time to time. At the time I didn't know exactly who he was and learned he was my aunt's neighbor when I was in college.

I then remembered seeing him once on my bicycle runs around my aunt's house.

I got my DVD set in the mail the other day. I've only had time to watch the first one.

Oh, and there is quite a bit of extra material. The first DVD has a few vaudeville clips and a couple of scenes from early talkies (Eddie Cantor and Bill Robinson), and a lot of interview footage that I really enjoyed.

Seems like it's worth it!

Definitely worth it!

I've decided to wait for the first episode to air again. If it's not on by spring, I'll buy it. I've got tapes and DVDs all over the room right now.

I'm recording a PBS Great Performances tape of Cameron MacIntosh right now. It's great. Judi Dench just sang Send in the Clowns (the best rendition I've heard yet).

The PBS station in New York is re-running the whole series sometime this weekend, so if your local PBS station is doing the same thing, you might be able to catch the first episode. Check your local listings (as they say).

Darn,Raggedy, I missed the Great Performances with Cameron MacInstosh and Judi Dench. What was the show called?

Yes, it's being run here again (LA area KCET).

Thanks Bree. I just checked. I missed it again. It was on Thursday. It won't be on this weekend.

Now, I'm watching Maria Friedman singing "How Many Tears" from what was supposed to be the "new" Martin Guere according to Julie Andrews. I wonder if Martin Guere ever made it to Broadway. Anyway, I never heard or saw Maria Friedman before and I like her voice and style.

Let me wind back and get the name, LW. I don't know when it was recorded.

Got it.
It's called Hey Mr. Producer, the Musical World of Cameron Macintosh. It was a performance before Queen Elizabeth at the Lyceum Theatre in London. It is great.