Bell Telephone Hour Tribute to Harold Arlen

I have to confess, I don't know much about the music or career of Harold Arlen. Yes, his most famous song is "Some Where Over the Rainbow." But what else did he do? Well, this Bell Telephone Hour Tribute gives only a sense of his musical contributions. The problem with the format may be that producers try to accomplish too much in a very limited amount of time.

Dinah Shore presents nearly half the songs in this presentation, which offers 37 of Arlen's songs. That allows for about a minute and a half per song--not enough to really give them their due. Ms. Shore is a very likeable performer, as are her castmates--Gordon MacRae, Gretchen Wyler, and Leslie Uggams. I was taken aback by the appearance of Mr. MacRae, who appeared to have aged significantly from his Carousel/Okalhoma days a decade earlier. He sings well enough, but perhaps not as robustly as I remember from his heyday.

Included is a performance of "Stormy Weather", but it's not sung--it's performed by Duke Ellington and his band. Given the strength of this song in a catalogue that is not all that familiar to people, why would they not have Leslie Uggams (who seems to channel Lena Horne) sing this song? Ms. Uggams gives a lovely rendition of "Sleepin' Bee" from the Arlen/Truman Capote musical House of Flowers; that song was introduced in the show by Diahann Carroll in her Broadway debut.

I also have some qualms about there being NO duets in this performance.

Bell Telephone Hour Tribute to Harold Arlen
Broadcast in December 1965
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by Ted Koehler, Truman Capote, Yip Harburg and others
Cast: Dinah Shore, Leslie Uggams, Gretchen Wyler, Gordon MacRae, Duke Ellington

Jerry Herman's Broadway: Live at the Hollywood Bowl on DVD

Tribute shows to performers or composers can really run the gamut from embarrassing to terrific, with a lot of smaltz in between. Fortunately, Jerry Herman's Broadway: Live at the Hollywood Bowl reaches nearer the terrific end of that spectrum.

One thing I like about Jerry Herman's music is that it has a strong structure; there is an introduction, an A section, a repeat of the A section, a short B section, and than a triumphant return to the A section often one step up in key. AABA--no, it's not that group that sang Mama Mia, it's a classic musical structure, and it works. Herman writes tunes you can hum, and anthems you can belt.

The cast of this tribute show is generally very good, and while several are "well-seasoned" shall we say, most remained near the top of their game at the time this show was taped in 1994. These singers know how to sell a song, when to raise the arms, how to tilt the head back, how long to hold the final note. If I have one objection to the show it is that too many of the songs are in that vein. I wished for a couple of downbeat songs that ended quietly--but that's not Mr. Herman, so he can't be held accountable.

There are the requisite taped interviews congratulating the honoree, most of which seem unnecessary. Jerry, I'll give you Angela Lansbury, but Linda and Paul McCartney?

Most of the songs included are the typical show-stopper types familiar from his shows. But if you only know Mame and Hello, Dolly, you'll hear wonderful songs from Mack and Mabel, La Cage aux Folles, and Dear World (which I had never heard of). I was particularly taken with the singing by Leslie Uggams, who I will need to check out more of during my Year.

Jerry Herman's Broadway: Live at the Hollywood Bowl
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
Filmed in 1994
Cast: Leslie Uggams, Rita Moreno, George Hearn, Beatrice Authur, Davis Gaines, Carol Channing, Florence Lacey, Lorna Luft, Lee Roy Reams