Friday, August 19, 2011

Week of August 19: Streisand On the Small Screen

By Sylvia Gurinsky

One of the few (very few) redeeming pieces of new programming in the current PBS pledge drive is "Barbra Streisand: One Night Only at the Village Vanguard," a cabaret-style concert she performed in Greenwich Village in 2009.

It's another great performance, and a reminder of the close relationship Streisand has had with television for the last 50 years.

It's hard to believe 1961 was that long ago, but that's when 19-year-old Streisand made her television debut on NBC's "The Jack Paar Show." Paar was likely very sorry to have missed that program, guest-hosted by Orson Bean ("Dr. Quinn") and featuring author Gore Vidal and comedienne Phyllis Diller as guests:

http://vodpod.com/watch/330954-barbra-streisands-first-tv-appearance-circa-1961

During the early 1960s, Streisand appeared on numerous variety shows. Memorably, this included "The Judy Garland Show" on CBS, where the legend (Garland) sang with the legend in the making (Streisand):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYpcFHtxm60

In 1965, while she was still performing on Broadway in "Funny Girl," she did her first special for CBS, called "My Name is Barbra." The special included the memorable "Poverty Medley," filmed in the middle of the night in the fashionable Bergdorf Goodman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JoNj6osYM8

The only thing that could have improved it was color. "Color Me Barbara," aired in 1966, featured Streisand at the Philadelphia Museum of Art:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udpu1jIxoXg&feature=related

In 1967, Streisand performed a wonderful live concert, "A Happening In Central Park." Here she is singing one of her standards, "He Touched Me.":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aIYqGZErxo&feature=related

In 1980, she appeared on the Grammy Awards, singing "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" with her Erasmus Hall High School choir mate, Neil Diamond:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj10EzNKA2M

She would again electrify audiences during her 1993-94 concert tour - my favorite of her live performances. Helped by fellow Oscar winner Marvin Hamlisch, who was the musical director, Streisand had an autobiographical perspective through music. It started with her entrance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPA0Pppen40

To celebrate the millenium, she also did a concert called "Timeless." Here, she sings the title song from "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever," one of the Broadway musicals for which she did the movie version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNN0zYLRDWU

Just about everything's available on DVD. Enjoy!

See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!



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