Printer Friendly - Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by TheGirlUpstairs 2012-11-20 07:15:35

Because Julie Andrews.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by hushpuppy 2012-11-20 07:18:42

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Well, the obvious answer was that she was too old for the part. Born in 1917, Martin was 47 in 1964. That's rather, um, mature, for a young postulant.

But one must also consider that, as big a star as she was on Broadway, Mary Martin was just not a big name in Hollywood. The last movie appearance she made was a cameo in MAIN STREET TO BROADWAY in 1953, and was more or less unknown to most of American moviegoers. The film's first director, William Wyler, had seen Julie Andrews on stage in MY FAIR LADY and thought she would be good in the part of Maria. He went to Walt Disney and asked to see the daily rushes from MARY POPPINS, which impressed him enough to sign Andrews for the movie version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC. It was a smart move, MARY POPPINS beacme a huge hit, no doubt helping pre-sell THE SOUND OF MUSIC to millions of families (mine included).

Lastly, listen to Mary Martin's voice. She has a pleasant, chirpy way of singing, but in no way comparable to Julie Andres soaring 4-octave soprano. Just compare their respective renditions of 'Do-Re-Mi'. Andrews' version ends on a exhilarating high note, while Martin's just sort of peters out. It may have been great on stage, but it wouldn't have impressed anyone sitting in the movie theatre.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by bobs3 2012-11-20 08:58:10

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Mary Martin was born December 1, 1913 (not 1917) which would have made her 51 when the movie was filmed in 1964 (released in 1965). If she had been born in 1917, then she would have been 13 years old when her son Larry Hagman was born in September 1931. Even by small town Texas standards that would be creepy.

At age 51, those film close-ups would have been devastating (if you think they used a lot of soft focus on Lucille Ball in MAME, you can imagine what Mary Martin would have looked like).

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by JoeKv99 2012-11-20 10:06:32

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The real question is why didn't Julia Andrews play Eliza Doolittle in the film version of My fair lady.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by Jon 2012-11-20 10:20:05

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Audrey Hepburn was cast baxcause the studio wanted a MOVIE star. They also wanted Cary Grant as Higgins and Jimmy Cagney as Doolittle.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by henrikegerman 2012-11-20 10:33:36

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Actually she was born in 1913, a 51 year old novice starting out in life would have been, to say the least, a stretch. And who would they have gotten as Georg, Spencer Tracy?

Andrews was a big up and coming star, notoriously passed over for My Fair Lady she was soon to be oscar winner Mary Poppins.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by BrodyFosse123 2012-11-20 11:50:21

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Julie Andrews was a hot ticket in Hollywood coming straight off her Academey Award winning performance in Walt Disney's MARY POPPINS. THE SOUND OF MUSIC was another case of something happening at the right time and a person literally being born to play a role. Everything was in the cards for the film adaptation of THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Everything.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by iflip4musicals 2012-11-20 12:06:20

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All of the above, but Mary Poppins hadn't come out when casting/filming was happening for Sound of Music.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by Mamie 2012-11-20 12:18:54

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I only saw Mary Martin once on stage but she was absolute magic when performing live. She could grab an audience and make you feel like you were her best friend and just about everyone who saw her just loved her. Unfortunately that magic never came through the camera. Even if age hadn't been a factor, I just don't think the movie would have been half as wonderful with her in it instead of Julie Andrews.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by South Fl Marc 2012-11-20 15:20:34

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Don't weep for Mary Martin. She brought the property to Rodgers and Hammerstein so she owned a percentage. She made more money from the movie "The Sound of Music" than she did for any show she was in.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by bobs3 2012-11-20 17:20:53

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"Don't weep for Mary Martin. She brought the property to Rodgers and Hammerstein so she owned a percentage. She made more money from the movie "The Sound of Music" than she did for any show she was in."

True, she and her husband (the co-producer of THE SOUND OF THE MUSIC") owned part of the show and they got a percentage of the profits from the film. When she was guest on The Mike Douglas Show in 1970s, she told him that they made over $8 million from the film. Julie Andrews was paid a flat rate of $250 thousand.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by frontrowcentre2 2012-11-20 17:23:36

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Not only did she get a cut of the film profits but also a percentage of the film soundtrack album sales! (This is noted in the recent book about Mary... She and her husband had to sue Rodgers and Hammerstein to get their share but they eventually did.)

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by luvbrdway 2012-11-20 17:31:01

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OMG I love that movie. I could watch the opening scene and credits for breakfast every morning.

Julie would have been wonderful in the movie version of My Fair Lady, but then she wouldn't have been in Mary Poppins. She would have been a fabulous Gueneviere (sp?) in the movie Camelot. Can't watch that movie without rolling my eyes at Vanessa Redgrave.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by degrassifan 2012-11-20 17:31:34

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Mary Martin was too old. She was never even an option.

Julie Andrews was the top contender. Wise, Chaplin, and Lehman knew of her from the stage, but there were rumors that Julie wasn't photogenic. Therefore, Wise and co went to the Disney lot and saw rushes of the yet unreleased Mary Poppins, and they loved what they saw. Julie was officially cast 8 months before Mary Poppins premiered.

Actually, I heard that she could have done Mary Poppins if she did My Fair Lady, but she wouldn't have been able to do "The Americanization of Emily."

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by bobs3 2012-11-20 17:36:13

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"Julie would have been wonderful in the movie version of My Fair Lady, but then she wouldn't have been in Mary Poppins. She would have been a fabulous Gueneviere (sp?) in the movie Camelot. Can't watch that movie without rolling my eyes at Vanessa Redgrave."

I disagree. Vanessa Redgrave is the best thing about that otherwise miscast and poorly directed, overblown film. It is one of those cases where less could have been more. After the travesty of "South Pacific", I don't know why anyone would have hired Joshua Logan to direct a film again (and to think he followed "Camelot" with the even more atrocious "Paint Your Wagon").

C'mon -- Los Angeles National Forest doubling for the English countryside and Renaissance style costumes in the 5th Century. Richard Harris could sing but he couldn't act the role, Franco Nero is a very handsome piece of wood with his phonetically spoken English with an Italian accent trying to do a faux French accent, David Hemmings probably could have been good but they cut his big and only song "The Seven Deadly Virtues" from the film.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by CarlosAlberto 2012-11-20 20:31:44

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I love how in the film of CAMELOT the "Lusty Month of May" sequence resembles a hippie love-in in the park. Every one has flowers in their long, flowing hair, running around barefoot...

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by Auggie27 2012-11-20 21:04:08

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Agreed. Watching CAMELOT today, Redgrave is the best thing in it. She damn near holds it together, excess be damned. She's neither sentimental nor cloyingly wide-eyed (which Andrews might've been, and don't scream, I'm a fan). Redgrave's performance makes the entire bloated enterprise feel, well, adult. In particular, the 2nd act material is immediate and .... grown up. Logan made many mistakes, including a bizarre use of badly lit close-ups that highlight dental work. Yet even those flaws manage to make Redgrave's work accessible. I would argue it's an under-appreciated film performance.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by bobs3 2012-11-21 04:01:49

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It is worth the price of the DVD to see Vanessa Redgrave perform "Take Me to the Fair" with the twinkle in her eyes as she sets her plan in motion.

Also, "Guenevere" where she does not say or sing a word. Her eyes do all of the brilliant acting.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by allofmylife 2012-11-21 04:20:59

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I saw the original "Camelot" as a child and from my misty memories, I can tell you Julie Andrews was a STAR, not a dewy-eyed kid, in any scene of the show. Watch the Sullivan footage to see for yourself. She had starred in the most successful show on Broadway to that time and was being paid a fortune to co-star with Burton. She would have been amazing in the movie version, but sadly, her two best roles onstage were given to two non-singers who, for me, made both films pretty much unwatchable.

BTW, those are my family's three WORLD PREMIERE programs.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by allofmylife 2012-11-21 04:21:12

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Excuze-moi. Le post double.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by CarlosAlberto 2012-11-21 06:11:50

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allofmylife, did you see the Canadian run of the show? Were Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet in the Canadian run of the show? The flyer behind the programs is an advert for the O'Keefe Center of the Performing Arts. CAMELOT must have been the first musical performed there, the Center opened in October of 1960.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by best12bars 2012-11-21 07:33:51

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According to Wikipedia, Camelot's out-of-town tryout was indeed at the O'Keefe Center in Toronto. It was also over four hours long!

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by bobs3 2012-11-21 10:55:18

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Didn't Richard Burton exercise an out-clause in his contract and leave the show to go to Rome to film a movie? According to legend some very interesting and scandalous events (for the time) happened on the set of that film. Anyone remember the name of the movie?

Before you get your panties in a bunch -- it's sarcasm, Sheldon.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by henrikegerman 2012-11-21 11:57:53

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Did Redgrave do her own singing in Camelot? If not it's very well matched.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by PalJoey 2012-11-21 13:43:36

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Was Mary Martin any older than Glenn Close was when she played Nellie Forbush?

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by EricMontreal22 2012-11-21 16:02:04

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Agreed on Redgrave.

Josh Logan was apparently a brilliant stage director (I've seen the B&W film of the London production of South Pacific with Mary Martin, and I have to admit the staging feels relatively modern even now--the way he cinematically transitions scenes, etc). But the films of his I known are always ridiculously overblown and heavy seeming--Camelot being perhaps the most extreme. Picnic is a good example--he did it on stage, and it's best with a simple staging, but in the film they seem to spend 30 mins showing us a "real" (and huge) actual Country Fair, etc.

(And yes, Redgrave is great in the movie--I don't think Andrews would have fit at all in Logan's vision of the film).

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by GavestonPS 2012-11-21 18:16:34

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Was Mary Martin any older than Glenn Close was when she played Nellie Forbush?

Probably not and I'm not a fan of the film or Close's performance. But I sort of bought the age because Nellie's naivete came out of her relatively sheltered upbringing in Arkansas, not from literally being a teenager.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by Caring Soul 2012-11-22 03:16:03

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Julie Andrews' sugary sweetness wears thin after a while. I even got sick of her in Sound of Music. So glad that Audrey Hepburn was cast in My Fair Lady. She was a real movie star.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by jayinchelsea 2012-11-22 08:21:00

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When Audrey Hepburn was cast as Eliza in the film of MY FAIR LADY, she assumed she would be doing her own singing, and she worked very hard to prepare for the role. She did pre-record all of her musical numbers, and it was only after the film was in production that a decision was made to dub her with the ubiquitous Marni Nixon. Audrey was devastated by this, but she still managed to give an incandescent performance. To call it "unwatchable" is totally inappropriate.

Through the magic of video and YouTube we can now see and hear Audrey singing the entire score. While it's true that songs like "I Could Have Danced All Night" were beyond her vocal limits, watching her do "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" is heartbreaking. It is the perfect blend of acting and singing, and perhaps the producers might have been more judicious in simply dubbing almost all of her songs (she can still be heard in the first half of "Just You Wait").

As to Mary Martin (that was the initial thread), she had had her shot at Hollywood stardom in the early 1940s, but the vehicles were weak, and what made her special on stage simply didn't transfer to film. When she returned to Broadway in 1943 in ONE TOUCH OF VENUS, she became an enormous star, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by allofmylife 2012-11-22 16:37:33

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CarlosAlberto, "Camelot" was the first show I ever saw, as a very young child. It was also the World Premiere of both the show and The Okeeffe Center in Toronto, a vast barn of a theatre that rivalled The Uris (Gershwin) in size and utter lack of character.

The show did, indeed, run over 4 hours (I remember pee breaks, which a kid could do unescorted back then and not end up on the side of a milk carton).

The show had "Then You May Take Me To The Fair" and "Fie on Goodness" (a great number) and according to the program (I don't remember this) the first of three ballads tried out at the beginning of Act Two between Lance and Jenny.

I read somewhere that Lerner, Loewe AND director Moss Heart all had heart attacks during the Toronto run and ended up working on the show from adjoining hospital beds. Sounds like a great press agent's story, but who knows....

While I can't remember much about the show itself (I was just a kid) I do remember the plushness of the orchestra and Robert Goulet's amazing voice.

Decades later, I arranged for my parents to see Goulet at the Imperial Room, the classiest supper club in Toronto and mentioned to the maitre'd Louis Jannetta, my parents connection to Goulet. (Camelot made him a star) and when Robert performed, he wandered over and sat with my mother and sang "If Ever I Would Leave You" to her. It made her day, week, moth and a few years.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by GavestonPS 2012-11-22 19:26:38

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Moss Hart had a heart attack (and died a year after the show opened).

Alan Jay Lerner had bleeding ulcers.

Fritz Loewe had heart problems and became so fed up he basically retired after CAMELOT.

Lots of casualties to make what is basically just a lovely recording.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by degrassifan 2012-11-23 03:26:28

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Fyi, there's an unofficial Julie Andrews marathon on ABC Family, Friday, November 23, 2012, with "Eloise at Christmastime," "The Princess Diaries," and "Mary Poppins." All back-to-back in that order beginning at 11 AM. Then, coincidentally, "My Fair Lady" airs the same day at 8 PM on TCM, followed by "Camelot" at 11 PM!

Enjoy

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by allofmylife 2012-11-23 06:55:48

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GavestonPS, that's not necessarily the best way to describe "Camelot." It did run for 873 performances - 170 more than "Gypsy" - and that was a sizable and respectable run back then. The show was underwritten by studios and recording companies, so it would be interesting to see how it fared. It had a long run at Drury Lane in London (518 perf.) and is still a top earner for Tams Witmark AND it has one of the best OCR ever laid down, so all-in-all, Fritz Loewe retired to the Chemine de Fer tables of Monaco with a good nest egg.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by CarlosAlberto 2012-11-23 09:48:35

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Thanks allofmylife for answering my question! You were exposed to the magic of live theater at a very young age and your love for it shows...thanks for sharing your memories!

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by EricMontreal22 2012-11-23 13:48:06

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I'd argue Gaveston's point, as well--not because I think it's a great musical. I've always had problems with it--but I think the music, and the OBCR is beyond lovely--it's one of my favorites ever recorded. I'd call Lolita, My Love a lovely recording (well, if the recording was official), I'd call Camelot's a great recording. What a score!

And I echo Carlos' thoughts--great to read your memories, allofmylife!

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by GavestonPS 2012-11-23 18:07:19

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I have no problem calling CAMELOT a "great" recording. I dig it out at least once a year and listen to it several dozen times. (Among other things, I think "Guinevere" is a beautifully executed example of a type of song that most other writers shouldn't even attempt.)

And I apologize, Allofmylife; I did know that the show was a respectable success during its original run, thanks largely to its appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.

I was thinking more in terms of what Hart/Lerner/Loewe left to musical history. I know amateur groups like to put on tights and run around waving swords, but I have never seen a production (least of all the revival starring Richard Burton) where I wasn't largely bored.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by GavestonPS 2012-11-23 18:12:37

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And to the person who complained of Julie Andrews' "sugary sweetness", I think that's more Maria von Trapp (as written for Mary Martin) than Julie Andrews. Mutual friends tell me Andrews is lovely in person, but she has played plenty of roles that weren't so "sweet". Mary Poppins, for one, is actually rather stern, if not so stern as the "super nanny" of the books.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by GavestonPS 2012-11-23 19:40:11

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allofmylife, it occurred to me just now that I might be stomping on a favorite childhood memory of yours. I'm sorry if it seems that way and I readily admit my excitement when my junior/senior high school announced they would be doing the show in the late 60s. (The production was later cancelled for reasons having nothing to do with the choice of show.)

It's just that when viewing CAMELOT as an adult, I've noticed that each time the singing stops, my mind tends to wander. And as a rule, I'm quite fond of sword-and-cape plays.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by degrassifan 2012-11-23 20:52:39

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Watched Mary Poppins earlier today, and she really is an uppity b-word if you really think about it. And, I agree about the Maria von Trapp sweetness. That's how the character has always been written (The Sound of Music, Die Trapp Familie, The Trapp Family anime television show, etc).

My Fair Lady is on now, and although Audrey did a great job, I can't help but think how Julie would have been in the role. Do you guys think Julie Andrews truly won the Oscar because of her performance in Mary Poppins, or because it was Hollywood's way of saying "sorry for not getting the My Fair Lady role," or both? I think she should've also won the Oscar for The Sound of Music though. That's a better role in my opinion. I guess winning the Golden Globe twice in a row and being nominated again was better than nothing.

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by allofmylife 2012-11-24 04:32:05

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Actually, the highlight of my childhood was seeing "Gypsy" when we were in New York, the first of many, many trips in my youth to see Broadway. It helps to have parents who are in the business (even if not in New York) and are willing to sit through any musical, as my folks were.

As I have said before here, my parents used to joke that I called The Merm, "The Loud Lady."

Back to Camelot, the sets will always linger in my mind. They were so lavish (look at the two foot thick lip they build to look like a solid piece of marble on the floor of the proscenium) while still looking very early 60s simplistic. It's interesting, also, to look at the photos of the Drury Lane production. They took the original plans and slathered on lots of period detail and made sets that seem utterly lifeless. I guess there is something to be said for simplicity (even lavish simplicity.)

Why didn't Mary Martin get the role of Maria over Julie Andrews for the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Posted by jayinchelsea 2012-11-24 07:12:39

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Yes, degrassifan, I think Julie won both for her performance AND as consolation for not playing Eliza on film. And although she might have won twice in a row, that other Julie (Christie) was the "it" girl of the moment, and her Oscar for DARLING was not a surprise (still a dazzling performance).