Lucille Ball as Mame was an outrage at the time—and Angela Lansbury fans are still not over it. Neither are Tony winner Robert Horn (Tootsie) or Movie Musical Madness host Mark Peikert, who had to watch Ball croak and lumber her way through this Jerry Herman score in the 1974 film. But if you get past her singing limitations, is America’s favorite redhead an effective Auntie Mame? Did Tony winner Bea Arthur save the day? And who the hell serves baked monkey at a party? Almost fifty years after its release, does Mame still deserve its reputation?
Ugly Betty and Torch Song star Michael Urie loves Hello, Dolly! and Barbra Streisand. Movie Musical Madness host Mark Peikert loves exactly half of those things. Can they agree on the 1969 film adaptation of the beloved Jerry Herman classic? Just how out of touch was this movie in a year that also saw the release of Easy Rider? Was Carol Channing OK being passed over to recreate her role? Why did star Walter Matthau use the expression “butterfly fart”? And is Hello, Dolly! even a good story? From terrible impressions (is that Mark doing Sarah Paulson doing Kathleen Turner?) to second-hand stories from firsthand sources, this episode demands you put on your Sunday clothes and listen.
Julie Halston sits down with Mark Peikert to discuss the 1962 film version of Gypsy (not the good one with Bette Midler, the other one). What was anyone thinking, adding voiceover narration? Why was Rosalind Russell dressed like a Revolutionary War soldier in some scenes? And why did Julie end up in tears while teaching a class to aspiring cabaret performers? Tune in and hear behind-the-scenes stories from Julie’s time in the show on Broadway, Mark’s shady past with Laurette Taylor, and why The Song of Bernadette is a big deal.
Join host Mark Peikert and Broadway fave Jay Armstrong Johnson as they step up and turn out to discuss the 1985 A Chorus Line film. Does it matter that Cassie shows up late? (Yes!) Do the new songs hold up next to the originals? (No!) And just where is the sex studio Cassie and Zach reminisce about? In a world where jazz hands indicate “sexy,” no performance is off limits!
