tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26446417136583302812023-03-19T19:01:26.176-07:00Broadway Baby of CAAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.comBlogger268125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-9299519511531641362014-04-16T23:04:00.001-07:002014-04-16T23:04:01.815-07:00Can you pick the Countries More Populated Than California - Sporcle Games & TriviaThere will be a post coming soon (after Easter!). But in the meantime, take a shot at testing your knowledge of the World's Population. Click the link below to take a fantastic quiz I made!<br /><br />
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<a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/BiggBogie/more_populated_than_california#6hfUCYcyI0UFAYHZ.15">Can you pick the Countries More Populated Than California - Sporcle Games & Trivia</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-91658307356886315022014-03-21T17:25:00.000-07:002014-03-21T17:25:29.526-07:00THE MUPPET SHOW: Every Episode Ranked - The Best Episode of All Time!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>THE MUPPET SHOW</u></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>EVERY EPISODE RANKED</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked.html">PART I</a> </b></span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_11.html">PART II</a> </b><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_13.html">PART III</a> </b><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_14.html">PART IV</a></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_15.html">PART V</a> </b></span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_16.html">PART VI</a> </b><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_17.html">PART VII</a> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_18.html">PART VIII</a></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_20.html">10. ELTON JOHN</a> <a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_20.html">9. BERNADETTE PETERS</a> </b></span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_20.html">8. BROOKE SHIELDS</a></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_20.html">7. RAQUEL WELCH</a> </b><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_7469.html">6. DIANA ROSS</a> <a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_7469.html">5. ALAN ARKIN</a></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_7469.html">4. CAROL BURNETT</a> </b></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_21.html">3. JULIE ANDREWS</a> <a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_21.html">2. JOHN CLEESE</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">AND NOW...</span></b><br />
<b style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><u>THE BEST EPISODE OF ALL TIME!</u></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1. HARRY BELAFONTE</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 3, Episode 14 - Fozzie the Writer</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Writing is a very hard profession. It is much harder than most people think it is. It is difficult even for the most intelligent of minds. So why the heck does Fozzie Bear think he can be the show's writer and all he needs is a typewriter?!?!?!? Despite his lacking, Fozzie tries his hand at scripting the show (as its going on!). And with a guest star like the worldly singer/songwriter Harry Belafonte, </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">he wants to make the show perfect (then maybe he shouldn't be writing it, but I digress!). Belafonte begins his appearance by singing his most famous tune "The Banana Boat Song (Day-O!)." It was the first time he sang it on Television and Fozzie worked in his Fozzie Bear-way to make it special. Watch below as Fozzie and Harry (and other Muppets) try "do this song right" (especially watch Belafonte's reactions to Fozzie!).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The humor in this episode and some of the other numbers are fantastic (including a drum battle between Mr. Belafonte and Animal!). All of that certainly makes it "Top 10 Worthy," but the episode is sent into the proverbial stratosphere by its finale. Mr. Belafonte (like Mr. Cleese) wanted to be very much involved in the material he did on the show. And he wanted to sing a song that he wrote while travelling in Africa. He played the song for Jim Henson and the Muppet creative team and they were extremely impressed. Henson himself oversaw the construction of the Muppets used for the number (which are various African Masked Muppets). The number, entitled "Turn the World Around," is one of the most rousing, inspirational and heartwarming songs ever performed by the Muppets. And it became a personal favorite of Henson (Belafonte performed the song at Henson's memorial service in 1990).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It is a perfect ending to a perfect episode!</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;">NOW, GO OUT AND SEE <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQiGyBiNjLI">MUPPETS MOST WANTED</a></i>!!!!</span></u></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-6157098583041893102014-03-21T11:28:00.000-07:002014-03-21T11:28:08.239-07:00THE MUPPET SHOW: Every Episode Ranked - The TOP TEN (Part C)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>THE MUPPET SHOW</u></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>EVERY EPISODE RANKED</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked.html">PART I</a> </b></span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_11.html">PART II</a> </b><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_13.html">PART III</a> </b><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_14.html">PART IV</a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_15.html">PART V</a> </b></span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_16.html">PART VI</a> </b><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_17.html">PART VII</a> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_18.html">PART VIII</a></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_20.html">10. ELTON JOHN</a> <a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_20.html">9. BERNADETTE PETERS</a></b></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_20.html">8. BROOKE SHIELDS</a> <a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_20.html">7. RAQUEL WELCH</a></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_7469.html">6. DIANA ROSS</a> <a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_7469.html">5. ALAN ARKIN</a> <a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_7469.html">4. CAROL BURNETT</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>#'s 3 & 2</u></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3. JULIE ANDREWS</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 2, Episode 17 - Don't Have a Cow!</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">She twirled on mountaintops, flew over London with a carpetbag and an umbrella and was the undisputed "fair lady" of the Great White Way. Julie Andrews was a marvelous guest star for <i>The Muppet Show</i> and her episode is "practically perfect." Ms. Andrews performs <b>two</b> Rodgers and Hammerstein songs on the show: one from <i>The King and I</i> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLIDuu1XsRc">with the Muppet monsters</a>) and the other from <i>The Sound of Music</i> (the Musical to which she will <b><i>forever</i></b> be associated, below). In addition to those fantastic numbers, she sings <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGHIsS4B5mY">a song to Kermit which she actually wrote!</a> She also has one of the best <a href="http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Talk_Spots">"Talk Spots"</a> in the history of the show (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFl8Y8rPk74">it's my brother's favorite!</a>). During all of this, Kermit is flummoxed to find a live cow backstage (not a Muppet cow and <b>actual</b> <i><b>cow</b></i>!). He enlists Scooter to find out where it came from and figure out what to do with it (and he's not pleased when Scooter's solutions include the Swedish Chef and the Flying Zucchini Brothers!). And of course, Gonzo falls for the cow! I won't spoil for you where the cow came from (you do find out!) because its something that has to be seen in the context of the episode (cause its hilarious!).</span><br />
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<b>2. JOHN CLEESE</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 2, Episode 23 - Stop the Show, I Want to Get Off!</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">John Cleese is probably one of the funniest people on the planet. Just watch him in things like <i>A Fish Called Wanda</i> or <i>Fawlty Towers</i> or anything with the <i>Monty Python</i> banner on it. He is also a very creative and very involved performer; so much so that when he was asked to appear on <i>The Muppet Show</i>, he asked if he could sit in on the writers' meetings and actually work on shaping the episode with them! And together they came up with (in certainly my brother's opinion, and I pretty much agree) what is the funniest episode in the show's canon. According to the show's head writer, the late Jerry Juhl, it was Cleese who came up with the concept that he is the guest star who <b><i>absolutely</i></b> <b><i>does NOT</i></b> want to do the show. And of course, this concept gave the writers some great leeway and hilarious material. A major highlight is the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLQLJF7FWU8">"Pigs In Space"</a> sketch where Cleese is "forced" to play a pirate who mistakes the Swinetrek for a ship on the sea. But the funniest moment (quite possibly the show's funniest moment ever!) is the finale in which...well just watch it below! Another highlight in the episode is the Great Gonzo's cannonball-catching act (and you can just imagine what that entails!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Later Today: The Best Episode of All-Time!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-620797456241766362014-03-20T19:32:00.000-07:002014-03-21T11:38:56.930-07:00THE MUPPET SHOW: Every Episode Ranked - The TOP TEN (Part B)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>THE MUPPET SHOW</u></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>EVERY EPISODE RANKED</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked.html">PART I</a> </b><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_11.html">PART II</a> </b><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_13.html">PART III</a> </b><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_14.html">PART IV</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_15.html">PART V</a> </b><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_16.html">PART VI</a> </b><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_17.html">PART VII</a> </b><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_18.html">PART VIII</a></b></span></div>
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<b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_20.html" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">10. ELTON JOHN</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_20.html" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">9. BERNADETTE PETERS</a></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_20.html">8. BROOKE SHIELDS</a> <a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_20.html">7. RAQUEL WELCH</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>#'s 6 - 4</u></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">6. DIANA ROSS</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 4, Episode 24 - What an Audience Wants</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When one of the biggest superstars in the world guests on your show, of course the audience will want nothing but that superstar. The Muppet writers know this and they used it as the primary storyline of the episode starring "Supreme" diva Diana Ross. The Muppet audience, which is usually apathetic to what the Muppets have to offer (with the exception of Statler & Waldorf!), this time is fairly hostile to the Muppet gang when they are doing anything that has nothing to do with Ms. Ross (they start scoring the acts like Olympic judges!). Ms. Ross is a hit with the audience singing her songs <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07oCRs8vLwY">"Love Hangover,"</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lWshR-omK4">"Last Time I Saw Him"</a> and the anthem "Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand" (seen below). The audience jeers everything else from "Pigs In Space" to a charming rendition of "I Go to Rio" to Fozzie Bear's act (naturally!) to Beaker singing "Feelings" (don't ask, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L5kr3Nrliw">just watch!</a>).</span><br />
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<b>5. ALAN ARKIN</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 4, Episode 20 - Nowhere to Hyde</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Alan Arkin is one of the best character actors of his generation. He's been in countless films and even has earned an Academy Award (for playing the foul-mouthed grandfather in <i>Little Miss Sunshine</i>!). His varied character parts have ranged from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Russians_Are_Coming,_the_Russians_Are_Coming">a frazzled Russian officer</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wait_Until_Dark_(film)">a deranged criminal</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argo_(2012_film)">a Hollywood producer</a>. Yet, variety performer is not the first thing people think of when they see Mr. Arkin. The Muppet writers cleverly play with this by having him accidentally drink Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's Jekyll-Hyde potion (seriously, don't ask!). It turns him into a horrible, raging monster that violently throws the Muppets around (witness the rendition of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" below!). He does manage to get perform one number...<a href="http://youtu.be/kcZHJfZJNgU?t=2m55s">one that he composed himself</a> (You didn't know he was a songwriter did you?!?!?). Also in this episode is a truly awesome rendition of Charlie Daniels' classic <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq4KcI9AGl0">"The Devil Went Down to Georgia."</a></span><br />
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<b>4. CAROL BURNETT</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 5, Episode 15 - They Shoot Muppets Don't They?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Muppet writers are on a roll! When they latch onto the theme, they go all out. And this episode is no exception (it won the 1981 Emmy for Best Writing of a Variety Series!). With the Queen of TV Variety Carol Burnett as the guest star, you know it will be funny. But you never expect a theme like this. The Great Gonzo apparently talked Kermit into revolving the whole show around a Dance Marathon. Gonzo is so determined for this marathon to be successful...and his idea of success is everyone falling to the floor lifeless from exhaustion (again, don't ask!). Of course, Kermit is uneasy with this whole idea and it certainly doesn't sit well with the guest star (especially when she meets the partner Gonzo has chosen for her, below!). Kermit does try to give her the variety show she was promised, but Gonzo's Dance Marathon invades everything from <a href="http://youtu.be/KhngNMu-bL8?t=2m42s">"Pigs In Space"</a> to <a href="http://youtu.be/DeB97bepp5A?t=5m37s">Burnett's songs</a>. It is probably the funniest Dance Marathon ever to occur!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_21.html">Tomorrow: The TOP THREE!</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-50638171205859502302014-03-20T11:45:00.002-07:002014-03-20T19:34:52.441-07:00THE MUPPET SHOW: Every Episode Ranked - The TOP TEN (Part A)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>THE MUPPET SHOW</u></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>EVERY EPISODE RANKED</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked.html">PART I</a> </b></span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_11.html">PART II</a> </b><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_13.html">PART III</a> </b><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_14.html">PART IV</a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_15.html">PART V</a> </b></span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_16.html">PART VI</a> </b><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_17.html">PART VII</a> </span></b><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_18.html"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">PART VIII</span></a></b></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>#'s 10 - 7</u></b></span><br />
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<b>10. ELTON JOHN</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 2, Episode 14 - Scooter's Song</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">First of all, Elton John is one of the greatest pop-rock songwriters of all-time. His appearance on <i>The Muppet Show</i> is quite possibly the best episode as far as use of Music goes. He sings four of his biggest hits on the show: "Crocodile Rock" (seen below), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvu2Q4BsE2U">"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,"</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol9EEa6MNHA">"Bennie and the Jets"</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OX2WErOvD4">"Don't Go Breakin' My Heart"</a> (in which Kiki Dee is replaced by Miss Piggy!). The only qualm I have about this episode is Sir Elton's acting. It is just this side of atrocious, but at least he tries (and I have to say, in his many TV appearances as himself over the years since, he <b>has </b>gotten much better!).</span><br />
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<b>9. BERNADETTE PETERS</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 2, Episode 12 - Just One Person</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I have been privileged enough to see Bernadette Peters live on Broadway twice and she was nothing short of phenomenal both times. On this episode, she sings two absolutely charming songs (one with the Muppet Monsters and the other with Jug Band). But the biggest highlight of the episode comes thanks to the littlest Muppet, Robin the Frog. Robin, Kermit's nephew, is frustrated that no one pays attention to him because he is so small. He decides to run away from home and goes to Ms. Peters to say "Goodbye." In response, she (with help from some of the other Muppets) sings what has since become one of the most iconic and most touching songs in Muppet history, "Just One Person" (which first appeared in a flop Broadway Musical based on the <i>Peanuts</i> cartoons entitled <i>Snoopy!</i>). The episode is filled with other great things, but the song (seen below) is so beautiful and powerful that you could read the phone book afterwards and it would <b>still</b> be a great episode.</span><br />
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<b>8. BROOKE SHIELDS</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 5, Episode 6 - Brooke In MuppetLand</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Brooke Shields was indeed the youngest guest star in <i>Muppet Show</i> history. In honor of her youth, the Muppet writers decided to have the Muppets perform Lewis Carroll's <i>Alice's Adventures In Wonderland</i> with Brooke cast as Alice. With her wide-eyed innocence, Brooke Shields is the perfect choice and she willingly plays along with the zaniness of these disarming Muppets (she even helped build some of the puppets during her breaks from filming!). Of course, being the Muppets, not everything goes so smoothly. Miss Piggy believes that she is perfect for Alice (not Miss Shields!), Floyd has a hard time getting around in his caterpillar costume, the special effects of shrinking and growing cause alarming problems for the guest star, the White Rabbit is not as sweet and cute as Mr. Carroll originally described him and even Fozzie Bear dresses as the Tin Woodsman because he mistakenly believes they were performing...wait for it..."Peter Pan!" It is silly, zany, all-over-the-place and quite possibly one of the cleverest ways they've ever performed a story on <i>The Muppet Show</i>.</span><br />
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<b>7. RAQUEL WELCH</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 3, Episode 11 - What a Woman!</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Probably the sexiest guest star to appear on this show was the actress who gained fame in cult films like <i>One Million Years B.C.</i>, <i>Bedazzled</i>, <i>Myra Breckinridge </i>and Richard Lester's <i>The Three Musketeers</i>: Ms. Raquel Welch. And in addition to being drop dead gorgeous, she is quite the dynamic musical performer. She sings Diana Ross' hit "Baby, It's You" and dances with a large Muppet spider (see below). She sings a beautiful seduction song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHr5ToFiBK0">("Confide in Me")</a> to a rather flustered Fozzie Bear. And she tops it off with a sexy rendition of the rock classic <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIWpqSajYPM">"Woman"</a> with help from the fantastic (if not a little jealous!) Miss Piggy. Frank Oz really does deserve an MVP award for the work he did in this episode as Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal and the lesser known <a href="http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Marvin_Suggs">Marvin Suggs</a> who shows off his abuse of <a href="http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Muppaphone">the poor little Muppaphones</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_7469.html">Later Today: More of the TOP TEN!</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-75610634138386372632014-03-18T19:54:00.001-07:002014-03-20T11:53:46.321-07:00THE MUPPET SHOW: Every Episode Ranked - Part VIII<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>THE MUPPET SHOW</u></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>EVERY EPISODE RANKED</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>#'s 15 - 11</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked.html">PART I</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_11.html">PART II</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_13.html">PART III</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_14.html">PART IV</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_15.html">PART V</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_16.html">PART VI</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_17.html">PART VII</a></b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">15. PETER SELLERS</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 2, Episode 19 - A Little Peace and Quiet</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The comic genius that was Peter Sellers was a perfect guest for the Muppets because he was just as zany as they were. He could play any character: be it a gypsy violinist, a southern preacher, a german massage therapist or even Queen Victoria (as a hairy viking?!?! - see below). In addition to Sellers, Kermit is harried backstage by certain Muppets (namely Beaker!) constantly disappearing and re-appearing (obviously the answer is in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yRtSjg3YII">Muppet Labs</a>!). All the zaniness is balanced out when Kermit, who is just looking for "a little peace and quiet," sings a beautiful rendition of his anthem <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSS9PnU6T8s">"Bein' Green"</a> (like he did a year before in the Peter Ustinov episode, here it just makes more sense!).</span><br />
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<b>14. PEARL BAILEY</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 3, Episode 5 - Surely You Joust</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Pearl Bailey was an amazing trailblazer of a performer and yet another guest who was perfect for <i>The Muppet Show</i>. She sings <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoQUw5MLUtU">a rousing gospel song</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZKMnAB-5Ec">a charming duet with Floyd</a>. But, of course, the biggest highlight of the episode is the finale (which is causing all the concerns backstage!). Kermit has scheduled the Muppets to perform "the jousting scene from <i>Camelot</i>" as the finale and certain Muppets have a problem with it (namely Floyd, who has been cast as one of the knights!). When Kermit tries to cancel it, he is met with more resistance (this time Gonzo, who is the other knight!). This jousting scene, ironically, features <b>no actual songs from <i>Camelot</i></b>; but it does feature songs from almost every other great Musical of Broadway's Golden Age (e.g. <i>My Fair Lady</i>, <i>West Side Story</i>, <i>Guys and Dolls</i>, <i>Gypsy</i>, etc.).</span><br />
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<b>13. BEVERLY SILLS</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 4, Episode 9 - Pigoletto</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Beverly Sills was the great opera diva who also championed the New York Arts, in particular all the things at Lincoln Center. But that doesn't mean she didn't know how to get down and have a little fun! And the Muppets were happy to help her do just that. First, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBdCVJAPoSk">Fozzie mistakes her for a Country music diva and asks her tap dance!</a> Second, she tries a little "spoon-hanging" with Gonzo. And lastly, she auditions pigs for her finale "Pigoletto" (seen below) and, of course, Miss Piggy wants to be featured. And of course, it is quite awesome!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />12. BEN VEREEN</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 1, Episode 17 - Bear In a Box</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I love Ben Vereen in anything he does. Be it <i>Pippin</i> or <i>Roots</i> or his recurring role on <i>How I Met Your Mother</i>, he is just an all-around talent. And his appearance on <i>The Muppet Show</i> is clearly no exception. He sings <i>Chicago</i>'s "Mr. Cellophane," dances the boogie-woogie and beautifully serenades a Muppet with the <i>Willy Wonka</i> anthem "Pure Imagination" (seen below). During all this, he is constantly the target of Crazy Harry's antics. On top of that, Fozzie gets locked in a magician's box and has to spend the whole episode trapped (he even does his act from inside the box!). <b>Side note: </b>This happens to be the highest ranking episode from the first season on the list.</span><br />
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<b>11. LYNDA CARTER</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 4, Episode 19 - Wonder Muppets</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">With <i>Wonder Woman</i> herself as the guest star, most of the Muppets (led mostly by Scooter) want to try to be superheroes too. And boy is it hilarious! They're all reading a book about "How to Be a Superhero." Miss Piggy even coaxes Kermit to allow her to do a sketch (that she wrote!) called "Wonder Pig." The best part (as both my brother and I agree!) is when Scooter and the other Muppets trying to be superheroes read the chapter about Flying. In addition, Ms. Carter performs some great songs including "Rubber Band Man" and "Orange-Colored Sky" (seen below). Plus, Janice performs <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow72n0HlXvE">a good rendition of "With a Little Help From My Friends"</a> in a human sacrifice setting!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_20.html">Coming Soon: THE TOP TEN!!!!</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-28856113436867640582014-03-17T19:12:00.000-07:002014-03-18T20:04:08.917-07:00THE MUPPET SHOW: Every Episode Ranked - Part VII<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>THE MUPPET SHOW</u></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>EVERY EPISODE RANKED</u></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>#'s 21 - 16</u></b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked.html">PART I</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_11.html">PART II</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_13.html">PART III</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_14.html">PART IV</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_15.html">PART V</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_16.html"><b>PART VI</b></a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">21. AVERY SCHREIBER</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 1, Episode 16 - How to Make a Frog Jealous</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In the show's first season, the head writer was comedian Jack Burns who asked his former cohort Avery Schreiber to be a guest in the show's early days. And Schreiber delivered. My brother refers to him as a "Human Muppet." He has some really great scenes (including a battle of wits with Sweetums and a hilarious pantomime with Fozzie!). But the big highlight is that Miss Piggy wants to make Kermit jealous and has enlisted Mr. Schreiber to pretend to be madly in love with her. It's a story only the likes of Jack Burns could have written!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/lNFYvx_olOc/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/lNFYvx_olOc&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/lNFYvx_olOc&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></span></div>
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<b>20. JOHNNY CASH</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 5, Episode 21 - W-HOG</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">With Country legend Johnny Cash as the guest star, the Muppet Theater has teamed with a local Country radio station (W-HOG) to broadcast the show. However the man in charge of the station, Big Tiny Tall Saddle, believes he is running the entire show. He has no idea who the Muppets are and moreover, he doesn't care. And when someone disagrees with him or gets in his way, he ties a microphone stand around them. All while this is happening, Country's Man In Black is singing some of his hit songs like "Ghost Riders In the Sky," "Orange Blossom Special" and "Jackson" (which he duets with the fantastic Miss Piggy below!).</span><br />
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<b>19. ALICE COOPER</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 3, Episode 7 - Searching For Souls</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When you think of guest stars on variety shows in 1970s a few of the normal names come to mind, but no one ever immediately says rock star Alice Cooper was at the top of that list. At the time he was very controversial, yet the writers were able to play with that. While all traditionalists were complaining that Cooper was "an agent of the Devil," the Muppet writers chose to write him as...well an agent of the Devil trying to get the Muppets to sign their souls away. In the meantime, he performs two of his biggest hits <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz0lXNNkqac">"Welcome to My Nightmare"</a> and "School's Out for Summer" (seen below!). Because this episode centered around monsters, ghosts and all things creepy, it was aired as the Halloween episode in the United States.</span><br />
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<b>18. CHRISTOPHER REEVE</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 4, Episode 18 - Super Duper Superman</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Christopher Reeve was truly a Superman. I mean he was really <b>really </b>talented! And this episode proves how talented he really was. He performs Shakespeare (with help from Fozzie and Link, so maybe not exactly!). He takes part in a Vet's Hospital sketch (and does their usual brand of pun humor!). But the biggest highlight is, as usual, Miss Piggy. She is so thrilled that Christopher "Superman" Reeve is on the show that she is <b>determined</b> to perform a romantic duet with him as the closing number. She even goes as far as to slam the piano lid on Rowlf's hands so that Mr. Reeve will have to play it instead (yet another thing the Man of Steel could do!).</span><br />
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<b>17. STEVE MARTIN</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 2, Episode 8 - Auditions</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">At the beginning of the show, Kermit realizes that he had scheduled time for auditions. So he announces that the evening's show is cancelled and sends the audience home. This does not sit well with some of the other Muppets (namely Miss Piggy and Fozzie!), but it also doesn't please the week's guest star, the great comedian Steve Martin. Martin decides to stick around and perform his schtick (which includes balloon animals and banjo playing!) for the rest of the Muppet gang. It was one of the first times that the show's writers decided to play with the usual format, and it works quite well (the production crew especially loved it!). <a href="http://www.myvideo.de/watch/3689906/the_muppets_dancing_cheese">And Gonzo dances with cheese!</a> What more could you want?</span><br />
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<b>16. RITA MORENO</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 1, Episode 5 - The Running Gag</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Rita Moreno belongs to that prestige club in Entertainment that is known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_have_won_Academy,_Emmy,_Grammy,_and_Tony_Awards">EGOT</a>. And it was with this performance on <i>The Muppet Show</i> that she became a member of that club. Watching her episode, it is not hard to see why. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fee8TeGNzws">She fights/tangos with a sleazy looking Muppet</a>, she joins a panel discussion about conversation (as a character with a very thick accent!) and she performs Peggy Lee's "Fever" with some (often inconvenient!) help from Animal (see below). The latter sketch has gone down into Muppet history as a true and utter classic (and it's probably what <b>won</b> her the Emmy!). All while this occurs, Fozzie drives Kermit nuts backstage by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LwMZHrRG0I">handling some odd phone calls</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/b_IpgKzy75E/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/b_IpgKzy75E&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/b_IpgKzy75E&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_18.html">Tomorrow: #'s 15-11</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-22615229444537363302014-03-16T19:23:00.001-07:002014-03-17T19:43:32.667-07:00THE MUPPET SHOW: Every Episode Ranked - Part VI<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>THE MUPPET SHOW</u></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>EVERY EPISODE RANKED</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>#'s 28 - 22</u></b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked.html">PART I</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_11.html">PART II</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_13.html">PART III</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_14.html">PART IV</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_15.html"><b>PART V</b></a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">28. PAUL SIMON</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 5, Episode 11 - Songwriting Woes</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">With a legendary and prolific singer/songwriter like Paul Simon as the guest star, the Muppets center the whole show around his songs. Simon himself sings his hits like "Long, Long Day," "Loves Me Like a Rock" and "Scarborough Fair" (seen below). In addition to that, Floyd and Janice duet on his song "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (which of course the Muppets use the title for some really bad puns!) and even Gonzo tries his hand at songwriting (with exactly the disastrous results you can imagine!).</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">27. KENNY ROGERS</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 4, Episode 10 - Slippery When Oiled</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Kermit injures himself during the opening number and the Muppets are thrown into chaos. Backstage there is also some chaos, the Theater owner has sold the mineral rights to some Arab businessmen and they begin to drill for oil (don't worry, the jokes are not as racist as you might expect!). In the meantime, guest star Kenny Rogers sings some of his best songs (especially "The Gambler," seen below). As for Kermit, it wouldn't the Muppets without some strange hilarity. He takes part in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9Qaf5YZ5iU">a musical number</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxPXbdX2iwg">"assists" Gonzo with his catapult</a> and is subjected to the help of Piggy who is determined to take care of her frog...no matter how much it hurts him.</span><br />
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<b>26. DANNY KAYE</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 3, Episode 16 - Statler & Waldorf Skip a Night</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Statler and Waldorf leave their box during the show's theme song because they are not pleased with who the announced guest star is (they refer to him as "Whats-his-face Kaye, the worst performer they have ever seen!). Of course they are mistaken, since Danny Kaye was the perfect performer to join the Muppets. He <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBF2ef8YqxE">sings a duet with Miss Piggy</a>, cooks with the Swedish Chef (as his uncle, see below!) and sings his sweet hit <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wtk-ZmYlxPA">"Inchworm"</a> from the film <i>Hans Christian Andersen</i>. In the end, Statler and Waldorf find out they were indeed mistaken (I won't tell you how, but it is quite funny!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/TxwI61FrK_w/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/TxwI61FrK_w&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/TxwI61FrK_w&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></span></div>
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<b>25. TONY RANDALL</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 5, Episode 13 - Piggy Gets Stoned</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Noted stage, screen and TV star joins the Muppets and creates havoc when he thumbs through an old magic spell book and accidentally turns Miss Piggy into a stone statue. He does everything he can to rectify it, but to no avail. Of course, the rest of the Muppets (with the exception of Kermit) think this is utterly hilarious (cause...well it is!), <a href="http://youtu.be/KhngNMu-bL8?t=6m36s">especially her fellow "Pigs In Space" crew</a>. In addition to the backstage hilarity, this episode features some great numbers including a rousing rendition of the rock classic <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0ru6Gaxel4">"Yakkety Yak."</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/KZuXYqLkU_U/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/KZuXYqLkU_U&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/KZuXYqLkU_U&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></span></div>
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<b>24. LIZA MINNELLI</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 4, Episode 14 - Muppet Murders</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Liza (with her "Z") joins the Muppets for a little murder mystery. Kermit takes the part of a Sam Spade-like detective who is hired by famed performer Liza O'Shaughnessy (Ms. Minnelli) to find out who is trying to sabotage her new show. While investigating, the director (played by Dr. Strangepork) and the stage manager (Scooter) are both murdered and the list of suspects keeps growing. In the meantime, several great songs are performed like "Everything's Coming Up Roses," "Great Day," "A Quiet Thing" and a charming rendition of Barry Mannilow's hit "CopaCabana" (seen below, with Liza as Lola!).</span><br />
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<b>23. ETHEL MERMAN</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 1, Episode 22 - The Small World of Irving Bizarre</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Fozzie is excited to renegotiate his contract and he brings in his "big gun," <a href="http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Irving_Bizarre">his agent Irving Bizarre</a>. During all this, Broadway legend Ethel Merman sings some of her most classic tunes. She even sings a bunch of them in <b>one medley</b> with most of the Muppet gang (seen below). She tops it all off with a big, brassy and belty rendition of her legendary anthem <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kdggcQhysQ">"There's No Business Like Show Business."</a> There certainly was no one like her.</span><br />
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<b>22. MAC DAVIS</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 5, Episode 14 - Too Many Beakers!</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Country star Mac Davis joins the Muppets and he sings some fun and catchy tunes ("Hard to Be Humble" is quite hilarious when he sings it with Link Hogthrob!). But its chaos going on backstage at the Muppet Theater that drives this episode to great hilarity. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew has commanded his poor assistant Beaker to test the Muppet Lab's new copier, and Beaker accidentally makes several copies of himself in the process. The many Beakers run amok backstage driving the rest of the Muppets nuts, confusing Mac Davis and hunting down Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (who they blame for some <b><i>strange and unknown</i></b> reason!?!?!?!?!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_17.html">Tomorrow: #'s 21-16</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-23735160522181596432014-03-15T14:15:00.000-07:002014-03-16T19:25:47.714-07:00THE MUPPET SHOW: Every Episode Ranked - Part V<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>THE MUPPET SHOW</u></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>EVERY EPISODE RANKED</u></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>#'s 36 - 29</u></b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked.html">PART I</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_11.html">PART II</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_13.html">PART III</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_14.html"><b>PART IV</b></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">36. LESLIE UGGAMS</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 3, Episode 18 - Welcome Big Bird!</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Sesame Street</i>'s Big Bird was the <b>most</b> popular Muppet of the 1970s. And it was perfectly natural for the character to make an appearance on The Muppet Show just as it was rising in popularity. Joining Big Bird's cameo is Broadway and TV star Leslie Uggams, who covers everyone from Dolly Parton to the Captain and Tennile. While Uggams' performances are quite fantastic, the highlight comes <a href="http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1356951/the_muppet_show_big_bird_miss_piggy/">when Big Bird meets a certain pig.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b>
<b>35. SHIRLEY BASSEY</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 5, Episode 4 - Gold Fever</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Singing star Shirley Bassey is terrific as she sings her biggest hit (the James Bond theme "Goldfinger"). She also sings other songs like "Pennies From Heaven" (seen below). To celebrate her singing of "Goldfinger," Kermit wanted to paint the set gold but Scooter informs him that they are out of gold paint. Scooter then manages to get a load of gold bricks for Shirley to sit upon, however the bricks are heavily monitored by a very over-zealous security guard named Bruno (the first thing he does is try to arrest Kermit!). It is one of the funniest and musically perfect episodes of the last season.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b>
<b>34. MADELINE KAHN</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 2, Episode 9 - Weirdo In Love Part II</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Guest star Madeline Kahn tells the Great Gonzo that she thinks he's terrific. Of course being Gonzo, he misinterprets and thinks that they are now engaged. When he realizes the truth, we get one of the more poignant moments in the show's history. And there are still some other classic Muppet moments in the episode including Madeline Kahn's sketch with a Muppet monster, Gonzo telling Miss Piggy he will no longer pursue her (let's just say she's not a fan of being replaced!), Fozzie's song about pigs (which doesn't sit well with some of the Muppet pigs!), Ms. Kahn's song about "Feet" and (most classic of all!) Kermit showing that he can tap dance with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB890fs3GMU">"Happy Feet"</a> (there must have been something in the writers' room about feet this time around!).</span><br />
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<b>33. DUDLEY MOORE</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 4, Episode 7 - Music Like MAMMA Makes</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When comedian Dudley Moore guests on the show, he brings along MAMMA, a Music and Mood Management Apparatus. Kermit is so impressed with Dudley's machine that he asks to use it for the entire show. Of course the band is not too happy with this (see below). And some of the other Muppets find MAMMA's presence<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Rx8YBtUu8"> a little annoying</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b>
<b>32. JAMES COBURN</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 5, Episode 5 - Animal Control</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Animal goes a little nuts (more than usual!) and its up to guest star James Coburn to tame him. Coburn teaches Animal the art of meditation and being very "serene." The rapport between Animal and Coburn is just perfect (let's face it, all of Frank Oz' characters were awesome!), and a big highlight of the episode is a salute to the Roaring '20s featuring Coburn and the Great Gonzo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b>
<b>31. GILDA RADNER</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 3, Episode 4 - Sticking to Carrots</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Saturday Night Live</i> star Gilda Radner joins the Muppets to do everything from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d4ExylRZlw">sing operetta</a> to try a little tap dancing (below). Of course, it wouldn't be the Muppets unless they throw in some complications (like a seven-foot-carrot instead of parrot or Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's super-adhesive spilling all over the stage!). The episode also features an intriguing rendition of the classic song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPleVXxgHqQ">"Lullaby of Broadway,"</a> at least intriguing in Muppet terms.</span><br />
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<b>30. CLORIS LEACHMAN</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 2, Episode 24 - Pig Take-Over</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Muppet pigs decide it is time that they take over the show. They kidnap Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo and lock them in the boiler room. They also replace them with pig versions like Kermit the Pig or Fozzie Pig. To keep Miss Piggy appeased, they promise to feature her prominently in musical numbers and sketches (like "Pigs In Space"). As for guest star Cloris Leachman, she too is not pleased that the Kermit hosting is not the Kermit she knows (at least until Kermit the Pig ribbits!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b>
<b>29. ROGER MILLER</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 3, Episode 21 - Cluckitis</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When Country star Roger Miller comes onto the show, the entire Muppet gang is besieged by a bout of "Cluckitis." What is Cluckitis you ask? Well, it is a disease that turns one into a chicken (and I don't mean a cowardly person, I mean an actual chicken...at least in Muppet form!). Only the Muppets can come up with one of the funniest diseases ever to be seen on Television.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_16.html">Tomorrow: #'s 28-22</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-18197068989912738762014-03-14T19:38:00.000-07:002014-03-15T14:17:04.717-07:00THE MUPPET SHOW: Every Episode Ranked - Part IV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>THE MUPPET SHOW</u></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>EVERY EPISODE RANKED</u></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>#'s 45 - 37</u></b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked.html">PART I</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_11.html">PART II</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_13.html">PART III</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>45. LINDA LAVIN</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 4, Episode 6 - Happy Birthday Kermit!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">At the beginning of the episode, Miss Piggy interrupts Kermit's introduction to announce that it is his birthday and all of the Muppet gang have created surprises for him on his special day. Kermit, of course, is quite reluctant but he is excited about guest star Linda Lavin (of TV's <i>Alice</i>) who sings some great songs (and she even gets to slap Miss Piggy!). In the end, we find out why Kermit was so reluctant (but I won't spoil it for you!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>44. LORETTA LYNN</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 3, Episode 8 - Workin' On the Railroad</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the things I love is when the Muppet writers decided to play with the show's format. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. This was one of the earliest times they attempted it and what they ended up with was really quite clever. In the story, the Muppet Theater is being fumigated and the Great Gonzo had the "brilliant" idea to move the show to a local railroad station (again, don't ask!). But as Country legend Loretta Lynn, the episode's guest star, puts it: "We country singers can sing anywhere!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br />43. LINDA RONSTADT</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 23 - Kermit's Crush</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Kermit and guest star Linda Ronstadt share a mutual little crush on each other, but there is someone who is not to pleased with that (do I really need to tell you who it is?). But Ronstadt (in perfect full voice) sings some fabulous songs like "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)," the haunting "Blue Bayou" and the sweet "When I Grow to Old to Dream" (seen below).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>42. ANDY WILLIAMS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 4, Episode 22 - Engagement Announcement</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Miss Piggy has a plan (yet again!). She thinks if she can get guest star Andy Williams to sing "The Theme from <i>Love Story</i>," it will excite Kermit enough to welcome an engagement announcement (even though Kermit has <b>not</b> proposed!). Kermit is of course not as receptive to the idea as Piggy would have hoped and he is even a little miffed that Andy Williams took part in such a ruse. But of course everything is resolved by the end and Piggy goes on pursuing her frog despite his tiny protests. One day, there <b>will</b> be the pitter-patter of bouncing baby "figs."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>41. GLADYS KNIGHT</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 16 - Blow the Roof Off the Place</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The phenomenal Gladys Knight (sans her Pips!) joins the Muppets for zany half-hour in which the Muppet Theater's roof has rotted through. It exposes all performances to leaks, cold, fog and even snow. But Ms. Knight handles herself well through her soulful renditions of "Friendship Train," the beautiful "God Bless the Child" and the groovy "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (which she performs with the help of Muppet grapes!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>40. LENA HORNE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 11 - Singing in the Shadow</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Was there a Lady of Song classier than Lena Horne? Every song Ms. Horne sings is marvelous. And it was around this time that the show was beginning to find its niche with good episodes among the so-so episodes. This one would be a <b><i>really</i></b> good episode.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>39. JOEL GREY</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 3 - Give Me a Subject!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For their third episode, the Muppets procured <i>Cabaret</i> star Joel Grey to stop the show with some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqVrxGFNww0">"Razzle Dazzle."</a> And while the first two episodes were kind of a mixed bag, with this one they were perfecting their format. You could see very well what kind of variety show they wanted to be and with a guest like Tony and Oscar winner Joel Grey, they have their format in very good hands. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>38. ROGER MOORE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 24 - Pies Like Us</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">James Bond himself joins the Muppets for what aired as the final episode of the show ever. Roger Moore brings his suave quality to a scene where Miss Piggy tries to seduce him (singing "Slow Boat to China") and a rendition of "Talk to the Animals" where he wants to sing with cute and cuddly Muppets. The problem is that Kermit was under the impression that by having Agent 007 he could have a action-packed spy number for the finale and he ordered actual spies. The spies try to blend in to the cute number to get their hands on Moore, but of course the super-sleek agent is ten steps ahead of them. This episode also features one of the most famous Muppet numbers: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTwq1_9VH68">a group of Viking pigs singing the Village People's classic "In the Navy."</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>37. ZERO MOSTEL</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 2, Episode 2 - Lady Wrestlers</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Legendary comedian Zero Mostel (of <i>Fiddler On the Roof</i> and <i>The Producers</i> fame) was a great guest to have on <i>The Muppet Show</i>. He sang a song from the musical <i>Camelot</i> dressed as Henry VIII. He read a poem entitled "Fears of Zero" surrounded by all kinds of Muppet creepy crawlies. But the best moment is when Sam the Eagle, in his fervor to make the show cultural and moral, goes to visit Mr. Mostel in his dressing room and hilarity ensues (see the clip below). Sadly Mr. Mostel passed away three months after the episode completed filming and shortly before it had a chance to air, making <i>The Muppet Show</i> his final TV, Film or Stage appearance in his storied career.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/wBuDGHd2Qkg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_15.html">Coming Soon: #'s 36-29</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-27320304344985839472014-03-13T19:36:00.001-07:002014-03-14T21:46:49.462-07:00THE MUPPET SHOW: Every Episode Ranked - Part III<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>THE MUPPET SHOW</u></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>EVERY EPISODE RANKED</u></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>#'s 60 - 46</u></b></span><br />
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked.html">PART I</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_11.html"><b>PART II</b></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">60. THE CAST OF <i>STAR WARS</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 4, Episode 17 - From a Galaxy Far, Far Away</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I am a geek. I am proud that I squee with delight whenever I see Jedis, Vulcans, Hobbits, Wizards, Singing Candlesticks and <i>especially</i> Muppets. This episode, however, has always been a mixed bag for me. It is one of those situations where what you are watching is so bad that it is actually good <b>or</b> the geekly collision of <i>Star Wars</i> and Muppets is so good that it kinda ruins them both. And on an ironic note, it is interesting that the episode's finale ends with "When You Wish Upon a Star" considering that both franchises are now owned by the House of Mouse.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">59. LEO SAYER</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 3, Episode 2 - Annie Sue's Big Moment</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">British pop/disco singer Leo Sayer guested on this one and sang some of his catchiest tunes (I really like "You Make Me Feel Like Dancin'!"). But the big highlight of this episode is the reaction Miss Piggy has to the way Kermit supports the new Muppet singer Annie Sue Pig (yeah, how did Kermit think Piggy wouldn't mind that?).</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">58. ROY CLARK</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 3, Episode 3 - Goin' Country</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Country music performer (and longtime <i>Hee-Haw</i> host) Roy Clark showed off his musical talents and helped the Muppets go "a lil' bit country." His songs are pretty good (especially "Sally Was a Good Ol' Girl" seen below), but the episode's high point is how Fozzie tries to hide from Kermit the fire that is going on backstage at the Muppet Theater.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">57. RUDOLPH NUREYEV</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 2, Episode 13 - Culture</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Booking ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev onto the show was a major coup for <i>The Muppet Show</i>. According to the show's producers, once they got him it seemed like everybody wanted to be on the show. His ballet with a big Muppet pig (it's <b>NOT</b> Miss Piggy people!) is a major highlight. His other moments on the show are mostly so-so (he tries to sing, and basically...well, it's a good thing he was a phenomenal ballet dancer!). The episode MVP award has to go to Frank Oz' Sam the Eagle who tries to use Mr. Nureyev's appearance as a chance to make the show the cultural apex he wants it to be, despite the fact he is unsure what Mr. Nureyev actually does or looks like.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">56. MARTY FELDMAN</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 5, Episode 18 - Arabian Nights</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Comedian Marty Feldman (Igor in <i>Young Frankenstein</i>) joins the Muppets to tell the legendary stories of the <i>1,001 Arabian Nights</i>. Feldman, with his googly eyes and crazy antics, plays the mysterious Scheherazade (don't ask!) and other characters (like Aladdin's Genie, below). Of course being a half-hour variety show, they only cover the famous tales like Sinbad (Kermit), Aladdin (Gonzo) and Ali Baba (a Marty Feldman-like Muppet!). And with Ali Baba's classic "Open Sesame," a cameo from some of your favorite <i>Sesame Street</i> characters is a natch!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">55. VINCENT PRICE</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 1, Episode 19 - The Horror Show</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When you book a guest like horror film icon Vincent Price, most of the stuff you do in the episode is going to be an homage to the said genre. The best part is when Fozzie and Gonzo go to a haunted house and meet the mansion's creepy owner (played by Mr. Price).</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">54. HELEN REDDY</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 3, Episode 13 - On the Floor</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Australian pop singer Helen Reddy (she is woman, hear her roar!) sings some catchy tunes and dances with a camel (seriously, don't ask!). But it is the character of Beauregard (the janitor) who steals the episode with his lovable dim-witted ways. Plus, my brother <b><i>always</i></b> loved <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLlPoVcFwx0">this scene</a>.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">53. LOU RAWLS</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 2, Episode 15 - RollerBear</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lou Rawls was so smooth and cool. Every song he sang on the show was absolutely "groovy." And how do you not love Fozzie on roller skates? It is the perfect recipe for a classic Fozzie Bear disaster (its a good thing, people!).</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">52. PETER USTINOV</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 1, Episode 12 - Bein' Green With Envy</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Two-time Oscar winner Peter Ustinov was a very interesting guest star (not someone who springs to mind when you think of TV variety!) and his segments are pretty hilarious (especially his skit with Fozzie, seen below). But the episode's biggest highlight is Kermit, who is jealous of all the praise the other Muppets have for Sir Ustinov, sings his classic anthem "Bein' Green." The episode is funny, sweet and classic.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">51. JOHN DENVER</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 4, Episode 1 - Goin' Camping</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Kermit and John Denver want to take the whole gang camping in the swamp (Kermit's home!), but no one is really interested...except for Miss Piggy. She's interested at least until <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0HGL4KZyGQ">she finds out exactly what camping in the swamp entails</a>. So when she tells Kermit she doesn't want to go, he becomes frustrated with everyone telling him "No!" that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaKWAoqqD50">he does something he probably shouldn't have</a>. Denver, however, manages to sing some of his classic songs and make them memorable (particularly "Grandma's Featherbed," below).</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">50. GENE KELLY</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 5, Episode 1 - The End of the World</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Silver screen legend Gene Kelly comes to <i>The Muppet Show</i> as the guest...literally, he just wants to sit and watch the show. He has no intention of performing and he certainly has no intention of singing his classic "Singin' In the Rain." He does however manage to give Kermit a dance lesson, duets backstage with Miss Piggy (and The Great Gonzo when Piggy has to be on stage!) and is coerced into singing a medley of his classic songs that all seem to have the same opening vamp as the legendary song he "won't" sing. The other highlight of this episode is that sweet, lovable and incredibly dim Beauregard is under the impression that the world is coming to an end. Ironically this was the last episode to be filmed for the show (yet was somehow the first to be aired in its last season!?!?!?), so "the end of the world" storyline was pretty clever.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">49. LYNN REDGRAVE</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 3, Episode 23 - Kermit & His Merry Muppets</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">With British actress Lynn Redgrave as the guest star, the Muppets decide to perform the story of <i>Robin Hood</i>. There are so many good things in this episode ranging from Fozzie and Scooter showing the Merry Men how to properly "cavort" to the Great Gonzo as the Sheriff of Nottingham who enjoys torture so much (especially when the instruments are used on him!) to Miss Piggy who is jealous that Kermit cast Ms. Redgrave as Maid Marian instead of her (Sister Tuck was not a good enough consolation prize for her!).</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">48. PAUL WILLIAMS</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 1, Episode 8 - No Short Jokes, Please!</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Singer/songwriter Paul Williams was a good friend of Jim Henson's (he later wrote the songs for <i>The Muppet Movie</i>) that he guested on the show in the first season. He sang some of his classic songs and partook in some obvious "short jokes." And Fozzie had another classic moment alongside Scooter performing, what is in Scooter's words, the classic "Telephone Pole Bit" (Google it, it's so hokey that it's actually funny!).</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">47. JONATHAN WINTERS</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 4, Episode 16 - The Gypsy Curse</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The late comedian Jonathan Winters guested on this episode in which a strange gypsy has placed a curse on the show. Everyone becomes wary when bad things start to go wrong with every act and Winters himself is afraid to perform. The episode is great because the Muppets are the way they are, Jonathan Winters was his usual awesome self and when everyone starts speaking Swedish it <i>jurgen borgen hurgen gurgensy</i>.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">46. DOM DELUISE</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Season 2, Episode 10 - Miss Piggy Buys the House</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Miss Piggy decides its time Kermit really appreciate her, so she has Scooter pay the audience to cheer for her every time she is on stage (and jeer when she's not!). Of course, this disturbs everyone (including guest star Dom Deluise) and Kermit smells something fishy. When the truth is revealed, all is well because Dom Deluise leads them in a song. It is silly, predictable, hokey and sappy; yet, it is so classically Muppet that it is hilarious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_14.html">Tomorrow: #'s 45-37</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-52406913516661164482014-03-11T21:00:00.000-07:002014-03-14T21:46:21.609-07:00THE MUPPET SHOW: Every Episode Ranked - Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Tv_muppet_show_opening.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>THE MUPPET SHOW</u></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>EVERY EPISODE RANKED</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>#'s 90 - 61</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked.html"><b>PART I</b></a></span></div>
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<u style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>PART II</b></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>90. EDGAR BERGEN</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 2, Episode 7 - Ventriloquism</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Legendary ventriloquist Edgar Bergen was quite possibly Jim Henson's biggest influence. His appearance on <i>The Muppet Show</i> early in its second season was treated on the set with great awe and reverence from all the crew members. And of course his beloved Charlie McCarthy makes some of his best comments about the Frog, the Bear, the Pig and all the crazy Muppets surrounding him in this episode.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>89. CANDICE BERGEN</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 15 - Deliveries</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A year before his appearance, Edgar Bergen's daughter Candice did her friend Jim Henson a favor by appearing in the show's first season. Her good looks and flair for photography were showcased. But some of the best moments came from scenes like the one below where you see why years later she became famous for rolling her eyes as hard-nosed reporter <i>Murphy Brown</i>. Also, if you <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X60qabkyO3M">watch her sing Barry Mannilow's "Friends" with the rest of the Muppets</a>, you'll understand why they made so many jokes on <i>Murphy Brown</i> about her tone deaf voice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>88. DIZZY GILLESPIE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 4, Episode 13 - Keep the Noise Down!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The best part of this episode is the backstage story where apparently neighbors of the Muppet Theater have complained about the noise and they have to try to keep it down or get evicted. The trouble is that their guest star that week is one of the great legends of jazz, Mr. Dizzy Gillespie!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>87. SANDY DUNCAN</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 14 - The Great Banana Sketch</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm gonna say it and it may be a horrible thing to say, but I spent most of this episode trying to guess which one is her glass eye!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>86. MELISSA MANCHESTER</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 12 - Crisis Upon Crisis</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">She was one Bette Midler's former back-up singers before she started her own career on the pop charts (she sang the haunting love theme from <i>Ice Castles</i> people!). Her episode is rather ordinary, but the songs she sings are quite enjoyable and the Muppets are up to their usual crazy hi-jinx.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>85. VALERIE HARPER</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 20 - Love Among the Ivy</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Her work as Rhoda Morgenstern was well-known, so she wanted to show off her singing and dancing skills. And, of course, that doesn't leave out a little crazy comedy. It is the Muppets after all!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>84. ANNE MURRAY</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 4, Episode 15 - Skateboardin'</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The songs pop singer Anne Murray sings on the show are quite good, but the highlight of the episode is Scooter on a skateboard the whole time...and driving Kermit nuts!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>83. JAYE P. MORGAN</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 2, Episode 18 - A Tale of J and P</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When I first saw this episode years ago, I had <b>no idea</b> who Jaye P. Morgan was. Well, its several years later and I'm still not sure who she was...but she sings some catchy tunes on this episode (especially <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdHrgNlaNTM">"That Old Black Magic!"</a>).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>82. BRUCE FORSYTH</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 13 - Hecklers' Surprise</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">British comedian Bruce Forsyth was a fun guest for the Muppets to have in the first season. He dances with a strange bird and duets with Miss Piggy (he even fights with her too!). But the best part (naturally) is Fozzie Bear who spends the whole episode worried about the heckling he gets from Statler and Waldorf. Kermit "relieves" his worry by cancelling him and putting on Bruce Forsyth instead and Bruce shows ol' Fozzie how to handle the boxed curmudgeons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>81. JAMES COCO</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 3, Episode 12 - The Old Razzle Dazzle</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">James Coco tries to give the show a little more pizazz and change the pace. The result being one of the funniest Vetrinarian's Hospital sketches and some very confused Muppets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>80. KAYE BALLARD</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 23 - Band On Strike</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Muppet Orchestra, led by Floyd Pepper, is tired of the show's theme song and they threaten to walk out. Kermit convinces them to stay through the show because Kaye Ballard is the guest. Why a comedienne should make them rethink their position I don't know, but they do (It's the Muppets, don't ask for logic!). And she wears what is quite possibly the most horrid costume <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el6lLsO7O5k">in her first number</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>79. CRYSTAL GAYLE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 4, Episode 2 - Little Prairie Dogs on the Muppet Show</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The long-haired country singer sings some sweet and beautiful songs on this episode. My brother has always remembered the Prairie Dogs being so funny (we were toddlers when we first saw it!) and I have never been able to get "We Must Believe In Magic" (below) out of my head.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>78. DEBBIE HARRY</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 9 - Frog Scouts</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Getting punk goddess Debbie Harry on the show must have been a great way to get viewers who usually feel alienated by variety TV. She sings two of her biggest hits, "One Way or Another" (below) and "Call Me" (probably <b>not</b> the most appropriate song considering its about prostitution, but whatever!), and she even duets with Kermit the Frog on his classic <i>Muppet Movie</i> anthem <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0Hd3uWKFKY">"Rainbow Connection."</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>77. RUTH BUZZI</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 4 - The Robot Emcee</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Known for her hilarious work on <i>Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In</i>, Ruth Buzzi was one of the earliest guest stars for the Muppets. And of course her comedic timing is perfect in certain scenes (like the one below!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>76. BOB HOPE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 2, Episode 21 - The Hardest Working Man</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Bob Hope always seemed to be doing a Television special. Which is why the writers decided to use that as a plot point of the episode where he was the guest. And Hope manages to make even riding a Muppet horse look...well watch it below!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>75. SYLVESTER STALLONE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 3, Episode 19 - Groupies</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I want to know what person in the writers' room at <i>The Muppet Show</i> said that since they have one of the biggest Hollywood stars as the guest, they should let Sylvester Stallone sing. I also want to know why that person was never fired.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>74. MILTON BERLE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 2, Episode 3 - The Baggy Pants Show</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Fozzie spends most of the episode hiding from Uncle Miltie cause he's intimidated by Berle's legend and the rest of the Muppets have their fun with the man known as "Mr. Television." The highlight is of course when Berle comes face to face with the Muppets' biggest critics, Statler and Waldorf (below).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>73. LOLA FALANA</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 4, Episode 11 - Goodbye Gonzo!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Gonzo has finally gotten a contract to become a movie star...in Bombay, India. So it is time for him to leave <i>The Muppet Show</i> and with the help of guest star Lola Falana, the Muppets say their farewells. It all gets resolved in the end and, of course, Gonzo is back the next week but it is a heartwarming episode.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>72. HAL LINDEN</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 17 - Statler & Waldorf Run the Show</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Statler and Waldorf think they can run the show better than the Frog can. And they choose the episode that Hal "Barney Miller" Linden guest stars on to do it. Hal is wary considering that everything they try goes entirely wrong. But Linden is a trooper who still makes it through his songs (including a charming duet with Robin!) with his stage-trained aplomb and is grateful when the old codgers decide to hand the reins back over to the Frog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>71. JEAN STAPLETON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 3, Episode 6 - Backstage Melodrama</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The lady known as Edith Bunker duets with Fozzie and speaks fake Swedish with the Swedish Chef. But of course, for me, the highlight of this episode was her rendition of "I'm Just Wild About Harry" with Crazy Harry accompanying her on the explodaphone (don't ask, just watch!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>70. GEORGE BURNS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 2, Episode 11 - A Little Scandal</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The comic legend has some great moments with the Muppets (see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgFH7FJKdUQ">his final Medley and pay particular attention to Gonzo!</a>). But the best part is how the Muppets rely on the classic joke: Gonzo fiddles while George Burns!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>69. PHYLLIS DILLER</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 18 - The Young Look</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The late great Phyllis Diller does some of her usual schtick with the Muppets (she has a great time doing her standup routine with Rowlf!). But the highlights include her trying to play the saxophone (below) and the classic Muppet bit known as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN5Mqr6tRlw">"Hugga Wugga."</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>68. CAROL CHANNING</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 4, Episode 23 - These Shoes Weren't Made For Walkin'</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Broadway legend Carol Channing makes an appearance with the Muppets and helps Miss Piggy deal with some really tight but stylish shoes. It's ordinary, but Piggy and Carol make it fun (and I marvel at Carol Channing has managed to sound the same in over 50 years in showbiz!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>67. LESLEY ANN WARREN</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 3, Episode 15 - Gonzo's Motorcycle</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The pretty and talented Lesley Ann Warren takes center stage and has some great moments. But it's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajbU57wVmO8">Gonzo's Motorcycle stunt</a> that fans remember most from this episode.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>66. NANCY WALKER</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 2, Episode 6 - Fozzie Runs the Show</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When Kermit gets sick, Fozzie takes charge. You can just imagine what its like. Lucky he has Broadway and TV star Nancy Walker to help him through it I guess.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>65. CHERYL LADD</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 3, Episode 24 - The List</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Charlie's Angels</i> star Cheryl Ladd gets to kick up her heels and show off her musical talents (and she certainly looks good while doing it!). But the best part is the duet she shares with Miss Piggy singing the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "I Enjoy Being a Girl" all while beating the crap out of Kermit. Poor Kermie!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>64. PHYLLIS GEORGE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 4, Episode 12 - The Freds</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">With the Oscars now over, this would probably be a great episode to watch because it pokes fun at everything we hate (and even love!) about award shows. I don't quite know why Phyllis George is the guest star (she's quite beautiful but only moderately talented), but the Muppets make the Freds an award I'd like to see given out every year!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>63. LORETTA SWIT</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 2 - Fired Up Pig</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is the notorious episode where Kermit the Frog has had it up to here with Miss Piggy and fires her. And he goes as far as to ask guest star Loretta Swit (of <i>M*A*S*H</i>) replace her in all Miss Piggy's sketches (you know Vet's Hospital and Pigs In Space). Of course its all resolved by the end, but it is one hilarious ride.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>62. VICTOR BORGE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 4, Episode 5 - Baby-Sitting</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Comedic legend Victor Borge was a perfect choice to appear on <i>The Muppet Show</i>. And his piano duet with Muppet fave Rowlf the Dog was one of the episode's top highlights (below).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>61. HARVEY KORMAN</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 10 - Token Person</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Harvey Korman was a great variety performer and his work on this episode was pretty good. But the moments that stand out in this episode center more around the Muppets themselves. First, one of the greatest Fozzie Bear sketches ever (and I mean EVER!!!). And second is "Halfway Down the Stairs," a sweet song sung by little Robin the Frog which had the distinction of becoming the first song recorded by <i>The Muppet Show</i> to become a chart-topper.</span><br />
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<a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_13.html">Coming Soon: #'s 60-46</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-76806400669537327352014-03-10T21:46:00.000-07:002014-03-14T21:45:30.703-07:00THE MUPPET SHOW: Every Episode Ranked - Part I<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello old friends! It <b><i>has</i></b> been a while hasn't it? I won't bore you with where I have been or what I've been doing since the last post. I'm just going to get into the business at hand now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And that business is Muppets. The Muppets are popping up on the big screen again after their triumphant comeback in 2011's <i>The Muppets</i>. Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, The Great Gonzo and all of our favorites are returning later this month in <i>Muppets Most Wanted</i> alongside the likes of Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In honor of the upcoming sequel, I am devoting this month of posts to the show that made us fall in love with these beloved characters: <i>The Muppet Show</i>. Over the past few weeks, I have watched every single episode of <i>The Muppet Show</i> and have now ranked every episode from best to worst. All 120 of them and I even came up with Episode Titles for each one (and yes, I realize that must mean I have <b>a lot</b> of time on my hands!). So in today's post, I will share with you the bottom 30 of the list. (I apologize in advance for the quality on some of the videos, but as this is the bottom quarter of the list, it doesn't really matter if you see how bad they are!).</span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>THE MUPPET SHOW</u></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>EVERY EPISODE RANKED</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>#'s 120 - 91</u></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>120. CHRIS LANGHAM</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 19 - </b></span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Messenger Boy</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Chris Langham was a British comedian who served as a writer on <i>The Muppet Show</i> since Season 3. In the midst of Season 5, booked guest Richard Pryor had his little incident with free-basing heroin and could not make the taping. They needed a new guest and decided on their young comedian writer. The problem is the story they came up with is so inane and silly that it is not good showing for the Muppets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>119. SHIELDS & YARNELL</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 4, Episode 3 - A Mime Is a Terrible Thing (To Waste)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I think my Episode Title says it all. Mimes suck!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>118. ELKE SOMMER</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 3, Episode 20 - Stage Hands</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">She may have been extremely attractive and could speak multiple languages but I have to say: Elke Sommer wasn't very talented. Her songs are boring and her chemistry with the Muppets is even worse. She tries, oh how she tries, but its a "no-go."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>117. SPIKE MILLIGAN</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 3, Episode 17 - The International House of Muppets</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Spike Milligan was one of the most influential British comedians ever (he influenced the likes of Dudley Moore, Robbie Coltrane and the whole Monty Python gang!). However, the material the Muppet writers gave him was trying to celebrate the fact that <i>The Muppet Show</i> was broadcast in several countries. And when you're dealing with a show marketed to kids, the jokes are filled with not the most ethnically sensitive material.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>116. CONNIE STEVENS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 2 - Un-Bear-able</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This was the second episode filmed. They were still finding their footing. And you can totally tell. They even bring on a cameo from <i>Sesame Street</i>'s Bert and Ernie, but something isn't right yet. And Connie Stevens, as cute as she is, doesn't have a lot to offer. Don't worry, the Muppets hit their stride soon within the first Season. It just wasn't perfect out of the gate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>115. MUMMENSCHANZ</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 24 - Weirdo In Love</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I honestly don't know what a Mummenschanz is and based on what I see in this episode, I don't want to know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>114. KRIS KRISTOFFERSON & RITA COOLIDGE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 3, Episode 1 - Canteen Woes</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge were one of the 1970s popular couples in "Country" music (the quotation marks mean that they genre-crossed, so its hard to define them as exclusively Country music!). This was early in their careers (Kristofferson had just starred opposite Barbra Streisand in <i>A Star Is Born</i> and became a household name) and their "acting style" is just, well, pathetic. In Kristofferson's duet with Miss Piggy, he can barely get through it seriously enough to sing the lines. And his then-spouse Ms. Coolidge is even worse (her line readings are awful!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br />113. GLENDA JACKSON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 7 - Pirates!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When they booked two-time Oscar winner Glenda Jackson, they asked her what she wanted to do on the show. Her response was that they can do whatever they want. That was a bad idea. They made her a pirate and had her sing sea chanteys. It's just...a big "No."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>112. DYAN CANNON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 4, Episode 4 - Dog-Sitting</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Dyan Cannon was a hot dish back in the day. She was married to Cary Grant and even scored a couple Oscar nods for quirky comedies. If the Academy was watching this episode, they would rescind those nods.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>111. SE<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Ñ</span>OR WENCES</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 8 - The Puppet Show</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I never really was fascinated by Se</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">ñ</span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">or Wences' brand of puppetry. I grant that people were impressed with his artistry and I'm sure he was a great influence on many people (including Jim Henson). But this episode only had one thing going for it and that's Fozzie trying his hand at puppetry (it was always funny when Fozzie tried...and failed!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>110. DON KNOTTS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 2, Episode 1 - Shades of a Bear</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Don Knotts was extremely hilarious and a great comedic talent. This episode however was kind of underwhelming. He's good in it and the backstage story where Fozzie gets "shades" is humorous. It's just not their A-level best. It could have been better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>109. RICH LITTLE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 2, Episode 4 - Dancing Chickens</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Much like the Don Knotts episode above, this episode is a bit underwhelming. There are some good moments, but they really could have done better. Though with a guest who made his name impersonating Hollywood legends, how much could they really do?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>108. FLORENCE HENDERSON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 7 - Pig Problems</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The lovely lady known as Mrs. Carol Brady is a showbiz legend. She was a natural choice to be a guest on <i>The Muppet Show</i>. Now I will voice what is probably an unpopular opinion: She's kind of irritating. She always comes off to me as someone who is more impressed with her talent than anyone else is. She has some good moments (especially when she spars with Miss Piggy!), but otherwise: Meh!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br />107. LIBERACE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 3, Episode 9 - For the Birds!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The only thing the piano legend does in the show is his final medley that includes a "Concert for Birds." And seriously, it should be "for the birds." Not that I'm a big fan of the flashy keyboardist in the first place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>106. JOAN BAEZ</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 3 - Rats!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The folk legend sings some beautiful songs and tries her darndest to have some great chemistry with the lovable Muppets. And hey, Muppet favorite Rizzo the Rat gets some great material in this episode. However like some of the episodes mentioned already, its fairly ordinary and underwhelming.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>105. PETULA CLARK</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 2, Episode 20 - The Mickey Moose Club</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I usually like Petula Clark. But she could have at least sung one of her most famous hits like "Downtown" or "I Know a Place" or the hauntingly beautiful "You and I." Instead, she sang a version of Herb Alpert's "Boy From Ipanema" (with a strange-looking Muppet called a Bossman) and topped it off with the <i>Annie</i> anthem "Tomorrow." Maybe by this time she was tired of singing her greatest hits and decided to sing hits by other people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>104. JEAN-PIERRE RAMPAL</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 10 - Parlez Vous Francais?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The classical floutist was an interesting guest in that he tried to speak some actual French with the fantastic faker that is Miss Piggy. And there are some other great moments (like the Electric Mayhem's version of "Rockin' Robin" led by Janice!). But what Monsieur Rampal brings is ultimately rather dull.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>103. CHARLES AZNAVOUR</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 9 - Managing a Weirdo</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The other French guest the Muppets managed to snag was back in its first season with famed singer Charles Aznavour. There are some good moments here (this was the episode where they really tried to develop the Great Gonzo) but like Monsieur Rampal, Monsieur Aznavour offers nothing more than his signature French voice singing some somewhat likable tunes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>102. JIM NABORS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 6 - The New Go-Fer</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It has been joked about on everything from <i>The Simpsons</i> to <i>Seinfeld</i>. Who new Gomer Pyle could sing like that? Other than that though, the episode isn't too exciting. However, it did introduce Muppet fave Scooter properly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>101. ARLO GUTHRIE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 4, Episode 8 - Down On the Farm</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Some of the songs in this episode are pretty good and this was at the time when the show's writers were experimenting with themes (hence the whole Farm thing!). But Arlo Guthrie, who is a very talented musician, is not as famed as his folk legend father Woody.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>100. ROY ROGERS & DALE EVANS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 3, Episode 22 - Cowboys!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I love all the in-jokes about <i>The Muppet Movie</i> (cause this episodewas made just after they had completed their first film!). And Roy and Dale are somewhat charming, as are some of the songs. But I don't get that excited about cowboys or western themes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>99. TERESA BREWER</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 2, Episode 22 - Trimming the Fat</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ms. Brewer sings some catchy tunes, but its Miss Piggy who serves as the MVP of this episode. I'm just not a fan of storylines that deal with diets. Not sure why...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>98. TWIGGY</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 21 - The Phantom of the Muppet Show</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">She was the "IT Girl" of the 1960s in London's Fashion world. Here she gets to show that she can sing and act and have a little fun. She should have stuck with modeling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>97. CLEO LAINE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 2, Episode 16 - Mama Bear</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Cleo Laine is a fantastic jazz and blues singer with some great Broadway shows in her bio. And her songs on <i>The Muppet Show</i> are good. What brings this episode down then? Its the work of puppeteer Bruce Schwartz who Jim Henson brought on cause he was impressed with his artistry. His artistry however is the same kind of creepy puppetry featured in Spike Jonze's equally creepy film <i>Being John Malkovich</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>96. BUDDY RICH</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 22 - Power Failure</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The best thing in this episode is Animal's drum battle with legendary drummer Buddy Rich (below). The rest is kind of boring. You can see why Jim Henson and others were getting tired of doing a weekly show.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>95. DOUG HENNING</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 4, Episode 21 - It's Magic!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Master magician Doug Henning was a variety show staple of the 1970s. With the Muppets, of course he was going to do his most famous magic tricks. What the heck is that Muppet supposed to be that he puts in his Magic Box below?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>94. WALLY BOAG</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 5, Episode 20 - The Vaudeville Show</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For those who don't know, Wally Boag was the man who played Pecos Bill in Disney's classic animated short and even played the role in a live show at DisneyLand in Anaheim, CA for over 40 years. He is one Steve Martin's biggest influences (according to Martin!). And he's exactly the type of performer the Muppets would have a lot of fun with. So why is his episode so underwhelming?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>93. MARISA BERENSON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 3, Episode 10 - The Wedding of Kermit and Piggy</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Marisa Berenson was a noted model, dancer and actress (she gave a charming performance in Bob Fosse's 1972 film version of <i>Cabaret</i>). But in this episode, she adds nothing to it really. The best part is Miss Piggy's scheme to trick Kermit into a Wedding. Its classic and funny and totally Muppet. But it could have been in any episode.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>92. JUDY COLLINS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 2, Episode 5 - Bringing Down the House</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Folk star Judy Collins filmed all of her songs separately from the rest of the Muppet gang due to scheduling. And it shows. Her stuff feels cut in and the backstage story barely mentions her being on the show. That being said, her songs are pretty good and she sings them quite well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>91. JULIET PROWSE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season 1, Episode 1 - The Muppy Show</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This was the very first episode. It has a lot of good moments (See: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N_tupPBtWQ">Mahna Mahna</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYiWWdzDYMs">Cowboy Time</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnI2dMuiAv0">Temptation</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GND0R8Q8Qgg">Simon Smith</a>), but none of those moments have anything to do with guest star Juliet Prowse. She only does a ballet at the beginning of the show and shares some sweet moments with Kermit. That's it. That was their very first guest. Kind of boring, huh?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-muppet-show-every-episode-ranked_11.html">Tomorrow: #'s 90-61</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-60939800631884263002013-06-06T19:00:00.000-07:002013-06-06T19:02:52.982-07:00IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS: Broadway Finds Its Groove!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's that time of year again! We are approaching the weekend at the beginning of the summer where the Broadway community gets together to celebrate the year in Theatre. The Tony Awards!!! And this year seemed to be the year that Broadway finally molded itself into the groove that has been set by the recent downturns in the economy. You see, in recent years, Broadway producers have been hedging their bets and streamlining the kind of material that makes its way to the Great White Way. They've been limiting their funds to shows that can generate an immediate revenue (i.e. Celebrity-led Plays, Movie-based Musicals, "Known" composers and authors, etc.). It has made it really hard for what many Broadway insiders call "the Next Generation" of creatives to make a name for themselves in the Theatre (meaning if you're looking for the next Stephen Sondheim, you might not find them on Broadway!). However, this year had a huge melting pot of all these elements that people have been lamenting and (in one way or another) they all seemed to be an example of Broadway getting "back on its feet," as it were.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">One thing we have learned in the last few years and especially this year is that the Limited Run show is here to stay. For years, the Roundabout Theatre Company, the Manhattan Theatre Club and the Lincoln Center Theatre have been masters as Broadway's repertory houses. And all three of those companies had shows this year that both wowed the critics and excited audiences. Roundabout produced revivals of <i>Harvey</i> (starring <i>The Big Bang Theory</i>'s Jim Parsons) and Rupert Holmes' Tony-winning audience-solved Musical <i>The Mystery of Edwin Drood</i> (featuring Chita Rivera and Stephanie J. Block). The latter, which closed after two extensions to its initial limited engagement, has now been nominated for 5 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical. Meanwhile, the Manhattan Theatre Club, which has recently become the pioneer of great plays both Off-Broadway, produced two well-received plays (<i>The Other Place</i> starring Tony nominee Laurie Metcalf and <i>The Assembled Parties</i> which is nominated for Best Play). And Lincoln Center, which was enjoying the success of 2011's Best Play <i>War Horse</i> until its closing in January, has had other success with a much-hailed revival of Clifford Odets' <i>Golden Boy</i> which featured <i>Monk</i>'s Tony Shalhoub, <i>Chuck</i>'s Yvonne Strahoski and Broadway Musical star Danny Burstein (the limited run production which closed in early 2013 is nominated for 8 Tonys including Best Revival of a Play). They also produced <i>Two and a Half Men</i> star Holland Taylor's tour-de-force one-woman show <i>Ann</i>, where she plays former Texas governor Ann Richards (for which she is nominated for Best Actress this Sunday!). Limited runs have been the thing to beat this year when it comes to a hit Broadway show.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And it wasn't only these three companies getting into the Limited Run action. Producers have always enjoyed investing in a production that has a big star over the marquee. And what makes a big star sign on for such a challenge as 8 times a week? The answer is a Limited Engagement! This year we have seen big name stars like Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johannson, Alec Baldwin, Bette Midler, Alan Cumming, Cicely Tyson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Sigourney Weaver and Jane Lynch all take time out of their busy Movie-TV star schedules to take on a role in Play, Musical or even a Revival. And each of the productions these stars are (or were) a part of has made some kind of impression either critically, financially or both. But of course with all this sweet star-led revenue, there comes the bitter side of the double-edged sword that Celebrity can bring (<i>cough cough</i> Shia LeBouf <i>cough cough</i>). And many a Broadway die-hard will still lament that the Great White Way has become a "summer camp" of sorts for Film stars who just want to "Hollywood-ize" their day-to-day stomping grounds. Despite all that, it seems that Broadway really has tried to welcome the Celebrities who want to challenge themselves and try their hand at 8 performances a week (and whether they meet that challenge or not is a subject for another blog!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But the biggest thing that Broadway seems to be accepting now (to a certain degree) is the mass amount of Musicals based on previously produced projects (basically, Movies!). And nothing is a stronger testament to that than the four nominees for Best Musical: <i>Kinky Boots</i>, <i>Matilda The Musical</i> and the limited engagements of <i>A Christmas Story: The Musical</i> and <i>Bring It On: The Musical</i> (I guess it's safe to say that if it had the words "The Musical" after it, it probably was well-liked this year!). All four of the nominees are based on Movies (granted <i>Matilda</i> is more based on the novel by Roald Dahl, but the 1996 film version starring Mara Wilson is quite popular with some audiences!). This trend was actually started by the Walt Disney Company in the 1990s (with their hit staged versions of their films <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> and <i>The Lion King</i>!) and was perfected by the likes of Mel Brooks (<i>The Producers</i>), Marc Shaiman (<i>Hairspray</i>), Elton John (<i>Billy Elliot</i>) and even Monty Python (<i>Spamalot</i>) throughout the next decade. It seems that now Broadway has finally figured out a way to accept this trend. In addition, they've managed to encourage newer composers and authors to make their Broadway mark (or even debut!) with this trend. Three of the Best Musical nominees (<i>Kinky Boots</i>, <i>Matilda</i> and <i>A Christmas Story</i>) are also nominated for the Best Score Tony Award and all three of those shows are by composers who are making their Broadway debut (<i>Kinky Boots</i> is by '80s icon Cyndi Lauper, <i>Matilda</i> is by Aussie rock musician Tim Minchin and <i>A Christmas Story</i> is by the brand new pair of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul). So maybe someday we will find the next Rodgers and Hammerstein...as they are making the "long-awaited" Musical version of <i>Argo</i>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">No matter what, Broadway is always going to be an ever-changing animal that depends on audiences to be a success (either creatively or financially!), which is what <b><i>live</i></b> Theatre is all about. And I will still be a fan of that animal (as always!) so I will be watching CBS at 8PM on Sunday night as the Broadway community gathers with host Neil Patrick Harris to celebrate the year in Theatre! Happy Tony watching!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-84215541517668644942013-05-27T17:45:00.003-07:002013-05-27T17:45:50.503-07:00The 100 Greatest Broadway Songs - The Grand Finale!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<b style="color: purple; font-size: xx-large;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">THE 100 GREATEST BROADWAY SONGS</span></u></b></div>
<ul><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: purple;"></span>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs.html"><span style="color: purple;">100</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ii.html"><span style="color: purple;">99-98</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iii.html"><span style="color: purple;">97-95</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iv.html"><span style="color: purple;">94-91</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-v.html"><span style="color: purple;">90-86</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vi.html"><span style="color: purple;">85-80</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vii.html"><span style="color: purple;">79-73</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">72-65</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ix.html"><span style="color: purple;">64-56</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-x.html"><span style="color: purple;">55-46</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xi.html"><span style="color: purple;">45-37</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xii.html"><span style="color: purple;">36-29</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part_19.html"><span style="color: purple;">28-22</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xiv.html"><span style="color: purple;">21-16</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-musicals-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">15-11</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xvi.html"><span style="color: purple;">10-7</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part_158.html"><span style="color: purple;">6-4</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part_26.html"><span style="color: purple;">3-2</span></a></li>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>AND NOW...</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>SONG #1</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"There's No Business Like Show Business"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>Annie Get Your Gun</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music & Lyrics by Irving Berlin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by Annie Oakley, Frank Butler, Buffalo Bill Cody & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We top the entire 100 list with a song that is considered the ultimate Show Business anthem. It is yet another signature song for the woman that is hailed by many has the "Grande Diva" of the Broadway stage: Ethel Merman. When one looks at Irving Berlin's inviting lyrics, one realizes that it is truly a love letter to the industry for which Berlin loved writing songs. Berlin's simple melody is also quite iconic and popular with many a star (from both stage and screen!). What more can I say than "nowhere could you get that happy feeling when you are stealing an extra bow!" The song really does speak for itself!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Well, that's it! We are finally finished with this month-long endeavor. With this #1 (and the links above!), you have my list for the 100 Greatest Broadway Songs of All-Time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As it is Memorial Day and in honor of the man who wrote our #1 tune, I feel we could all share in his appearance on <i>The Ed Sullivan Show</i> in 1968 below where he sang his phenomenal American ballad (that is oftentimes considered an "honorary" National Anthem!): "God Bless America."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vmc-pEyUHTs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: red;">HAPPY</span> <span style="color: blue;">MEMORIAL</span> <span style="color: red;">DAY</span> <span style="color: blue;">AND</span> <span style="color: red;">GOD</span> <span style="color: blue;">BLESS</span> <span style="color: red;">A</span><span style="color: blue;">M</span><span style="color: red;">E</span><span style="color: blue;">R</span><span style="color: red;">I</span><span style="color: blue;">C</span><span style="color: red;">A</span><span style="color: blue;">!</span></b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-66020967177328885342013-05-26T18:12:00.002-07:002013-05-26T18:12:57.412-07:00The 100 Greatest Broadway Songs - Part XVIII<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="color: purple; font-size: xx-large;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">THE 100 GREATEST BROADWAY SONGS</span></u></b></div>
<ul><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: purple;"></span>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs.html"><span style="color: purple;">100</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ii.html"><span style="color: purple;">99-98</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iii.html"><span style="color: purple;">97-95</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iv.html"><span style="color: purple;">94-91</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-v.html"><span style="color: purple;">90-86</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vi.html"><span style="color: purple;">85-80</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vii.html"><span style="color: purple;">79-73</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">72-65</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ix.html"><span style="color: purple;">64-56</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-x.html"><span style="color: purple;">55-46</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xi.html"><span style="color: purple;">45-37</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xii.html"><span style="color: purple;">36-29</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part_19.html"><span style="color: purple;">28-22</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xiv.html"><span style="color: purple;">21-16</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-musicals-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">15-11</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xvi.html"><span style="color: purple;">10-7</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part_158.html"><span style="color: purple;">6-4</span></a></li>
</b></span></ul>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #3</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"The Sound Of Music"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>The Sound Of Music</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music by Richard Rodgers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by Maria Rainer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gxgb49AP5b8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When you think about all of the famous moments in Musical history (especially anything from or based on a Broadway Musical!), there is one image that I would argue is more iconic than any of them: Julie Andrews twirling on an Austrian mountaintop singing this beautiful Rodgers & Hammerstein tune. People who have never even seen or even heard of <i>The Sound of Music</i><b> know</b> this image. Yes, it was originally introduced on Broadway by the fabulous Mary Martin and yes, many other actresses and singers (like Florence Henderson, Marie Osmond, Rebecca Luker and Laura Benanti) have sung this song on the stage. But it is that opening sequence from Robert Wise's 1965 film version that skyrocketed this song into the stratosphere of Pop Culture icons. Andrew Lloyd Webber knew this very well as he used that image in the opening sequence to his reality show-casting of his London revival of <i>The Sound of Music</i> entitled <i>How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? </i>(the eventual winner, Connie Fisher, was even directed to sort of imitate Andrews' performance and manner in the revival, above!).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #2</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Everything's Coming Up Roses"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>Gypsy</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music by Jule Styne</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by Mama Rose</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This song was introduced on Broadway in the very same season as <i>The Sound of Music</i> and by the theatrical powerhouse that was Ethel Merman. The song is one of the most musically thrilling songs of the Golden Era of Broadway. The strains of Jule Styne's masterful chords (which uses everything from trumpets to strings to percussion!) mixed with the perfect colloquial created by Stephen Sondheim heightens the emotion and power of this song. And boy is this character full of heightened emotion! The character of Mama Rose (based on the real-life mother of famed stripper Gypsy Rose Lee) runs the gamut of all kinds of emotions (anger, frustration, guilt, passion, pain, euphoria, loneliness, etc.) within every song she sings in the show. This first act finale is quite frankly the character's tour-de-force. Like <i>Phantom</i>'s "The Music Of the Night," this is a "seduction song;" however, Mama Rose is trying to lure her daughter Louise (who will later become Gypsy Rose Lee) into being the star of their new act. Therefore, she is using tons of happy and child-like images (roses, daffodils, lollipops, sunshine, Santa Claus, etc.) to entice her "child" to join her in her world (no matter how crazy it is!).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Tomorrow, on Memorial Day, I shall reveal the #1 Greatest Broadway Song of All-Time!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-61614798131259128572013-05-25T18:32:00.003-07:002013-05-25T18:32:50.675-07:00The 100 Greatest Broadway Songs - Part XVII<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="color: purple; font-size: xx-large;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">THE 100 GREATEST BROADWAY SONGS</span></u></b></div>
<ul><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: purple;"></span>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs.html"><span style="color: purple;">100</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ii.html"><span style="color: purple;">99-98</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iii.html"><span style="color: purple;">97-95</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iv.html"><span style="color: purple;">94-91</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-v.html"><span style="color: purple;">90-86</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vi.html"><span style="color: purple;">85-80</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vii.html"><span style="color: purple;">79-73</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">72-65</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ix.html"><span style="color: purple;">64-56</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-x.html"><span style="color: purple;">55-46</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xi.html"><span style="color: purple;">45-37</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xii.html"><span style="color: purple;">36-29</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part_19.html"><span style="color: purple;">28-22</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xiv.html"><span style="color: purple;">21-16</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-musicals-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">15-11</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xvi.html"><span style="color: purple;">10-7</span></a></li>
</b></span></ul>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #6</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Luck Be a Lady"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>Guys and Dolls</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music & Lyrics by Frank Loesser</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by Sky Masterson & Gamblers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/xVlQXvrWC_A/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/xVlQXvrWC_A&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/xVlQXvrWC_A&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is probably Frank Loesser's most famous song (and that's pretty much thanks to Sinatra!). With its fast and tremulous riffs and its snake-oil gambling imagery, the song taps into that seedy underbelly of Damon Runyon's world. The song is sung by ultimate gambler Sky Masterson as he tries to convince a bunch of his fellow low-life gamblers to attend a prayer meeting at the Mission, where the woman he loves works. The title has gone down into the canon of American colloquialisms as people say it on their way to either Nevada or Atlantic City. The song is even an unofficial anthem that is used in Films and Television shows in which the characters travel to Vegas!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #5</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Oklahoma!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>Oklahoma!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music by Richard Rodgers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by Curly McLane, Laurey Williams, Aunt Eller & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/hpNeHMlJiD4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the most popular title songs in Broadway history (and yet it is NOT the highest ranking title number on this list!). But like "Ol' Man River" before, this song is quite representative of the changes in the American Musical. The overall metaphor of the show is that change is coming for everyone in the territory as it journeys towards statehood. So when Curly and Laurey (the feuding lovers of the show) finally marry, it is a reminder to all the other characters of the new horizons on the brink with this "brand new state." Mixed with Hammerstein's depiction of rural Oklahoma prairies is Richard Rodgers' use of choral singing in the background (something he worked on with his longtime orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett). The choral singing leads right into that famous moment when the entire cast spells out (in iambic rhythm!) "O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A" with such a force. It is no wonder the actual state of Oklahoma officially adopted the song as their state anthem 10 years after the show opened on Broadway (making it the <b>only</b> official state song from a Broadway Musical!).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #4</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"One"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>A Chorus Line</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music by Marvin Hamlisch</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lyrics by Edward Kleban</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by The Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/yk5yIiG3ip4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet another song that has become an anthem for Broadway and its high-strutting numbers. While that signature vamp is definitely a tribute to the late Marvin Hamlisch and his composing genius, the success of this number can be directly attributed to director Michael Bennett's inventive original staging and choreography. Every step in this number is what was considered typical "chorus-style" dancing (especially the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiller_Girls">Tiller kicks</a> at the end!). The song also served as the overall metaphor for a show about dancers who are part of a virtual assembly line and, in their audition for the "show-within-the-show," are for the first time recognized as individuals and very different people. It's the kind of perfect elements that make a great long-running Broadway hit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Tomorrow, we step into the Top 3 of the 100 Greatest Broadway Songs of All-Time!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-30654839265266250852013-05-24T18:30:00.000-07:002013-05-24T18:30:28.858-07:00The 100 Greatest Broadway Songs - Part XVI<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="color: purple; font-size: xx-large;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">THE 100 GREATEST BROADWAY SONGS</span></u></b></div>
<ul><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: purple;"></span>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs.html"><span style="color: purple;">100</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ii.html"><span style="color: purple;">99-98</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iii.html"><span style="color: purple;">97-95</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iv.html"><span style="color: purple;">94-91</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-v.html"><span style="color: purple;">90-86</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vi.html"><span style="color: purple;">85-80</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vii.html"><span style="color: purple;">79-73</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">72-65</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ix.html"><span style="color: purple;">64-56</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-x.html"><span style="color: purple;">55-46</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xi.html"><span style="color: purple;">45-37</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xii.html"><span style="color: purple;">36-29</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part_19.html"><span style="color: purple;">28-22</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xiv.html"><span style="color: purple;">21-16</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-musicals-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">15-11</span></a></li>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #10</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Somewhere"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>West Side Story</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music by Leonard Bernstein</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by Dream Soloist; in some productions, sung by Maria & Tony</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is one of my all-time favorite songs (and yes, it only got as high as #10 in the evaluation process)! Not only do I love it because it is a beautifully poignant song with a powerful message (I mean when I was a naive kid, I truly believed a song like this could end <b>all</b> prejudice!), but I love it because it is musically a thrilling song. Leonard Bernstein's music is so uplifting and almost operatic (it was originally sung by a woman cast as a Shark girl who later went on to fame at the Metropolitan Opera!). And Stephen Sondheim's "purple prose" lyrics are romantic and almost "utopian." It was originally the centerpiece of Jerome Robbins' massive ballet that occurs within the second act of the show, but has been used in many other capacities. The song has been recorded by several pop artists including Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Cher, Celine Dion and, most notably, Barbra Streisand (as seen above!).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #9</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"The Music Of the Night"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>The Phantom Of the Opera</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lyrics by Charles Hart & Richard Stilgoe</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by The Phantom Of the Opera</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I have talked about this song before and I do consider it Andrew Lloyd Webber's greatest song (from his greatest Musical!). What is really fascinating about this song is not only how difficult a song it is (musically speaking) for the actor playing the leading role (no one can do it like Michael Crawford though!), but how it is considered (by many a <i>Phantom</i> "phan") one of the <b>sexiest</b> songs ever written for the stage. In Harold Prince's gloriously staged original production, the song is sung by the Phantom once he has brought the ingenue Christine to his underground lair. He has her alone, surrounded by candlelight, she is in a dressing gown and he is obsessively in love with her. I think we <b>all</b> know what is on his tormented mind. It really is the ultimate "seduction song." I mean the song even climaxes (when he sings the phrase "the power of the music of the night")!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #8</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"I Could Have Danced All Night"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>My Fair Lady</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music by Frederick Loewe</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by Eliza Doolittle with Mrs. Pearce & the Maids</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Most traditional Musicals have that moment in the show where the lead character (either the man or the woman!) realizes "I'm in love!" And that moment more often than not is put into song. And in <i>My Fair Lady</i>, a show that is highly considered one of the most romantic Musicals (without the lead characters ever sharing a kiss!), this is that moment. Eliza Doolittle has been working with Professor Higgins day and night trying to learn to drop her heavy cockney accent. It has been long and arduous for everyone in the household. But in one evening, she begins to retain everything she has been taught and Higgins his excited (the thrilling "The Rain In Spain" number!). Now Eliza has a new euphoric feeling that she has never felt before. It is a mix of the accomplishment and (quite possibly) an adoration of her tutor. So she sings about how that feeling could quite literally carry her away "all night," all while the housekeeper and maids try to get her to get some sleep. It is an exciting and glorious song that is always sung beautifully (whether by original Broadway star Julie Andrews or film dubber Marni Nixon or <i>Downton Abbey</i>'s Amy Nuttall in a UK touring production, above!).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #7</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Ol' Man River"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>Show Boat</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music by Jerome Kern</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by Joe & Chorus</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It has been said before, but it needs to be said again: <i>Show Boat</i> changed everything. And this song is the complete representation of that fact. The song is sung by the supporting character of "Stevedore" Joe, who works on Captain Andy's Show Boat. Yet the song serves as the overall metaphor of the show. Oscar Hammerstein II wrote it to serve as that metaphor of being the one constant in these people's oftentimes chaotic lives: The Mississippi River. Musicals were not written like this before. Composers and librettists didn't come up with metaphors and character studies that would serve the plot. They just wrote simple stories in which the songs could exist. Jerome Kern's overwhelming and lustrous score mixed with Hammerstein's need to introduce character, metaphor and sprawling plots made for a landmark in American Musical Theatre.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I mean, the history of American Musical Theatre can be separated into two categories: </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">before</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <i>Show Boat</i> and </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">after</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Show Boat</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. And since then, Broadway has "just kept rollin' along."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tomorrow, I will slide right into the Top 5 of the 100 Greatest Broadway Songs. We're inching our way to #1!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-78053412081711713502013-05-22T18:12:00.000-07:002013-05-25T18:39:05.957-07:00The 100 Greatest Broadway Songs - Part XV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<b style="color: purple; font-size: xx-large;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">THE 100 GREATEST BROADWAY SONGS</span></u></b></div>
<ul><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: purple;"></span>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs.html"><span style="color: purple;">100</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ii.html"><span style="color: purple;">99-98</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iii.html"><span style="color: purple;">97-95</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iv.html"><span style="color: purple;">94-91</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-v.html"><span style="color: purple;">90-86</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vi.html"><span style="color: purple;">85-80</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vii.html"><span style="color: purple;">79-73</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">72-65</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ix.html"><span style="color: purple;">64-56</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-x.html"><span style="color: purple;">55-46</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xi.html"><span style="color: purple;">45-37</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xii.html"><span style="color: purple;">36-29</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part_19.html"><span style="color: purple;">28-22</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xiv.html"><span style="color: purple;">21-16</span></a></li>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #15</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Hello, Dolly!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>Hello, Dolly!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music & Lyrics by Jerry Herman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by Dolly Gallagher Levi & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By the mid-1960s, the Rock 'n Roll Era had become so culturally significant that it had shoved Broadway music off the pop charts (Before the mid-1950s, Broadway music is usually what made up most of the hit singles!). But in 1964, there was one last bastion of hope for Broadway with this song when Louis Armstrong recorded this song (in order to promote the show!) and became a #1 hit in month's following the Musical's opening. This high-strutting title number skyrocketed songwriter Jerry Herman into Broadway stardom and became the anthem as a "parade" of divas took over for original star Carol Channing (including Martha Raye, Ginger Rogers, Pearl Bailey and Ethel Merman). It even was beloved by the troops in Vietnam when Mary Martin starred in a special USO production. It was a perfect example of Broadway's Americana.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #14</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"My Funny Valentine"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Babes In Arms</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Richard Rodgers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Lorenz Hart</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Billie Smith</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is the second of two Rodgers and Hart songs to appear on this list and it is considered their most popular, having been recorded over 1300 times by 600 different artists. It is from one of their shows that is not well-known, yet the show contains some of their most famous songs (in addition to this one, the show also includes "Johnny One Note," "Where Or When" and "The Lady Is a Tramp"). This sweet romantic jazz standard is also noted for its slightly witty Lorenz Hart lyrics that have now gone down into the compendium of American colloquialisms ("unphotographable," "figure less than Greek," etc.).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #13</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I Dreamed a Dream"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">from </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">Les Misérables</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Claude-Michel Schonberg</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Alain Boublil & Herbert Kretzmer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Fantine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Contrary to popular belief, this song was not written for Susan Boyle to wow Simon Cowell and his fellow judges panel on Britain's Got Talent. It was first written back in 1980 for the Les Misérables French concept album by Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil (titled "J'Avais rêvé d'une autre vie" and sung by French pop singer Rose Laurens). The single became a hit in France and (being one of the first songs on the concept album) is pointed as the song that sold Cameron Mackintosh on adapting the show into English for the West End. When it was performed in the London production (by the fabulous Patti LuPone!), it became an instant hit and became an anthem for the "dreams" within the show. It's no wonder that the 2012 film version only used the song (sung to Oscar-winning perfection by Anne Hathaway!) in the trailers.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #12</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"People"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Funny Girl</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Jule Styne</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Bob Merrill</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Fanny Brice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As soon as Jule Styne began writing songs to fit Barbra Streisand's voice, he immediately wrote this soaring ballad with Bob Merrill that soon became Streisand's signature number...but it was almost cut from the show. Original director Jerome Robbins, even though he liked the song and the way Streisand sang it, felt that it slowed down the action of the play and wanted it taken out. Styne refused, and soon Robbins left (over other disagreements with the creative team) to be replaced by Bob Fosse, who also felt that "People" should be cut. Not wanting to go round for round with Jule Styne, Fosse left about a week after taking the job. Then came Actors' Studio director Garson Kanin. He too felt that the song dragged down the play and wanted it cut. He kept it out-of-town, but promised it would be gone by the New York opening. Soon, Robbins was brought back to make some final changes and be the overall "production supervisor." To combat both Kanin and Robbins, Styne got creative. He pulled Barbra Streisand into a recording studio and recorded it as a single then released the single. The single became a Top 10 hit immediately. Kanin and Robbins were painted into a corner and...the rest is history!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #11</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"My Favorite Things"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Sound of Music</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Richard Rodgers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Maria Rainer & The Mother Abbess</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This song became an instant classic in the original 1959 Broadway production of </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Sound of Music</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. In the show, it was originally sung by Mary Martin (as Maria) when she was leaving the Abbey to go to the Von Trapps (she sang it with Patricia Neway's Mother Abbess). A year after the show opened, jazz saxophonist John Coltrane covered the song (in an almost fourteen-minute long version!) and became a huge jazz favorite. Soon, it also became a favorite of pop and lounge acts for their respective Christmas albums (mainly because the song lists a lot of nice things). When screenwriter Ernest Lehman was adapting the show for the 1965 film version, he decided to re-position the song for Maria (played by Julie Andrews) to sing to the children during the thunderstorm. The scene (which was the first scene filmed for the movie!) became a personal favorite of Andrews and the children (who reprise the song later in the film, above).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the next post, we will jump right into the Top 10 of the 100 Greatest Broadway Songs!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-87857986324343215762013-05-21T17:37:00.000-07:002013-05-21T17:37:46.250-07:00The 100 Greatest Broadway Songs - Part XIV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<b style="color: purple; font-size: xx-large;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">THE 100 GREATEST BROADWAY SONGS</span></u></b></div>
<ul><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: purple;"></span>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs.html"><span style="color: purple;">100</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ii.html"><span style="color: purple;">99-98</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iii.html"><span style="color: purple;">97-95</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iv.html"><span style="color: purple;">94-91</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-v.html"><span style="color: purple;">90-86</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vi.html"><span style="color: purple;">85-80</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vii.html"><span style="color: purple;">79-73</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">72-65</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ix.html"><span style="color: purple;">64-56</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-x.html"><span style="color: purple;">55-46</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xi.html"><span style="color: purple;">45-37</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xii.html"><span style="color: purple;">36-29</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part_19.html"><span style="color: purple;">28-22</span></a></li>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #21</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"You're the Top"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>Anything Goes</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music & Lyrics by Cole Porter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by Reno Sweeney & Billy Lawlor</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/HcjmdOGTUbs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now we have the highest ranking Cole Porter number. This splendid and catchy duet between the leading characters of his show </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anything Goes </i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">has become one of his most famous. Porter had a great sense of wit and an adroit knowledge of what was considered "high class" (I mean, he was educated at Yale!). In this song (the ultimate "list song"), the character of Reno Sweeney (originally played by Ethel Merman) is again trying to cheer up her friend Billy Lawlor by telling him how great he is (as she did in "I Get a Kick Out of You"); but Billy decides to tell Reno how wonderful she is and turns this song into a marvelously witty duet.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #20</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Oklahoma!</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Richard Rodgers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Curly McLane</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/KNEUtN21cuU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When Oscar Hammerstein II was trying to get the Theatre Guild to help him produce a Musical version of Lynn Riggs' play </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Green Grow the Lilacs</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, they wanted him to reunite with his</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Show Boat</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">composer Jerome Kern who was not interested at all. It just so happened that Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers and Hart fame) was looking for a new writing partner (Lorenz Hart was suffering medical problems from acute alcoholism). Once Hammerstein interested Rodgers, the Theatre Guild became very intrigued by the new partnership. And the first song they wrote was this glorious opening number for this groundbreaking Musical. Rodgers reached a new plateau in is composition and Hammerstein (with his quaint lyrics and character-driven librettos) was mainly responsible for this. With this song, it was like the dawn of a new era: for Hammerstein, for Rodgers and for the American Musical Theatre.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The above song is dedicated to the victims of the horrendous Tornadoes and storms that ripped through the state of Oklahoma and some of the Midwest. <a href="http://www.redcross.org/news/press-release/Red-Cross-Helping-Tornado-Victims-With-Shelter-Food-Supplies">Click here</a> to find information on donating to relief efforts.</span></li>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #19</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"If I Were a Rich Man"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fiddler On the Roof</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Jerry Bock</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Tevye</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ahAOU1HZXlc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sholem Alecheim's Tevye is "just a poor milkman." But what makes Tevye so easy to relate to for an audience is that he, like all of us, has dreams and ambitions for his family. This song in the Musical version of Aleichem's </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tevye</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">stories, lays out exactly what he wants out of life. He wants to be rich (who doesn't?!?!?!). The song became the signature centerpiece of the show, primarily because it was a "tour-de-force" for the actor playing Tevye (like original Broadway star Zero Mostel, above). It even was covered (sort of) by Gwen Stefani when she adapted the song for use in her hit single "Rich Girl."</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #18</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Summertime"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Porgy and Bess</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by George Gershwin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by DuBose Heyward & Ira Gershwin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Clara (later sung by Bess)</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/MC5pp8FeAaU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Of course the highest ranking Gershwin song would come from the masterpiece that is </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Porgy and Bess</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. And this is probably the show's most recorded number of all-time. It certainly became a favorite of jazz, opera, gospel, blues and country artists (Ella Fitzgerald, Renee Fleming, Kirk Franklin, Janis Joplin and Willie Nelson have all had successful recordings of this song!). I think what makes this song so beautiful is because it</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">is </b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">a mix of</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">all </b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">those genres, which speaks to the genius of George Gershwin. It's sung by a beautiful soprano (like Audra McDonald, above!) in a lullaby (almost gospel-like) style with that slight hint of a jazzy-bluesy wail (that famous</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_note" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">blue note</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">!) and quaint country-style lyrics (Heyward's southern style shining through!). Every time I hear it (any version!), I discover new intricacies in Gershwin's brilliant musical signature.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #17</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Memory"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cats</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Trevor Nunn (based on poems by T.S. Eliot)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Grizabella the Glamour Cat (with others)</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/xsA1mmbsxxc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When Andrew Lloyd Webber was working on his Musical adaptation of T.S. Eliot's </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, everybody thought that he (along with director Trevor Nunn, choreographer Gillian Lynne and producer Cameron Mackintosh) was insane. But the key to the show, according to the entire creative team, was the song that was to be the "11 o'clock number" and sung by the Glamour Cat, Grizabella. Originally, Trevor Nunn had cast Dame Judi Dench in the role (believing her extremely strong acting ability would give the show enough credibility in the West End) until she tore her</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilles_tendon" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Achilles tendon</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">during rehearsal. So Lloyd Webber called upon his</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Evita</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">star Elaine Paige to step in and a new melody was written to suit her fantastic voice. One problem: there were no lyrics. Previous Lloyd Webber lyricists (like Tim Rice, Don Black and Richard Stilgoe) had all tried to write an accompanying lyric, but none worked. Then, T.S. Eliot's widow brought Lloyd Webber and Nunn a notebook filled with some of Eliot's poems and unfinished notes. Trevor Nunn took the notebook home and re-worked what he found into the beautiful lyrics to what became the signature number from one of the longest-running Musicals in Theatre history (Just listen to the glorious Betty Buckley above!).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #16</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Some Enchanted Evening"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">South Pacific</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Richard Rodgers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Emille de Becque</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/TwWBj-lfizc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When I was a kid, I played the Owl (?) in a school production of </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Snow White</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and my solo number was "Some Enchanted Forest" (Yeah...you just read that correctly!). But to the surprise of</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">none</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">of my friends and family, I became obsessed with this song (and it probably fueled the obsession I already had for anything Rodgers and Hammerstein!). Every time I hear this song, I am reminded at how romantic a Broadway Musical can be. </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Phantom of the Opera</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">director Harold Prince has pointed to this show as being one of the last great "unabashedly romantic" Musicals of the Golden Era. And this song is the epitome of that unabashed romanticism. Hammerstein's sentimental and poignant lyrics mixed with Rodgers' gloriously beautiful music make this song so powerful and moving that you just want it to carry you away (but</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">not</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">to an "Enchanted Forest!").</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tomorrow, a few more of the Great Broadway songs and as we head towards the Top 10: NO MORE HINTS!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-80964235642514060842013-05-19T18:12:00.002-07:002013-05-19T19:20:46.763-07:00The 100 Greatest Broadway Songs - Part XIII<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<b style="color: purple; font-size: xx-large;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">THE 100 GREATEST BROADWAY SONGS</span></u></b></div>
<ul><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: purple;"></span>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs.html"><span style="color: purple;">100</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ii.html"><span style="color: purple;">99-98</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iii.html"><span style="color: purple;">97-95</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iv.html"><span style="color: purple;">94-91</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-v.html"><span style="color: purple;">90-86</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vi.html"><span style="color: purple;">85-80</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vii.html"><span style="color: purple;">79-73</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">72-65</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ix.html"><span style="color: purple;">64-56</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-x.html"><span style="color: purple;">55-46</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xi.html"><span style="color: purple;">45-37</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xii.html"><span style="color: purple;">36-29</span></a></li>
</b></span></ul>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #28</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Tonight"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">West Side Story</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Leonard Bernstein</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Maria & Tony (duet version); Maria, Tony, Anita, Bernardo, Riff & Gangs (quintet version)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When writing their modern update of Shakespeare's </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Romeo & Juliet</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, the creative team was having trouble with the all-important "Balcony Scene." Originally, they had placed the sweet marriage-themed tune "One Hand, One Heart" at that point in the play. But both librettist Arthur Laurents and director Jerome Robbins felt that it came across as too pristine and hymn-like. Laurents felt that two young teenagers who have just fallen in love "at first sight" would not be pristine, but full of raging hormones. So Bernstein and Sondheim rewrote the two lovers' theme that appeared in the "Tonight" quintet (</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpaS2v-r7cE" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">all the major characters singing right before the rumble</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">). Therefore it became another one of those "motif" numbers that is used as both the sexually charged duet and the tense-filled pre-rumble quintet.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #27</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Wouldn't It Be Loverly"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My Fair Lady</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Frederick Loewe</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Eliza Doolittle & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Almost every "traditional-styled" Musical has what is known as an "I Want" song (A song when the leading character reveals their innermost dreams and desires). This could be considered one of the most famous "I Want" songs. It even has the words "All I Want..." in it! The poor flower girl Eliza Doolittle sings this number after being publicly chastised by Professor Henry Higgins for her harsh cockney accent. He even drives it into her head that the way she speaks is the reason she is at the station she is in life (which is the crux of George Bernard Shaw's plot!). After this chiding, Eliza states (in front of her cockney friends) what she wants most out of life with this beautiful number to which everyone in the audience can relate.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #26</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Wilkommen"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cabaret</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by John Kander</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Fred Ebb</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by The Master of Ceremonies & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Like "Tradition" and "Comedy Tonight" before it, </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cabaret</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">'s producer-director Harold Prince (who ironically had also produced</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fiddler</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Forum</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) wanted to open the show with a number that told the audience what the show was about. Kander and Ebb wrote this fantastic show-stopping opener that had the devilish Master of Ceremonies (originally played by Joel Grey and portrayed in the revival above by Alan Cumming) showing us the glitzy and seedy world he inhabits. He literally "welcomes" us all to the "cabaret." It is a true metaphor for the entire show as the "glamour" of the Kit Kat Club is covering its sleazy and debauched manner. Which then becomes Prince's symbol of what prejudice and Nazism really is.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #25</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Tomorrow"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Annie</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Charles Strouse</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Martin Charnin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Little Orphan Annie</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This became a relentless audition song for many a little girl who watched as girls like Andrea McArdle (above), Sarah Jessica Parker and Aileen Quinn became stars singing this song. Mixed with Charles Strouse's simple and uplifting melody (something he was very good at with shows like </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bye Bye Birdie</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">!), Martin Charnin's lyrics really captured the essence of the</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Little Orphan Annie</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">comic strip. Let's face it, everyone wanted a life like Orphan Annie's. To seemingly come from nothing only to be adopted by the country's wealthiest man, that is the ultimate "rags-to-riches" story. And through it all, Annie always kept an optimistic charm saying that "Tomorrow will be better." Which is exactly what this song states.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #24</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Getting To Know You"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The King and I</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Richard Rodgers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Anna Leonowens & Children</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Most of the creative people on Broadway have said and believed that "Teaching is the true </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">noble</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">profession." Once again, Oscar Hammerstein II showed his opinions in his lyrics and summed up what teaching is all about: "Getting To Know [the Students]." According to Hammerstein (speaking through the character of Anna Leonowens), the more you get to know your student, the better chance you have of teaching them (and they retain and understand what they learn!). And with this fun song (with Richard Rodgers' simple and beautiful melody), Hammerstein showed his great respect for teachers (and their noble profession!).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #23</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"The Impossible Dream (The Quest)"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Man of La Mancha</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Mitch Leigh</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Joe Darion</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Don Quixote de La Mancha</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Like "Tomorrow" earlier, this song also had repeated usage over the years (particularly by lounge singers like Wayne Newton!). But you can't blame them when the music is so uplifting and thrilling...and the message is so poignant. One of the questions constantly asked of Don Quixote throughout Cervantes' classic novel is "Why?" And his answer (or rather Cervantes' answer!) is a poetic speech about following his quest. Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion turned this speech into a powerful ballad (with Leigh's </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolero" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bolero-styled</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">tempo) about how the quest, no matter how "impossible," is the most important thing in life. It is considered one of the most significant solo-male numbers in Broadway history and has become an anthem for following one's dreams.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #22</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Send In the Clowns"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A Little Night Music</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Desiree Armfeldt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As promised, I give you the highest-ranking song with </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">both </b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">music</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and </b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (two more songs with just lyrics by Sondheim will appear later in the list!). And this song is considered (even jokingly by Sondheim himself!) his biggest hit. This "11 o'clock number" comes towards the end of Sondheim's Musical adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Smiles of a Summer Night</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. The lead character of Desiree Armfeldt (who, up to that point in the show, had not sung a solo number!) realizes all but too late what (and who!) she wants. She then sings about the irony of her sad situation. The song became the celebrated hit of the 1973 show especially when Frank Sinatra covered it in one of his concerts that year. Two years later, folk singer Judy Collins covered the song on her album...and it went on to win Stephen Sondheim the Grammy Award for Best Song of Year! No wonder it's his biggest hit!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tomorrow, we jump into the Top 20 of this list with a few more Great Broadway songs including two more from Rodgers and Hammerstein (they're everywhere!); as well as the highest-ranking songs from The Gershwins and Cole Porter!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-60418577098492606312013-05-17T18:36:00.000-07:002013-05-17T18:36:38.909-07:00The 100 Greatest Broadway Songs - Part XII<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<b style="color: purple; font-size: xx-large;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">THE 100 GREATEST BROADWAY SONGS</span></u></b></div>
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<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs.html"><span style="color: purple;">100</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ii.html"><span style="color: purple;">99-98</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iii.html"><span style="color: purple;">97-95</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iv.html"><span style="color: purple;">94-91</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-v.html"><span style="color: purple;">90-86</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vi.html"><span style="color: purple;">85-80</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vii.html"><span style="color: purple;">79-73</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">72-65</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ix.html"><span style="color: purple;">64-56</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-x.html"><span style="color: purple;">55-46</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-xi.html"><span style="color: purple;">45-37</span></a></li>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #36</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Aquarius"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>Hair</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music by Galt McDermott</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lyrics by James Rado & Gerome Ragni</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by Dionne & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What better way to introduce audiences to the "hippie" movement than to sing a funky song about "mystic crystals" and "moons in the seventh house." This song has become an anthem not just for the "hippie" movement, but for the rock Musical that was introduced to Broadway with </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hair</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and skyrocketed to popularity throughout the 1970s. It was a new kind of Musical that no one before had ever seen (though that dancing horse might be a bit much!).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #35</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Soliloquy"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Carousel</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Richard Rodgers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Billy Bigelow</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Billy Bigelow is yet another one of Oscar Hammerstein II's favorite characters. I think Hammerstein was drawn to flawed people, anti-heroes and tragic figures. Those are the kind of characters that make the best drama (i.e. Oedipus, Hamlet, Doctor Faustus, etc.). For Hammerstein, Billy Bigelow was no different than those classic dramatic characters. That is probably why he cleverly titled his big solo number (where Billy runs the gamut of emotions and thoughts over the prospect of his impending child) a "Soliloquy." It is calculated to state Billy's dreams; yet, at the same time, move the plot forward (which is what the Hammerstein book songs are supposed to do!).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #34</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Tradition"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fiddler On the Roof</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Jerry Bock</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Tevye & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and librettist Joseph Stein brought their Musical adaptation of Sholem Aleichem's stories to producer Harold Prince, they originally wanted Prince to direct it. He felt that he wasn't the right director for it and suggested Jerome Robbins. Robbins agreed as long as Prince produced the show. And Robbins' biggest contribution was this groundbreaking opening number. He wanted a number that encompassed what the theme and the characters are all about. So Bock and Harnick wrote "Tradition," which was a number that introduced Tevye and </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">all</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> of his fellow villagers of Anatevka. This song, according to all involved, helped to make the show universal and take it to a new level (something Robbins was no stranger to, as you will see!).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #33</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pal Joey</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Richard Rodgers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Lorenz Hart</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Vera Simpson</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pal Joey</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> has two great distinctions in regards to the partnership of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. First, it is the team's most notable of their shows (with its jazzy score and amoral characters). Second, it was the last original show the pair wrote together as Lorenz Hart was suffering from the effects of his years of alcoholism (Rodgers would go on to find another writing partner!). But from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pal Joey</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, this beautiful and quite lyrical number has become a jazz standard that has been recorded by everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Frank Sinatra to Barbra Streisand (above).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #32</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"America"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">West Side Story</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Leonard Bernstein</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Anita, Rosalia & Shark Girls</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is the story of how two great choreographers melded their methods together to create a fantastic show-stopping number. When Jerome Robbins was about to go into rehearsals for </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">West Side Story</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, he threatened to quit. Now, knowing Robbins, this alone is not unusual; however, co-producer Harold Prince was not pleased. What they discovered is that Robbins wanted help in creating the choreography for what he wanted to be his masterpiece. So he and Prince hired former dancer and newly minted choreographer Peter Gennaro to assist Robbins and create most of the choreography for the Puerto Rican Shark gang (Robbins would focus on directing the show, supervising Gennaro and creating the dances for the Jets). The first number Gennaro worked on was this song that had the character of Anita (originally played by the phenomenal Chita Rivera) singing about the joys of being in the U.S. Gennaro's steps wowed the creative team, but (according to Stephen Sondheim) the staging wasn't quite right. So Robbins stepped in and re-worked it with Gennaro. The next day, the team was doubly wowed by the changes and Chita Rivera went on to stop the show every night!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #31</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Don't Cry For Me Argentina"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Evita</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Tim Rice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Eva Peron</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When Tim Rice conceived the idea of creating a Musical about the wife of Argentinian President Juan Peron, he wanted Eva to have a song that could serve both as a speech to the people of Argentina and to the audience itself. He and Lloyd Webber created this song that is sung on the balcony of the Casa Rosada at the beginning of the second act (after Peron has been elected President). The song became the centerpiece of the original </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Evita</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> concept album and was a hit single for original singer Julie Covington. Once director Harold Prince was staging the number for the original London production, he told original star Elaine Paige that he didn't want her to worry about the melody. He wanted her to think of the song as a political statement that Eva is giving to the people and to stare down the crowd (and the audience!) as you defiantly sing the song </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">at</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> them. And believe me, no one stares down a crowd like original Broadway star Patti LuPone (above)!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #30</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dreamgirls</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Henry Krieger</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Tom Eyen</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Effie Melody White</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From one diva anthem to another, this song is most definitely the biggest hit from this smash Musical about a black girl group in the 1960s trying to crossover from the R&B world to the Pop world. The character of Effie Melody White, loosely based on the late Supreme Florence Ballard, is a diva with an attitude that is driving everyone crazy. And because of her antics, she gets dismissed from the group (much like Ballard was let go from The Supremes at the height of their popularity). But because she is in love with the slick manager and she doesn't want to see her dreams end, she defiantly stands there and sings this emotionally soulful ballad. Whether it is original Broadway star Jennifer Holliday (above) or Oscar-winning film star Jennifer Hudson, this song really knows how to move an audience.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #29</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I Believe In You"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music & Lyrics by Frank Loesser</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by J. Pierrepont Finch</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When writing the score for the adaptation of Shepard Mead's satirical novel, Frank Loesser felt that the lead character of Finch (with his sly and conniving ways!) needed a love ballad...with himself. Because Finch is ultimately selfish and self-serving, Loesser wanted the "11 o'clock number" to be a song that Finch sings to himself not just to pick himself up, but to compliment himself. The resulting song is this delightful song that is both hilarious (because of the circumstances!) and sweet (because of the sentiment!). It also makes the audience root more for Finch as he is surrounded by the inept corporate bigwigs that want to take him down!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the next post, we will be heading into the Top 25 of the Greatest Broadway Songs with more from Rodgers & Hammerstein, Kander & Ebb and the highest ranking song with </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">both</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Music </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-34449079947793317512013-05-16T18:35:00.000-07:002013-05-16T18:35:11.217-07:00The 100 Greatest Broadway Songs - Part XI<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<b style="color: purple; font-size: xx-large;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">THE 100 GREATEST BROADWAY SONGS</span></u></b></div>
<ul><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs.html"><span style="color: purple;">100</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ii.html"><span style="color: purple;">99-98</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iii.html"><span style="color: purple;">97-95</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iv.html"><span style="color: purple;">94-91</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-v.html"><span style="color: purple;">90-86</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vi.html"><span style="color: purple;">85-80</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vii.html"><span style="color: purple;">79-73</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">72-65</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ix.html"><span style="color: purple;">64-56</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-x.html"><span style="color: purple;">55-46</span></a></li>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #45</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Before the Parade Passes By"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>Hello, Dolly!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music & Lyrics by Jerry Herman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by Dolly Gallagher Levi & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So many Musicals of the "Golden Era" had problems during their creative process...and </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hello, Dolly!</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> was certainly no different. Director-choreographer Gower Champion was having trouble with casting certain roles and staging several numbers; Composer-lyricist Jerry Herman was writing and re-writing songs (and throwing out some!); And producer David Merrick was being his usual overwhelming self and making demands of everyone from Champion to Herman to even star Carol Channing! One of the problems was the end of the first act. The song they had was not working out-of-town and Herman decided to sit down late one night and just compose a new one. This was what he came up with and, according to him, it saved the show. The build up of the number and Gower Champion's inventive staging helped keep the energy of the show at its height leading into the second act where we know it became more iconic (as you will see later in this list!).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #44</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I Get a Kick Out Of You"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anything Goes</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music & Lyrics by Cole Porter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Reno Sweeney</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of Cole Porter's biggest hit songs is this one that was introduced by Ethel Merman in the 1934 Musical </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anything Goes</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Once again, Porter plays with slightly "bluer" lyrics as the character of Reno Sweeney sings about champagne, cocaine and flying in a plane. But none of those "fads" compare to her friend Billy Lawlor, who she thinks is just "fabulous." The song has been recorded by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Ella Fitzgerald; And has been parodied on </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sesame Street</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and (most famously) </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0jDUV4fu_0" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">in Mel Brooks' 1974 brilliant comedy <i>Blazing Saddles</i></a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #43</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"If My Friends Could See Me Now"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sweet Charity</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Cy Coleman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Dorothy Fields</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Charity Hope Valentine</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sweet Charity</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> was the Musical version of Italian director Federico Fellini's 1957 film </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nights of Cabiria</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. With a libretto by the great Neil Simon, director Bob Fosse wanted to insure that Charity is one of the most hapless heroines in Musical history. And in this song, which became the centerpiece of the show, Charity thinks she's hit the big time just by hanging out with a famous Italian movie star. She ponders what her friends would do "if they could see" her at that very moment. The Fellini-esque irony is that ultimately her great night is just about as pathetic as her life has been up to that point. But in the moment, she doesn't care. Combining Bob Fosse's ingenious choreography with Gwen Verdon's fabulous performance is what made this song so legendary (in the film version, the fantastic Shirley MacLaine put her own stamp on the number). The song was revived in the 1980s when Carnival Cruise Lines used the tune in their commercials sung by talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #42</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Broadway Baby"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Follies</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Hattie Walker</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For those of you who read this blog, you had to know that this song would be on here. Some of you might have thought it would have been higher! But as the late Dorothy Loudon says in her performance of the song above, Stephen Sondheim probably didn't know what he had when he wrote this tune that has now become an anthem for the performer dying to make it on the Great White Way.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #41</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I Got Rhythm"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Girl Crazy</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by George Gershwin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Ira Gershwin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Kate Fothergill</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yet another song that was introduced to the world by the legendary Ethel Merman. In 1930, George and Ira Gershwin were composing the quaint Musical </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Girl Crazy</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> for writer Guy Bolton. To show off his jazzy score, George Gershwin hired several local jazz artists to play in the orchestra pit (including Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa and Benny Goodman!). He wrote this song for the supporting character of Kate (played by Merman) to sing at the end of the first act. With this song, Merman became an overnight sensation and, according to legend, was told by Gershwin himself to "never take a singing lesson!" Thanks to all the jazz legends in the pit, this song was covered in all the clubs by all the great artists. Some of the more familiar versions of the song include above in the 1951 MGM Oscar-winner </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">An American In Paris</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32j8M5G1f8o" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">a delightful twist on the song by the hilarious Muppets</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #40</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"All I Ask Of You"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Phantom Of the Opera</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Charles Hart & Richard Stilgoe</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Christine Daa</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">é</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> & Raoul</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Phantom Of the Opera</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">is pretty much considered one of the most romantic Musicals in Broadway history and this song is one of the biggest reasons. Lyricist Richard Stilgoe was having great difficulty making this song, which was to appear towards the end of the first act, work properly. Every set of lyrics he wrote for it fell flat with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and director Harold Prince. So, with the help of producer Cameron Mackintosh, Lloyd Webber found help from an unknown songwriter named Charles Hart. His lyrics, especially for this song, brought the Musical up to a new romantic level that it wasn't at before. The song has become a personal favorite of Lloyd Webber, Pirince</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mackintosh. It even has become one of the most popular songs to be sung at weddings!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #39</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Consider Yourself"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Oliver!</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music & Lyrics by Lionel Bart</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by The Artful Dodger, Oliver Twist & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When Lionel Bart was writing his adaptation of Charles Dickens' massive novel, he needed a number that would introduce The Artful Dodger and lure Oliver right into his world. Bart's solution was to write a song that was very similar to the classic British Music Hall. A song that makes everyone want to stand up and sing along. Anytime you hear it, you want to do exactly what it says: "Consider Yourself at Home!" The song is the show's "unofficial" anthem and is the highlight of every production (especially the 1968 movie version, above!).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #38</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Being Alive"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Company</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Bobby & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As I said before, Stephen Sondheim has a way of writing a song in each of his shows that hits at its very themes. In </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Company</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, lead character Bobby spends the whole show finding out about marriage, relationships and connectivity. At the end of the show, he asks the question: "What do you get?" What follows is one of Sondheim's most poignant songs that basically says what Bobby (and by extension, everyone) wants in life, which is to have that connection with someone that makes one feel "alive." Being one of Sondheim's most amazing songs, it has been performed by several actors (including</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am8qrrZAtP4" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">original star Dean Jone</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">s, revival star Raul Esparza and</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC-6TYlMnlo" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">concert star Neil Patrick Harris</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) and is always well-received by audiences.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #37</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Till There Was You"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Music Man</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music & </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Meredith Wilson</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Marian Paroo & Professor Harold Hill</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Like "All I Ask Of You" above, this is yet another highly romantic song that is filled with beautiful imagery. Who doesn't want to hear that they are the reason that someone finally sees all the possibilities in life? In </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Music Man</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, stuffy librarian Marian Paroo spends most of the show trying to prove that the sly Professor Harold Hill is exactly what he is: a con man. However, when she begins to see the effect his "con" is having on the town of River City, Iowa, she begins to see him in a new light. She realizes that the more she knows about him, the more she loves him. And he falls right back in love with her, which is the typical kind of Musical-Comedy romance!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tomorrow, I will reveal a few more the Greatest Broadway Songs as we slide into the Top 30 with songs from a few more landmark shows.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-52490868426172431522013-05-14T18:42:00.000-07:002013-05-14T19:26:28.598-07:00The 100 Greatest Broadway Songs - Part X<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<b style="color: purple; font-size: xx-large;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">THE 100 GREATEST BROADWAY SONGS</span></u></b></div>
<ul><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs.html"><span style="color: purple;">100</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ii.html"><span style="color: purple;">99-98</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iii.html"><span style="color: purple;">97-95</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iv.html"><span style="color: purple;">94-91</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-v.html"><span style="color: purple;">90-86</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vi.html"><span style="color: purple;">85-80</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vii.html"><span style="color: purple;">79-73</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">72-65</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ix.html"><span style="color: purple;">64-56</span></a></li>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #55</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I, Don Quixote (Man of La Mancha)"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Man of La Mancha</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Mitch Leigh</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Joe Darion</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Don Quixote and Sancho Panza</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The 1960s was full of new and groundbreaking staging techniques that were very different from the traditional styles of previous Broadway directors and choreographers. </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Man of La Mancha</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">had some of those different staging techniques. Director Albert Marre insisted on staging the show in a</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box_theater" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Black Box Theatre</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and utilizing limited sets. He wanted the atmosphere to resemble a small prison cell that the lead character, Miguel de Cervantes, is thrust into with his fellow inmates of the Spanish Inquisition. In this cell, Cervantes re-enacts his great work about the crazed man who thinks of himself as a knight errant named Don Quixote de La Mancha. And this song introduces Quixote's world to everyone with its passionate and thrilling music.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #54</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Mame"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mame</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music & Lyrics by Jerry Herman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Beauregarde Jackson Pickett Burnside & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the same season as </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Man of La Mancha</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, this hit Musical was also a smash hit...and it could not have been more different. Jerry Herman was no stranger to a female-led Musical with a high-strutting chorus-filled title number (his more popular one shall appear later on this list!) and this one was just as popular as his previous one. With both of Jerry Herman's shows being huge successes in the late 1960s, they served as reminders that the traditional-styled Musicals were still quite popular with audiences despite the darker and more serious shows (i.e.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fiddler On the Roof</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">,</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Man of La Mancha</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">,</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cabaret</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">,</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hair</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, etc.) arriving on Broadway and making a splash.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #53</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets)"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Damn Yankees</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music & Lyrics by Richard Adler & Jerry Ross</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Lola</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gwen Verdon began her enigmatic career as a dancer for the legendary Jack Cole and eventually became his assistant. Soon she was courted to Broadway where she wowed audiences with her featured role in Cole Porter's 1953 hit </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Can-Can</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. She quickly became a sought after actress and dancer. She also came to the attention of choreographer Bob Fosse, who fell instantly in love with her. She became his muse and was thrilled to work with her for the first time on George Abbott's hit baseball-themed Musical</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Damn Yankees</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. This number became the show's most popular song thanks very much to the combination of Verdon's sensual performance and Fosse's sexy choreography. The two went on to make some of the most influential shows in Broadway history together (including</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sweet Charity</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chicago</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">!).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #52</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I Don't Know How To Love Him"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jesus Christ Superstar</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Tim Rice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Mary Magdalene</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When Tim Rice wanted to create a solo number for the character of Mary Magdalene for their concept recording </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jesus Christ Superstar</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber recycled a tune he had written earlier titled "Kansas Morning." It was very much based on the compositions of Mendelssohn and Lloyd Webber felt that the melody would fit perfectly with a possible love ballad. Tim Rice wrote new lyrics, re-titled it "I Don't Know How To Love Him" and cast a young pop singer named Yvonne Elliman in the role of Mary Magdalene for the recording. The song became a critically acclaimed emotional centerpiece of the album and climbed its way up the Billboard Charts as Elliman portrayed the role in the Broadway production of the show. It was also covered by Helen Reddy (a version which became more popular as the show opened on Broadway) and Petula Clark (a version which was released in the UK at the same time as Elliman's version). Though there have been several versions, Elliman's original is considered the most exquisite (especially as she repeated it both on Broadway and in the 1973 film version above).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #51</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Edelweiss"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Sound of Music</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Richard Rodgers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Captain Georg Von Trapp</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While Rodgers and Hammerstein were writing </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Sound of Music</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, they realized that the character of Captain Von Trapp was not generating enough sympathy and they new that the real Von Trapp had to be a man of conviction and principle. So, while the show was out of town in Boston, Richard Rodgers began writing a simple waltz-like melody that could be played on the guitar (to showcase the Musical skills of Theodore Bikel, who originated the role of the Captain) and Oscar Hammerstein II utilized the theme of the Austrian flower, the Edelweiss, to serve as the lyrics. The song became so beloved that audience members actually believed it was an Austrian national song. It also became a haunting theme, as it was the last song that Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II ever wrote together. For nine months after</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Sound of Music</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">opened on Broadway, Oscar Hammerstein II (the man who had changed the face of American Musical Theatre with shows like </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Show Boat</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Oklahoma!</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) lost his life to stomach cancer. He has since lived on in his lyrics and librettos.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #50</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"The Ballad of Mack the Knife"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Threepenny Opera</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Kurt Weill</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Original Lyrics by Burtold Brecht; English adaptation by Marc Blitzstein</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by The Street Singer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">German composer Kurt Weill left his home country when Adolf Hitler's Third Reich came to power, but before that Weill (along with playwright Burtold Brecht) had composed several successful German operettas that caught the attention of producers throughout Europe and even in the U.S. When Weill made it to Broadway, he was very interested in doing English adaptations of his German hits. After he died in 1950, author Marc Blitzstein made it his mission to adapt his 1928 operetta </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.190340042114258px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Die Dreigroschenoper</i> (also known as <i>The Threepenny Opera</i>). He even cast Weill's widow, Lotte Lenya, in her original role of Jenny Diver. The show was produced Off-Broadway at the Theater De Lys in Greenwich Village (now known as the Lucille Lortel Theatre). The opening song, "The Ballad of Mack the Knife," became the show's most recognizable and even became a pop hit when singers like Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin recorded jazzier versions that soared to the top of the charts.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #49</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Jule Styne</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Leo Robin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Lorelai Lee & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anita Loos' comic novel </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">was a huge hit when it was published in 1925. Almost 25 years later, she was approached about adapting the novel into a Musical. The show had a score by composer Jule Styne (with help from lyricist Leo Robin) and starred a young Carol Channing in the central role of Lorelai Lee. Carol Channing's performance of this second act show-stopper became quite popular in the early 1950s...that is until 1953 the film version. For the film, 20th Century Fox cast their bombshell star Marilyn Monroe in the role of Lorelai and this number became the centerpiece of the film (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ndSDeIH2yw">thanks to choreographer Jack Cole!</a>). Monroe's performance of this song has become so iconic that it has been parodied or honored by everyone from Madonna to Beyonce to Kylie Minogue to Christina Aguilera to even Nicole Kidman (in Baz Luhrmann's hit film</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Moulin Rouge!</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #48</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Superstar"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jesus Christ Superstar</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Tim Rice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Judas Iscariot & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yet another song from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jesus Christ Superstar</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and (this time) it's the title number! Record producer Robert Stigwood released this song as the only single from the original 1970 concept album (performed on the record by British singer Murray Head). The song became a #1 hit on both sides of the Atlantic and helped the album sky-rocket to the top of the charts. On Broadway, the song was performed by Ben Vereen and became a show-stopper in Tom O'Horgan's staging. Since then, it has become the most anticipated song in the show and Andrew Lloyd Webber's majestic theme music is constantly repeated throughout the Musical.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #47</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Put On a Happy Face"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bye Bye Birdie</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Charles Strouse</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Lee Adams</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Albert Petersen</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Composing team Charles Strouse and Lee Adams wanted to be a successful Broadway team like Rodgers and Hammerstein. Their first Musical, </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bye Bye Birdie</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, became an instant hit in the 1960 season and is highly considered the precursor to the rock Musicals of the late 1960s and 1970s. But within the show that is full of teenagers singing pop-like tunes and an Elvis Presley-like icon shaking his hips, Strouse and Adams wrote this quaint little tune that became an anthem for optimism in a time where things were changing. The song was initially introduced by Dick Van Dyke's leading character (trying to cheer up a sad fan of Conrad Birdie!) and had inventive tap-dancing staged by the great Gower Champion. Charles Strouse has jokingly said that it was just a simple tune that has since paid for his Uptown Manhattan apartment!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #46</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Brotherhood of Man"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music & Lyrics by Frank Loesser</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by J. Pierrepont Finch, Wally Womper, Miss Jones & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Composer Frank Loesser knew everything about music and loved all kinds (from classical to pop!). For the finale number of his 1961 smash hit </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, Loesser wanted the lead character of J. Pierrepont Finch to "wile" his way out of the trouble he is in by not just charming the Chairman of the Board, but by inspiring him. He wanted Finch to grab Wally Womper's attention by practically leading a Gospel revival meeting. With "Brotherhood of Man," Finch leads the company in a hand-clapping inspirational finale that is always a show-stopper in every production. Whether it is performed by Robert Morse (</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n_4t7KcJsQ" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">in the original 1961 Broadway and the 1966 film</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">), Matthew Broderick (</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV2zOsRSS7s" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">in the 1995 revival, with the fantastic Lillias White as Miss Jones!</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) or</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Harry Potter</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">himself, Daniel Radcliffe (in the 2011 revival, shown above).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the next post, we will wade our way into the Top 40 of the Greatest Broadway Songs of All-Time (where you will see more from Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cole Porter and The Gershwins!).</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14938033934143097895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644641713658330281.post-59185338294011129462013-05-13T18:14:00.000-07:002013-05-13T18:14:16.452-07:00The 100 Greatest Broadway Songs - Part IX<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://www.dicasdedanca.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/broadway-songs-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<b style="color: purple; font-size: xx-large;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">THE 100 GREATEST BROADWAY SONGS</span></u></b></div>
<ul><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs.html"><span style="color: purple;">100</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-ii.html"><span style="color: purple;">99-98</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iii.html"><span style="color: purple;">97-95</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-iv.html"><span style="color: purple;">94-91</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-v.html"><span style="color: purple;">90-86</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vi.html"><span style="color: purple;">85-80</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part-vii.html"><span style="color: purple;">79-73</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-100-greatest-broadway-songs-part.html"><span style="color: purple;">72-65</span></a></li>
</b></span></ul>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #64</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Cabaret"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">from <i>Cabaret</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Music by John Kander</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lyrics by Fred Ebb</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">sung by Sally Bowles</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When John Kander and Fred Ebb were writing their Musical version of Christopher Isherwood's </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Berlin Stories</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, they were tailoring the role of Sally Bowles for the young Liza Minnelli (who had just won a Tony for their show </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Flora, The Red Menace</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">). However, producer-director Harold Prince, who was a great fan of Liza's, felt that she was too young to play such an emotionally charged role (she was only 19 at the time they were developing the show!). Though she wasn't cast in the production, that didn't stop Kander and Ebb from writing the title number in a way that was very similar to Liza's (and her mother Judy Garland's!) style. So when Bob Fosse was casting the 1972 film version, Liza (who was now old enough!) was Kander and Ebb's first choice and this song became even more iconic thanks to her performance.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #63</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">South Pacific</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Richard Rodgers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Ensign Nellie Forbush & Nurses</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nellie Forbush was one of Oscar Hammerstein II's favorite characters to write. For him, she was complex. Her simple naivete was balanced by her struggle to be a better person (despite any flaws). And they made her so talented (mostly to give original star Mary Martin boffo-socko Musical numbers!). Everything she said and sang (thanks to Hammerstein's knack for idioms) sounded like typical phrases that were said back in Nellie's Arkansas hometown. And some of those typical phrases have since become classic American colloquialisms, especially this song. Every girl has tried to "wash that man right outta her hair!"</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #62</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Try To Remember"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Fantasticks</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Harvey Schmidt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Tom Jones</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by El Gallo & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These days, with the economy the way it is, shows are lucky if they make it beyond a year. The fact that </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Phantom of the Opera</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> celebrated it's 25th Anniversary on Broadway this year, is truly an anomaly. Shows just don't run that long. And </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Phantom</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> doesn't even hold the New York record! That honor belongs to the intimate Off-Broadway hit </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Fantasticks</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, which ran for </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">over 40</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> years from 1960 to 2002 in the small Greenwich Village Sullivan Street Playhouse. This simple and sweet song, which opens the show, became an anthem for the Musical's longevity. Anytime one hears it, they "try to remember!"</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #61</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Ease On Down the Road"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Wiz</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music & Lyrics by Charlie Smalls</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How do you re-imagine a famed book that was already adapted into a highly successful and quite popular 1939 film? How do you create a theme that runs through the show to get the audience's attention and their praise? Producer Ken Harper made it his mission in the early 1970s to produce a new adaptation of the L. Frank Baum classic </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Wizard of Oz</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, this time with an all-black cast and a completely funky and soulful soundtrack. He asked R&B songwriter Charlie Smalls to provide most of the songs and the first song Smalls wrote was this instant classic. While Judy Garland and Ray Bolger had "We're Off to See the Wizard!," this version had its characters "Easin' on down the Road!"</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #60</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"All That Jazz"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chicago</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by John Kander</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Fred Ebb</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Velma Kelly & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here we have yet another Kander and Ebb classic. </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chicago</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, which was a show conceived by the great Bob Fosse, was very much in the same vein as </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cabaret</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> was. It was filled with seedy and debauched characters surrounded by glitz, glamour and jazzy tunes. Fosse wanted the show to feel very much like a twisted vaudeville revue...a </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">very twisted</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> revue. When choreographing this smash opening number, he told star Chita Rivera (and her subsequent replacement Carolyn Kirsch) that he wanted the character of Velma to walk around the stage like she is walking through a field of erect phallic symbols (sorry to be a bit graphic!). That really does put a new spin on a number that is always a show-stopper in every production and even the movie!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #59</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Let the Sunshine In"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hair</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Galt McDermott</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by James Rado & Gerome Ragni</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Sheila, Dionne & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The main purpose of </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hair</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> was to showcase the "hippie" lifestyle. But with that lifestyle comes the poignant philosophy and peace-loving antics that the "hippies" wanted to share with everyone. This song, which ends the show, became a massive hit with its soulful repetition of the title phrase as the on-stage hippies step out into the audience and ask them to join their giant sing-in. It was even successfully covered by the pop group the 5th Dimension when they paired it with one of </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hair</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">'s other great hits (which you may see later in this list!).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #58</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My Fair Lady</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music by Frederick Loewe</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Professor Henry Higgins</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Henry Higgins has a lot of blustery solo numbers in Lerner and Loewe's masterpiece. But most of those numbers are sung at someone (usually his addled friend Colonel Pickering!). However, it is this final song that is Higgins' </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">only</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> soliloquy. Throughout the entire show, he bristles at the show of pure emotion and he huffs and puffs against the little things Eliza does to change his daily routine. But after she has left his house, it is only then that he has realized how much she has come to mean to him. For a character like him to admit that he has "grown accustomed to her face," that is one of the most romantic things ever said in a Musical.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #57</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"76 Trombones"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Music Man</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music & Lyrics by Meredith Wilson</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Professor Harold Hill & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Just listening to the score of <i>The Music Man</i> and you feel transported to another time. Every song sound like the "popular" music of the early 20th Century. And of course, Meredith Wilson was heavily inspired by the classic band music that we all hear when the high school or college band performs at sporting events. It is this song that gets the audience to marching along with the dancers on the stage. When the song is reprised at the end of the show, the theatre is filled with a live marching band that the audience feels like there actually are "76 Trombones" blaring at them this catchy tune.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">SONG #56</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Comedy Tonight"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sung by Pseudolus & Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I already talked about this number almost a year ago when I did my 10 FAVORITES of the </span><a href="http://bwaybabyca.blogspot.com/2012/06/10-favorites-59-opening-to-remember.html" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Greatest Broadway Opening Numbers</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and this song topped that list. But just to re-hash, when this show was out of town in Washington DC, it was not going well. Producer Harold Prince and director George Abbott brought in their friend Jerome Robbins to try to "fix" the show before it could open on Broadway. And his immediate note was to change the opening number. He told Stephen Sondheim to write a new song that basically told the audience what they were in for, and Sondheim was very concerned about writing a "funny" song. Robbins then reassured him and said: "Don't worry about the jokes! Just write the song, I'll take care of the jokes!" And the number became one of the most popular hits of the season. Sondheim himself said, based on what Robbins did with the number: "You could have read the phone book afterwards and the audiences still would have been rolling in the aisles!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tomorrow, I will reveal </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">10</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> more of the Greatest Broadway Songs and we will dive right into the top 50 of our list (including </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">two</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> songs from the </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">same</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> show!!!).</span></div>
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