Merrick Memories
By Peter Filichia — Hundreds of record albums have been dedicated to Broadway musicals. Thousands have been sung by Broadway performers. But until October 1, 1964, there had never been a record album that had celebrated a Broadway producer. On that date, however, RCA Victor released David Merrick Presents Hits from His Broadway Hits. Now […]
A Leap Year’s Look at Broadway Albums
By Peter Filichia — This week, when February 29 comes into our lives, we’re most aware that we’re in a Leap Year. So let’s have a Leap Year’s look at cast albums. We must start in 1944, because American original cast albums, for all intents and purposes, didn’t come into existence until 1943. But that […]
The First Hit Broadway Musical from a Movie
By Peter Filichia — These days, we often hear people complain that too many Broadway musicals are made from motion pictures. Actually, the start of that trend can be traced backed to 1953, when musical versions of Nothing Sacred and Carnival in Flanders debuted. The former, renamed Hazel Flagg, was not a hit, but it […]
My Funny Valentine’s Day Song
By Peter Filichia — Many of us spent last week looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day cards to give to our beloveds. Some of us bought cards with puffy embossed hearts in the middle. Inside were such sentiments as “To my love, to whom I give my heart and soul” or “You make every day, […]
It’s the Little Things, the Little Things …
By Peter Filichia — I received a nice e-mail from Elliot J. Cohen, who’d read my “A Tale of Three Dollys” a few weeks ago. In it, I wondered why Carol Channing on the original Broadway cast album of Hello, Dolly! sings, “Ambrose, let me hear that tonic chord” in “Put on Your Sunday Clothes”– […]
