A Fine Tradition
Here is another excerpt from the aforementioned series described as “Broadway, I Love You,” but instead (I believe ) is a spin-off of that local WCBS show which became a Sunday afternoon series on CBS called “The American Musical Theatre” thar ran for three years in the mid-1960s. Episodes seem to focus on the writers of musicals, though a few seem to expand beyond that. Most of the experts focus on the writers of musicals discussing and performing their work, while some include interviews with the host Earl Wrightson, who won an Emmy. Unfortunately, most of the excerpts are brief, but it’s a joy having them, whatever the length, rather than not. They’re real treasures, all done is a small studio with an audience that is only around 50 people.
This features features lyricist Sheldon Harnick and composer Jerry Bock discussing and singing about how their writing “Fiddler on the Roof” developed. And happily, this excerpt longer than many, at 14 minutes. It’s all very interesting and helped by the fact that they’re both very good singers. They not only sing well-known numbers from the show, but also a few verses of what was intended to be the opening song, “We Haven’t Missed a Sabbath Yet,” but cut from the show. However, wanting to keep something about the Sabbath in the show, they developed themes from that into “Sabbath Prayer,” and their rendition of the number is gorgeous – helped by a superb studio orchestra.
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