Lost Fiddler
This is a treasure.
When Bock and Sheldon Harnick wrote Fiddler on the Roof, the opening number was not initially the now-famous "Tradition." Rather it was a song called, "We've Never Missed A Sabbath Yet." However, director Jerome Robbins wanted a number that dealt with what the theme of the evening was, and at a meeting asked everyone present to give their thoughts. When importance of keeping traditions and the passing of them got mentioned, that's when the new opening came into focus.
This video comes from an episode of the PBS show American Musical Theatre, with Harnick and Bock singing that original song, and talking about how the new opening number came to be written. (Some of the themes from "We've Never Missed a Sabbath Yet" were kept, which you'll hear.) The broadcast aired one Sunday, October 18th, 1964, only a few weeks after Fiddler on the Roof opened on Broadway.
In fact, this is so soon after Fiddler on the Roof opened that Harnick even messes up a lyric.
The video is absolutely wonderful, and the only shame is it’s just a five-minute segment. You want to see the whole program. But what a joy it is, helped by them being truly terrific singers of their material.]
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