LEGENDS #3 CAROL CHANNING
The year was 2010. The Broadway Cares annual Christmas ornament was the incomparable Carol Channing as Dolly Levi in the Jerry Herman musical (with Michael Stewart providing the lyrics), "Hello Dolly."
Beginning as a play in England, it was adapted into a French farce before falling into the hands of Thornton Wilder and becoming "The Merchant of Yonkers." With little success at the box-office Wilder revise it and presented it again as "The Matchmaker" in 1954 starring Ruth Gordon which in turn became a movie starring Shirley Booth in 1958.
The producer David Merrick acquired the rights to make it a musical ("Dolly, A Damned Exasperating Woman" and "Call on Dolly" were two of the original titles) and he offered it to Ethel Merman and then Mary Martin, both of whom turned it down (Ironically, they both did it later.) To helm the project, Hal Prince, Jerome Robbins and Joe Layton were approached but with no agreement reached and ultimately Gower Champion was hired as director and choreographer.
It swept the Tony Awards in 1964, winning ten, including Best Musical, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Choreographer, Best Book, Best Score. (It's major competitor was "Funny Girl.")
In a brilliant move, Merrick kept the show alive by recasting Dolly over and over again with such stars as Ginger Rogers, Martha Raye, Betty Grable, Pearl Bailey (in an all-black version), Phyllis Diller and finally Ethel Merman. (Two of the songs cut out of town were restored for the Merman run. They were "World, Take me Back" and "Love, Look in my Window.")
And while the show went on to tour and played any number of venues with stars such as Mary Martin (in the London production), Dorothy Lamour, Ann Sothern, Michell Lee, Edie Adams, Yvonne DeCarlo, Betty White and even Molly Picon, it ultimately became a movie starring Barbra Striesand which was nominated for Best Picture of the year in 1969 but won only three minor awards, losing the Best Picture award to "Oliver."
Most recently, it was back on Broadway with a starring turn by Bette Midler but, in spite of all it's history, the role will almost always be identified with Carol Channing.
Her ornament is pictured below and accompanied by a photo from the show.
Beginning as a play in England, it was adapted into a French farce before falling into the hands of Thornton Wilder and becoming "The Merchant of Yonkers." With little success at the box-office Wilder revise it and presented it again as "The Matchmaker" in 1954 starring Ruth Gordon which in turn became a movie starring Shirley Booth in 1958.
The producer David Merrick acquired the rights to make it a musical ("Dolly, A Damned Exasperating Woman" and "Call on Dolly" were two of the original titles) and he offered it to Ethel Merman and then Mary Martin, both of whom turned it down (Ironically, they both did it later.) To helm the project, Hal Prince, Jerome Robbins and Joe Layton were approached but with no agreement reached and ultimately Gower Champion was hired as director and choreographer.
It swept the Tony Awards in 1964, winning ten, including Best Musical, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Choreographer, Best Book, Best Score. (It's major competitor was "Funny Girl.")
In a brilliant move, Merrick kept the show alive by recasting Dolly over and over again with such stars as Ginger Rogers, Martha Raye, Betty Grable, Pearl Bailey (in an all-black version), Phyllis Diller and finally Ethel Merman. (Two of the songs cut out of town were restored for the Merman run. They were "World, Take me Back" and "Love, Look in my Window.")
And while the show went on to tour and played any number of venues with stars such as Mary Martin (in the London production), Dorothy Lamour, Ann Sothern, Michell Lee, Edie Adams, Yvonne DeCarlo, Betty White and even Molly Picon, it ultimately became a movie starring Barbra Striesand which was nominated for Best Picture of the year in 1969 but won only three minor awards, losing the Best Picture award to "Oliver."
Most recently, it was back on Broadway with a starring turn by Bette Midler but, in spite of all it's history, the role will almost always be identified with Carol Channing.
Her ornament is pictured below and accompanied by a photo from the show.
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