Thanks for posting this. I just learned of the existence of this version. Although this has some marvelous actors the Judy Garland version is definitely superior.
Tab, n'était pas le "chanteur" du siècle, loin s'en faut, MAIS voila, il était "canon", et que se soit au cinéma ou au disques, il était une source de profit évident !... Il le savait et en jouait, et à une époque ou le look "propret et rassurant" faisait fureur, un James Dean, un Rickie Nelson, un Tab, et autres Elvis ou Brando (jeunes), représentaient la jeunesse de rêve de l'époque. Mi- rebelles pour les uns, mi- fils de bonnes familles pour les autres, les "beaux gosses" sont les bienvenus pour faire rêver en ces temps d'après guerre, il en est aussi de même pour les filles bien sur. La "Bob Mizer Style", est totalement raccord avec l'iconographie idéalisé du bel homme symbolisé par un Tab Hunter !... Le gouffre qui sépare cette époque de la nôtre est tellement évident, qu'un simple regard suffit à qualifier cette époque "d'âge d'or" tout simplement .....
Where can I find this movie? I have the Judy Garland version. I’m collecting all of Tab Hunter’s movies. I would like to get this one. I’m watching it on RU-vid.
Hi Michael. You can download it from here. I have EVERYTHING Tab did. All his movies and MANY TV appearances. All his TV movies. I actually transferred them all FOR Tab and his partner Allan. Email me if you'd like. VictorMas@aol.com
Color tv production was not available widely until about 1964.videotape was still being developed and commercials were still live on specials. No one will insist this is superior to the classic Garland musical, but you sometimes had to wait years for a reissue to get to the local movie theater. A televised version like this was something special to many viewers.
Color video tape was available in 1958, 2 years after B&W tape. There are clips online of Ike at WRC-TV color dedication and Fred Astaire’s 1958 special “An Evening With…”
@@barryobrien7935 Nevertheless, black-and-white TV dominated until the mid-1960s, when the networks finally made the switch to color. The 38th Academy Awards were the first to be broadcast in color in 1966. Likewise, color films became cheaper to produce and so predominant that in 1968 the Oscars stopped dividing the Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design categories into Color and B&W.
Shame on me -- when I saw Tab Hunter's face on the thumbnail I was already beginning to smirk and roll my eyes and settle in to start cringing, but this production vastly surpassed my prejudiced speculations. What a pleasure as always to encounter Ed Wynn, and to enjoy the many talents on display by this very accomplished cast. I'm glad to have learned it's best not to cringe and avoid certain posts because of ridiculous assumptions regarding their quality, that might keep me away from savoring gems like this. Thanks. And whatever the ongoing sultry weather this summer continues to bring us, may you have yourself a merry little Christmas.
This was not a movie. This was broadcast live with a few pre-taped segments. I saw it when it was aired. Shortly thereafter Tab Hunter was interviewed by Dick Clark on American Bandstand about his performance in the musical.
Walter Pidgeon was interviewed by Maggi McNellis on her daily syndicated radio series, "CELEBRITY TALK" {May 11, 1959}, and this special was mentioned during their conversation. It's posted on RU-vid.
It is fascinating to watch and to compare it the Judy Garland version. Jane Powell is too knowing, Tab Hunter is too beautiful. It is an amazing cast. Myrna Loy is still stunning. The cinematography is superb. The TV format made things so much more accessible.
My favorite musical! I watched it when I was ten years old. And played Katie the Irish housekeeper on stage. With a all volunteer military stage musical theater group.
What a glorious production. The performances outshine the limited media format. I'm sure it was a huge deal for appointment TV in 1959. There is a reason why it was called a "Special" back in the day. It was a onetime only broadcast that outshone and really delivered on the entertainment front. They usually happened around the Holidays and since there was no such thing as recording a TV show for later....EVERYONE made sure to see the "Special" when it happened. The next day, everybody would be talking about it. SO nice to have someone post this. Too bad there isn't a better copy of this Kinescope available.
Video tape was introduced in the Fall of 1956 so this production certainly would have been on tape either for West Coast delay or possibly for original airing to East. I wonder if it may also have been in color? CBS did some color from TV City but didn’t push it much as they didn’t want to help RCA after losing out on their own color system.
Jane Powell and Reta Shaw are particularly well cast here. And Myrna Loy and Patty Duke are solid, too. Whoever played Agnes is one of the most unattractive child actors I’ve ever seen.
@@queenmedesa Servant is a little extreme. She was the maid. And in St. Louis, social conventions were less stringent than in New York per se. I in no way expected it to happen, I just thought it would have been a nice twist.
