THE FANTASTICKS 1964 TV Production in Color 

What an absolute treat! The show has such charm and I have to admit I love Ricardo singing Try To Remember- as always thank you Spiderwoman!!!

RIP lyricist Tom Jones. It was not that long ago that we lost the composer, Harvey Schmidt. When I noted the motif from the Welsh hymn, "Hyfrydol," one of Mr. Schmidt's relatives noted that his grandfather had been a Methodist minister, so the tune was likely "swirling around in his head" before he composed the fantastic Fantasticks score. Interestingly, and perhaps significantly, the English translation of "hyfrydol" is "delightful, agreeable, pleasing, pleasant, beautiful, fair, fine, sweet, melodious."

I saw this on TV in 1964 when I was 14 years old. So great to see it again after 57 years! I remember Bert Lahr from the Lays Potato Chip commercial.

This musical is so nice! I've never seen or heard fantasticks before but the entire musical felt nostalgic like a Christmas classic taken out for the holidays again

Khan can sing! 👍👍 Thank you for posting.

What a great Treat indeed!! What a Cast! This was FANTASTICK!!!

Ricardo Mantalban, Bert Lahr, and John Davidson!!!

Even cut down to one hour, I'll take it any day! Especially if it has Stanley Holloway and Bert Lahr singing arm in arm! And I love these pastel colours. And of course, the score too. So, thank you!

I saw the original on Sullivan Street when it first opened. I've been thinking about it and singing the songs ever since.

THE FANTASTICKS is brilliant - simple and incandescent.

Love hearing this score with a full orchestra.

I played her in highschool before I developed my voice to her level. The next year I studied with a julliard grad and went to music theater college.. loved the fantasticks. A real American Classic.

Stan Holloway was in his 70's..when he appeared in the tv version of"The Fantastics.

What a treat to see Stanley Holloway and Bert Lahr performing "Plant a Radish." And Susan Watson -- who originated the role of Luisa before the Sullivan Street Theatre run -- sing the heartbreaking "They were You."

Oh....what a cute and fasinating plays. I was just 2 years old. And its not broadcast in my Country. But I do know and felt in live with the song "Try to remember" since I recalled.😍😍😍

Good lord, Susan Watson is dreamy.

How fantastic to see in color, and also to hear in much higher fidelity those lovely Phillip J. Lang orchestrations!

I directed this as my final on “ Directors on Directing” course in college. 1971...

Even this abridged version is far superior to the misdirected movie version that managed to rob the show of all its intimacy. Thanks so much for posting this!

For years and years and years I walked past the theater in the Village where this was running but always put off going. Then like all shows it closed and I never got the chance. Thanks for posting.

I remember watching this when it was first broadcast on NBC almost 60 years ago. What a treat to see it again! Thank you!

That was wonderful! Thank you so much for posting it. ❤

What a find! I remember watching this!!!! And to see Stanley Holloway and Bert Lahr!!! You can't beat pros like that!!! Performers nowadays need to take lessons from the pros....sometimes less is more! Thanks for all your postings....

AMAZING! I am crying that I can finally see this in color after all this time. Thank you, THANK you so much 😊🙏

Wow, the original Kim MacAfee :) How great to see this!

Thanks for sharing!

They made this in color??? I've only ever seen it in black and white! Oh, bless you!

THANK YOU so much for posting this here for everyone to enjoy! This production, tho abbreviated, leaves the Michael Ritchie movie version in the DUST!!

Thanks for posting this what an absolute treat to see it again and in color

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

I played Bellamy about ten years ago, and had a yen to idly watch/listen to this, and stumbled across this via a search. The first frame I got extremely excited to see Ricardo Montalban playing El Gallo, and I must say I was in no way disapointed. What a great performance by him! So they cut "It depends on What you Pay" - an extremely problematic song that the writer kind of wanted to change almost as soon as the show became big, and "This Plum is Too Ripe" which is a shame, as I really love that song, but it's definitely one that can be cut. They also cut the middle verse out of "Round and Round," which is a fantastic, but disturbing song, so no big deal there. And of course a moderate amount of dialogue, and some of the poetic monologues. Still, very reasonable, and I love it!

I had such a TV crush on Susan Watson

CRYING

OMG!!!! Never thought I would ever see that in colour thank you thank you thank you so much!!!

What a GEM!!!! Thank you!!!

Thank you so much for posting this! I loved the show, Jerry Ohrbach was phenomenal, and finding this (even without him) has made my day :-)

When the moon was young, when the month was May, when the stage was hung for my holiday, I saw shining lights, but I never knew, they were you, they were you, they were You. That bowles me over. Where did that come from? Who wrote those lyrics?

Once again I am amazed at the gold dust you discover. While The Fantasticks wasn’t my cup of tea I have hope that something might be discovered from the Original Production of Cabaret

Your videos are incredible. Thank you so much for posting this-when I was but a wee tyke, “Try to Remember” was one of my favorite songs.

Thank you.

Actually - not a bad production. RM is excellent. Technical quality is also surprisingly good.

I love this! Thank you so much. ❤

once again and again...."Thank You" !

Incredible!!

Ricardo had a pretty decent voice. Great choice for El Gallo.

is that JOE from the three stooges!? NO WAIT THATS COWARDLY LION!! I knew that voice... but I couldnt place it

This is very random, but do you happen to have the 1955 musical Our Town episode of Producers Showcase with Frank Sinatra? I'm always looking for that one for some reason. Thanks if so!

Okay, now that I’ve watched this again 50 years later, I notice once again what I originally did… the songs which became hits are quite melodic and memorable, but most of the other songs have boring, very forgettable melodies and are quite ‘filler’ in many regards.

Maybe it's just out of principle, but this fuller orchestration doesn't thrill me. (also: Señor Senior, Sr.!?)

he was 20 and she was 16. TODAY, everyone would be calling him a pedophile! DESPITE this being ABSOLUTELY NORMAL for thousands of years.. SO MEN were expected to SUDDENLY STOP liking the opposite sex that is only 4 years younger than they are... SUDDENLY a 20 year old is expected to be drawn to people TWO years younger than he is.... ANY efforts to bash and attack heterosexual behaviors was on the table.... right until this day..

All of the visual and theatrical arts and also music has destroyed human reason, practical endeavors and reality itself because "please God don't let me be NoRmAL!!". No one ended up learning anything about Love; only lust, hate, selfishness and the resulting desire to control others.