Videos

Broadway: The American Musical

Six one hour programs, produced in 2004.

BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL is a new six-part, total of six hours, documentary series that chronicles the Broadway musical throughout the 20th century and explores the evolution of this uniquely American art form. The series, created by filmmaker Michael Kantor, draws on a wealth of archival news footage, lost and found television moments, original cast recordings, still photos, feature films, diaries, journals, intimate first-person accounts, and on-camera interviews with many of the principals involved in creating the American musical.

1. Episode One: When Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. first hit New York in 1893, the intersection of Broadway and 42nd was nobody's idea of "the crossroads of the world." But by 1913, "'The Ziegfeld Follies' really were an amalgamation of everything that was happening in America, in New York, at that time," says writer Philip Furia. "Flo Ziegfeld was like the Broadway equivalent of the melting pot itself." Ziegfeld's story introduces many of the era's key figures: Irving Berlin, a Russian immigrant who became the voice of assimilated America; entertainers like Jewish comedienne Fanny Brice and African American Bert Williams, who became America's first "crossover" artists; and the brash Irish American George M.Cohan, whose song-and-dance routines embodied the energy of Broadway. This is also the story of the onset of World War I and the Red Summer of 1919, when labor unrest swept the nation -- and Broadway. The episode culminates in Ziegfeld's 1927 production of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's far-sighted masterpiece, "Show Boat." With the Great Depression, the Ziegfeld era became a memory.
    
2. Episode Two: Gossip columnist Walter Winchell gave Broadway a nickname that becomes synonymous with all of New York: "It is the Big Apple, the goal of all ambitions, the pot of gold at the end of a drab and somewhat colorless rainbow." With the advent of Prohibition and the Jazz Age, America convulsed with energy and change, and nowhere was the riotous mix of classes and cultures more dramatically on display than Broadway. While brash American women flapped their way to newfound freedoms, heroines of Broadway like Marilyn Miller became a testament to pluck and luck. It was the age of "Whoopee" and the "Charleston," "Runnin' Wild" and the "George White Scandals." In 1921, a jazz show like no other arrived: "Shuffle Along," which featured a rich, rousing score by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, reopening Broadway's doors to black artists. Unique talents like the Marx Brothers and Al Jolson -- a Jewish immigrant and Prohibition's biggest star -- rocketed to stardom. The Gershwin brothers, the minstrels of the Jazz Age, brought a "Fascinating Rhythm" to an entire nation. Innovative songwriting teams like Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart ignited a new age of bright melodies and clever lyrics with the massive hit "Manhattan." But as the Roaring Twenties came to a close, Broadway's Jazz Age suffered the one-two punch of the "talking picture" and the stock market crash, triggering a massive talent exodus to Hollywood and putting an end to Broadway's feverish expansion.
    
3. Episode Three: The Great Depression proved to be a dynamic period of creative growth on Broadway, and a dichotomy in the musical theater emerged. Productions like Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" offered glamour and high times as an escape, while others -- such as "Of Thee I Sing," which satirized the American political system, and the remarkable WPA production of "The Cradle Will Rock," about a steel strike -- dealt directly with the era's social and political concerns. When Bing Crosby recorded "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime," the doleful Broadway ballad took the hit parade by surprise. "This song spoke to the hearts, and to the minds, and to the emotions and thoughts, of everybody who lived during that depression," says lyricist Yip Harburg's son, Ernie. Rodgers and Hart created a string of new shows, including the sexually frank "Pal Joey," a genuine departure that starred newcomer Gene Kelly. In the gloom of the depression, Porter offered Broadway audiences such unforgettable songs as "You're the Top," which served as an effervescent tonic to a weary nation. In 1935, George Gershwin created his epic masterpiece, "Porgy and Bess" singing a hybrid style of folk opera to Broadway. The onset of World War II galvanized the country and America's troubadour, Irving Berlin, rallied the troops with "This Is the Army."
    
4. Episode Four: The new partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II changed the face of Broadway forever, beginning with the record-breaking "Oklahoma!" in 1943, featuring a landmark ballet by Agnes de Mille. "Carousel" and "South Pacific" then set the standard for decades to come by pioneering a musical where story is all-important. For challenging the country to confront its deep-seated racial bigotry, "South Pacific" won the Pulitzer Prize. In "On the Town," an exuberant team of novices -- Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Jerome Robbins - - captured the energy, humor, and pathos of New York City during World War II. Irving Berlin triumphed again with "Annie Get Your Gun," featuring Ethel Merman and the unofficial anthem of the American musical theater, "There's No Business Like Show Business." In shows like "Guys and Dolls," "My Fair Lady," and "Kiss Me, Kate," sophisticated adaptations of literary material prevailed. "Cole Porter led the way in writing adult songs about love and sex," says theater historian Robert Kimball. "He defied the censors. He, probably more than any other songwriter in this century, made it possible for the openness that we have in all popular music." In 1956, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe triumphed with "My Fair Lady," featuring an 18-year-old Julie Andrews. TV's THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW became the most important showcase for Broadway musicals. Yet with the death of Oscar Hammerstein II soon after the premiere of "The Sound of Music" in 1959, the curtain began to lower on a golden age.
    
5. Episode Five: "West Side Story" not only brought untraditional subject matter to the musical stage, it ushered in a new breed of director/choreographer who insisted on performers who could dance, sing and act. But by the time Jerome Robbins' last original musical, "Fiddler on the Roof," closed after a record run of 3,242 performances in 1972, the world of Broadway had changed forever. Rock 'n' roll, civil rights, and the Vietnam War ushered in new talents, many trained by the retiring masters, taking musical theater in daring new directions with innovative productions like "Hair"," the first Broadway musical with an entire score of rock music. The adult narrative of Stephen Sondheim's "Company" plunged the musical into a new era. Hal Prince's conceptual staging showcased John Kander and Fred Ebb's dynamic score for "Cabaret." Bob Fosse captured a sexuality and cynicism ahead of its time with "Chicago," but it was director/choreographer Michael Bennett who spearheaded the biggest blockbuster of all - "A Chorus Line." "It totally changed the musical theater," says Shubert Organization chairman Gerald Schoenfeld. By the end of the 1970s, Broadway became the centerpiece of a remarkably successful public relations campaign that would lure tourists to New York for years to come.
    
6. Episode Six: Legendary as the "Abominable Showman," notorious producer David Merrick reconquered Broadway in 1980 with a smash adaptation of the movie musical "42nd Street." But soon the biggest hits were arriving from an unexpected source -- London. Producer Cameron Mackintosh redefined the business of show business as "Cats," "Les Misirables," "The Phantom of the Opera," and "Miss Saigon" became international blockbusters. Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park with George" defied categorization while Jerry Herman's crowd-pleasing "La Cage aux Folles" had two men sing a love song to each other for the first time on the stage -- a breakthrough soon overshadowed by the decimation of Broadway by AIDS. Yet with the reimagining of "The Lion King," Disney led an astonishing resurrection of 42nd Street. Composer Jonathan Larson scored a bittersweet victory with the rock-flavored "Rent," and the old-style musical was reborn in Mel Brooks' "The Producers," which became the first must-see musical comedy in decades. After 9/11, Broadway -- like the rest of America -- emerged from the darkness. Broadway's corporate dominance continues to grow, as evidenced by new shows such as "Wicked," the biggest hit of the 2003-04 season, with 10 Tony nods.

Resources: The web site for this video series offers as much background information on the musical genre as the most ardent musical fan could wish. To give yourself a taste of the plethora of information, go to: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/resources.html.

Rights: We have educational rights only, permitting the use of this video series in front of groups providing no admission is charged for viewing. This video cannot be broadcast or duplicated.