Bloomer Girl

Wonderful production of 1956 TV version of 1944 Broadway hit musical with Agnes De Mille dances included.
This is the latest in the recent series of musicals that were adapted for television in the 1950s being released by VAI Video. The productions are "condensed" versions - which include the "hits" - squeezing a two-hour show into 60-70 minutes PLUS commercials. Musically, this is my favorite so far.

If you found this review by searching Amazon you probably know something about the musical so I won't go into too much detail about it but will concentrate on the DVD release. Briefly, the 1944 musical takes place in a "hoop skirt factory" on the eve of the Civil War. It's about women's rights, slavery and racism - topics that composers Harold Arlen and "Yip" Harburg turn into wonderful songs. The big hit here is "The Eagle and Me" sung beautifully by Rawn Spearman. Spearman gets to sing again, along with two fellow African Americans (including actor Brock Peters - here listed as "Broc" in the credits) for "I Got A Song", a song new to me but beautifully performed. Barbara Cook...

Archeology
Placing this video in context is a little like trying to reconstruct a vanished
civilization from artefacts. It brings us back to a time when Broadway musicals
were central in American life. Everyone knew about them, went to them, played the
records...and saw them revived almost every week on television. The showings were
cut way down from the original Broadway running time, but they featured the kind of
performers who were working prominently on Broadway in this era--Barbara Cook was
about to go into Plain and Fancy and then The Music Man, and Keith Andes was in
between replacing Alfred Drake in Kiss Me, Kate and playing opposite Lucille Ball
in Wildcat. And Agnes de Mille was recreating two of her Bloomer Girl dances, the
one following "It Was Good Enough For Grandma" and the famous Civil War Ballet.
So this tape brings us back to a longlost time. The cutdown script is not so
great, but what's left of the score is wonderful, and...

Theater History
Shows it age--both in the show itself and the production--but historically signficant for preserving a visual of a classic score/show. And how wodnerful to see a young Barbara Cook in action.

Peter A.

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