GYPSY (1 Viewer)

[classicmovieguy]

I had no idea she was offered the stage version of "Mame". One wonders how the score might have turned out if indeed she had been cast... probably lots of lower keys for a start.

 

[Will Krupp]

Originally Posted by classicmovieguy /t/325589/gypsy/90#post_4011231
Annette Warren was Lucy's dubber in "Fancy Pants". Martha Mears dubbed her for "Du Barry Was a Lady"; and Gloria Grafton sang for her in "Best Foot Forward".

That HAS to be Lucy's own singing voice in DANCE, GIRL, DANCE though, doesn't it?

If not, that's an impressive match and, if so, its not unpleasant sounding at all (not to mention she is absolutely gorgeous in close-up)

 

[classicmovieguy]

As far as I know, Lucy did her own singing in "Dance Girl Dance".

 

[Joe Caps]

gypsy was the first show I ever saw on Broadway. I was eight years old and it was with Merman. I remember after, I asked my grandma why Ethel had a mike and no one else did.
truth is, she wasn't miked - she was just naturally louder than everyone else.
I did get to see Angela in the revival and loved her in it.

 

[SteveGL]

Ann Jillian (Dainty June) talks about the filming of Gypsy:
http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/dvds/2012/12/19/let-gypsy-entertain-you

 

[SteveGL]

The CD reissue of the "Mame" soundtrack from Rhino Handmade is quite painful to listen to, because it reveals a lot of the auto pitch adjustment and parts of songs where Lucy had to go back and overdub lyrics.

In his autobiography, Jerry Herman talks about how painful it was coaching Lucy in music rehearsals and says that every track had to be cobbled together from multiple takes, sometimes one note at a time. This was long before autotune existed.

 

[SteveGL]

The producers of Mame offered Roz the role since she had done the non musical " Auntie Mame". She turned them down. That is different from her going after the role and being turned down. This was the stage version of Mame.

When Russell turned down Mame on Broadway, she allegedly said "I don't eat yesterday's stew."

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by SteveGL /t/325589/gypsy/90#post_4015932
Ann Jillian (Dainty June) talks about the filming of Gypsy:
http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/dvds/2012/12/19/let-gypsy-entertain-you

Thanks for linking that interview. I enjoyed reading it even if the writer made a typo with Jule Styne's first name as "June." Maybe writing about Dainty June gave him June on the brain.

 

[classicmovieguy]

Thanks for this link. I'm quite the Ann Jillian fan, ever since I saw her play the dazzling Red Queen in Irwin Allen's 1985 "Alice in Wonderland" TV special. She is a true inspiration, and whilst I wish she'd make some more film or stage appearances, Ann has found a much more meaningful way of using her voice in the capacity of motivational speaker and advocate for cancer victims.
Check out "The Ann Jillian Story", in which she plays herself! A true tour-de-force.