General Foods 25th Anniversary Show: A Salute to Rodgers and Hammerstein
Tribute to the then-ten-year partnership between composer Richard Rodgers and librettist-lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, presented by General Foods, celebrating its 25th anniversary. Featuring many original cast members, the special featured musical sequences from all of the R&H shows up to that time: Oklahoma! (1943), Carousel (1945), State Fair (1945), Allegro (1947), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951) and Me and Juliet (1953).
- Released
- 1954
- Country
- United States
Details
Release year: 1954
Storyline
Tribute to the then-ten-year partnership between composer Richard Rodgers and librettist-lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, presented by General Foods, celebrating its 25th anniversary. Featuring many original cast members, the special featured musical sequences from all of the R&H shows up to that time: Oklahoma! (1943), Carousel (1945), State Fair (1945), Allegro (1947), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951) and Me and Juliet (1953).
Top credits
Mary Martin — Self, Hostess, Nellie Forbush (segment: South Pacific)
Ed Sullivan — Self, Host
Jack Benny — Self - Host
Edgar Bergen — Self, Host
Did you know
• This live television special was one of the very few musical programs carried on all four US networks, CBS, NBC, DuMont, and ABC.
• Florence Henderson's TV debut.
• There was only one noticeable snafu in the live telecast: During their introduction to the Allegro (1947) sequence, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy clearly receive a signal to continue ad-libbing to cover a set change that hadn't been completed, which explains their seemingly random foray into Greek history. Unfortunately, the stall led to the show's time going over, resulting in the finale, "Oklahoma!" being cut off mid-song for station identification.
User reviews
Indomitable Mary Martin
Technical specs
- Sound mix
- Mono
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- Color
- Black and White
Photos 1
