Shirley Jones & Florence Henderson (DVD)

Shirley Jones & Florence Henderson: Bell Telephone Hour Telecasts 1960-1966
Before they were the iconic TV moms Shirley Partridge and Carol Brady, Shirley Jones and Florence Henderson were stars of Broadway, movie musicals, and television variety shows. These performances from the Bell Telephone Hour television series showcase their far-ranging talents in a magnificent collection of beloved Broadway favorites. Program also includes solos by Broadway notables Jack Cassidy and Keith Andes, and duets with Gordon MacRae.
Color, 66 minutes, 4:3, All regions

Florence Henderson starred on Broadway in the first revival of Oklahoma!, the acclaimed musical Fanny (opposite Ezio Pinza), and Noël Coward’s The Girl Who Came to Supper. In this collection, Ms. Henderson sings “Out of My Dreams” from Oklahoma! and “Here and Now” from The Girl Who Came to Supper, among other Broadway hits.

Shirley Jones made her Broadway debut in South Pacific during the last phase of the show’s long run. She went on to star in three of the most successful film adaptations of Broadway musicals of all time: Oklahoma!, Carousel, and The Music Man. In this program, Ms. Jones sings songs from all three of those shows, plus many other classic tunes.

For further notes on the two stars, see below the track listing.

Part I: Shirley Jones
Telecast of March 30, 1962
1. “I’ll Take Romance” from the film I’ll Take Romance (Ben Oakland & Oscar Hammerstein II)
2. “I’ve Got a Crush on You” from Strike Up the Band (George & Ira Gershwin)
3. “Out of My Dreams” from Oklahoma! (Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II)
4. “What’s the Use of Wond’rin’” from Carousel (Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II)

Telecast of January 6, 1961
5. “Till There Was You” from The Music Man (Meredith Willson)
with Keith Andes
6. “Camelot” from Camelot (Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe)
7. “The Sound of Music” from The Sound of Music (Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II)
8. “You’ve Come Home” from Wildcat (Cy Coleman & Carolyn Leigh)
Performed by Keith Andes
9. “Make Someone Happy” from Do Re Mi (Jule Styne, Adolph Green & Betty Comden)
with Keith Andes
10. “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from Gypsy (Jule Styne & Stephen Sondheim)
with Keith Andes

Telecast of January 1, 1960
11. “42nd Street” from the film 42nd Street (Harry Warren & Al Dubin)
with Jack Cassidy
12. “As Time Goes By” from the film Casablanca (Herman Hupfeld)
13. “Gigi” from the film Gigi (Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe)
Performed by Jack Cassidy
14. “High Hopes” from the film A Hole in the Head (Sammy Cahn & Jimmy Van Heusen)
with Jack Cassidy

Telecast of February 25, 1964
15. “The Night Was Made for Love” from The Cat and the Fiddle (Jerome Kern & Otto Harbach)
16. “Life Upon the Wicked Stage” from Showboat (Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II)
17. “The Touch of Your Hand” from Roberta (Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II)
18. “Look For the Silver Lining” from Sally (Jerome Kern & B. G. DeSylva)

Part II: Florence Henderson
Telecast of April 24, 1966
19. “Don’t Ever Leave Me” from Sweet Adeline (Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II)

Telecast of October 10, 1965
20. “Manhattan” from Garrick Gaieties (1925) (Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart)
with Gordon MacRae
21. “Do I Hear a Waltz?” from Do I Hear a Waltz? (Richard Rodgers & Stephen Sondheim)
22. “Make Someone Happy” from Do Re Mi (Jule Styne, Adolph Green & Betty Comden)
with Gordon MacRae
23. “I Got Lost in His Arms” from Annie Get Your Gun (Irving Berlin)

Telecast of June 30, 1964
24. “I Have Dreamed” from The King and I (Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II)
25. “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” from Carousel (Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II)

Telecast of February 27, 1966
26. “How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You” from the film Royal Wedding (Burton Lane & Alan Jay Lerner)
27. “Without You” from My Fair Lady (Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe)
28. “It’s Almost Like Being in Love” from Brigadoon (Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe)

Telecast of September 8, 1964
29. “Out of My Dreams” from Oklahoma! (Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II)

Telecast of July 28, 1964
30. “This Can’t Be Love” from The Boys from Syracuse (Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart)
with Bobby Troup, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Milt Hinton
31. “Here and Now” from The Girl Who Came to Supper (Noël Coward)
32. “Thank You For a Lovely Evening” from Palais Royal Revue (1934) (Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields)
33. Closing Credits and Bell Telephone Hour Theme Song: “The Bell Waltz” by Donald Voorhees

All selections except chapter 30 are accompanied by:
The Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra
Donald Voorhees, conductor

*****

Just how much in common can two beloved performers have? A lot, if you get right down to it.

Florence Henderson and Shirley Jones were both born in 1934. One month apart. They both attracted the attention of Rodgers and Hammerstein at about the same time. In 1953 Henderson was to head up the last national tour of Oklahoma!, while Jones was being groomed by Rodgers and Hammerstein, first by appearing on Broadway in the ensemble of South Pacific, and then in the national tour of Me and Juliet.

For Shirley Jones this relationship with the great songwriting team was to culminate in her being given two of the most coveted screen roles of all time: Laurie in the film version of Oklahoma! in 1955, and Julie Jordan in Carousel in 1956. In both films she starred opposite Gordon MacRae (who appears with Florence Henderson on this DVD). Completing her trio of great musical film roles was her portrayal of Marion Paroo in The Music Man in 1962. Songs from all three shows are represented on this DVD recording. In addition, it is worth noting that just a few months after her appearance on the January 6, 1961 Bell Telephone telecast, the versatile actress was awarded the 1960 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, not for a musical, but for the role of the prostitute Lulu Baines in Elmer Gantry.

Florence Henderson made her Broadway debut in Wish You Were Here in 1952. In 1954 she scored a tremendous success as the lead in the Harold Rome musical Fanny, which was originally conceived as a Rodgers and Hammerstein show and was to have starred Mary Martin. In 1960 Florence headed the first national tour of The Sound of Music, playing to great acclaim across the United States. Shirley Jones also performed the role of Maria in regional theater and summer stock.

In 1962 Florence Henderson became the first woman to guest host The Tonight Show. Prior to that she had appeared on the Today show offering news and weather.

Florence returned to Broadway in 1963 to appear in Noel Coward’s The Girl Who Came to Supper, which also starred Jose Ferrer. The show was a success for Henderson, who got great notices. She had a wonderful show-stopping moment in a delightful song entitled “The Coconut Girl” and collectors of original Broadway cast performances will note that she sings a lovely selection from The Girl Who Came to Supper on this DVD. Another original Broadway cast performance of note is to be found in the segment featuring Keith Andes, in which he sings “You’ve Come Home,” a song he introduced on Broadway in Wildcat, opposite Lucille Ball.

In the summer of 1967, Florence Henderson appeared in South Pacific at the New York State Theater opposite Giorgio Tozzi. In 1968 Shirley Jones returned to Broadway in Maggie Flynn, co-starring with Jack Cassidy, to whom she was married at the time. Shirley was in great form, and a highlight of the show was her rendition of the lovely “Pitter Patter.”

And then cultural history as we know it changed forever. Shirley Jones was offered the role of Carol Brady in The Brady Brunch. She turned it down! Florence Henderson accepted the role and performed in this hugely successful television series for five years. The success of this television program enabled Florence to be ranked as one of the 100 Greatest TV Icons. During her stint as the beloved television matriarch, Florence also scored a triumph in a lavish film version of the operetta Song of Norway in 1970 (based on the Broadway hit of the 1940s).

After turning down The Brady Brunch in 1969, Shirley Jones was soon offered the role of Shirley Partridge in The Partridge Family, another huge success on television, running from 1970-1974. This television program added to her already iconic status as a beloved performer, and gave her a hit song (“I Think I Love You”) that would reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart!

The cast of The Partridge Family also included David Cassidy, Shirley’s real-life step-son. In 2004, to the delight of musical theater fans, Jones returned to Broadway in the revival of 42nd Street, this time performing opposite her son Patrick Cassidy. They are considered to be the first mother-son team to star in a Broadway show. It is a lovely coincidence that one of the selections on this DVD features Patrick’s father, Jack Cassidy, in a 42nd Street number; those who saw the Broadway production will note the uncanny father/son resemblance!

The Bell Telephone Hour selections presented here capture both of these talented performers at their radiant and youthful best. If you are familiar only with their work as two of the most beloved television “Moms,” you will find much to enjoy, hearing these two golden voices sing some of the great popular music of our time. And happily both ladies still perform today so that new generations of audiences can thrill to their unique artistry.

Notes by George Dansker