Research Catalog

[Interview with Patricia Morison : raw footage]

Title
[Interview with Patricia Morison : raw footage] [videorecording] / [directed by Michael Kantor]
Publication
New York, 2002.

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Moving imageRestricted use NCOX 2133Performing Arts Research Collections - TOFT

Details

Additional Authors
  • Morison, Patricia, 1915-2018
  • Raitt, John, 1917-2005
  • Kantor, Michael, 1961-
  • Squires, Buddy
  • Broadway Film Project, Inc, donor.
  • Thirteen/WNET, donor.
Description
1 videocassette (VHS) (50 min.) : sd., col. SP; 1/2 in.
Summary
Raw interview footage used for the documentary Broadway, the American musical. Film and stage actress Patricia Morison discusses her roles as Lili/Kate in the 1948 Broadway production Kiss me, Kate, which she originated, and in the King and I as Anna, as a replacement for Getrude Lawrence who died during the run of the show. Topics include auditioning for composer Cole Porter at his home in Los Angeles for Kiss me, Kate and being hired for the role, at Porter's urging, despite her lack of an operatic voice; Porter's difficulty in raising money for the show following a series of commercial failures; the story of Kiss me, Kate, which is based on the on- and offstage struggles of married actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne; Porter's initial trepidation at composing a musical with a Shakespearean theme, and his decision to do so at the urging of Bella Spewack, who wrote the book; the censorship of the songs Too darn hot and Always true to you (in my fashion), which were barred from radio and television broadcasts; the meaning of the song I hate men, and Morison's showstopping rendition of it in Philadelphia; the show's hit song So in love, and what she sees as the underlying melancholy of Porter's lyrics; Porter's elegance and charm as a friend and host, who nonethess suffered from a debilitating leg injury; the rehearsals for Kiss me, Kate lead by Porter; the show's opening night in Philadelphia where standing ovations made it clear it was a hit. Morison goes on to discuss her experiences socializing in Hollywood during the 1940s; her childhood in Manhattan during the Depression, and her impression of Broadway during the period; the lack of racial integration of Broadway productions during the 1940s, and experiences touring in the segregated South; being asked by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein to take over for Mary Martin in South Pacific, a role she didn't want, and receiving a call in London from Rodgers who asked her to assume the role of Anna in the King and I; the casting of Yul Brynner as the King; her experiences rehearsing with him as his new leading lady; the musical's subject of culture clash, which is expressed in the song Getting to know you; opera star Ezio Pinza's role as Emile de Becque in South Pacific; Yul Brynner as a person, and his accomplishments as a theater photographer who frequently took pictures backstage; the differences between the film and stage versions of The king and I; Mary Martin's versatility as a performer and Alfred Drake, who played opposite Morison in Kiss me, Kate, a stylish performer who was also a Shakespearean scholar. Interview concludes with audio-only discussion for ca. 5 min. on Brynner's photography and Cole Porter's character.
Alternative Title
  • Broadway, the American musical
  • Broadway: the American musical
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Documentaries and factual works.
  • Musicals.
  • Unedited footage.
Note
  • On tape with portion (ca. 4 min.) of interview with musical theater star John Raitt, videotaped on August 13, 2002. Raitt discusses his experiences performing in Annie get your gun, including the national touring company production and television version, co-starring with Mary Martin, and in various summer stock productions spanning 25 years. A copy of the transcript of the complete interview is available.
  • This interview is one of a group of interviews with 90 individuals used in making the documentary Broadway, the American musical. The completed production is available on NCOX 2058.
  • Credits for completed production from pbs.org: A film by Michael Kantor ; produced by Jeff Dupre, Michael Kantor and Sally Rosenthal ; written by Marc Fields, Michael Kantor, Laurence Maslon, and JoAnne Young ; directed by Michael Kantor.
  • Time code on frame.
  • Contains various takes, at occasional brief intervals, audio continues without sound.
Credits (note)
  • Cameraman: Buddy Squires.
Performer (note)
  • Interviewer: Michael Kantor. Interviewee: Patricia Morison.
Event (note)
  • Videotaped at Patricia Morison's residence in New York, N.Y. on August 15, 2002.
Biography (note)
  • Broadway, the American musical, which aired on PBS in October 2004, is a documentary chronicling the entire history of a unique American art form, the Broadway musical. Each of its six episodes covers a different era in American theater history, and features the Broadway shows and songs which defined the period. The series draws on feature films, television broadcasts, archival news footage, original cast recordings, still photos, diaries, journals, first-person accounts, and on-camera interviews with many of the principals involved in the development of the genre.
Call Number
NCOX 2133
OCLC
123995811
Title
[Interview with Patricia Morison : raw footage] [videorecording] / [directed by Michael Kantor]
Imprint
New York, 2002.
Credits
Cameraman: Buddy Squires.
Performer
Interviewer: Michael Kantor. Interviewee: Patricia Morison.
Event
Videotaped at Patricia Morison's residence in New York, N.Y. on August 15, 2002.
Biography
Broadway, the American musical, which aired on PBS in October 2004, is a documentary chronicling the entire history of a unique American art form, the Broadway musical. Each of its six episodes covers a different era in American theater history, and features the Broadway shows and songs which defined the period. The series draws on feature films, television broadcasts, archival news footage, original cast recordings, still photos, diaries, journals, first-person accounts, and on-camera interviews with many of the principals involved in the development of the genre.
Local Note
Gift of Broadway Film Project, Inc. and Thirteen/WNET, 2005.
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Added Author
Morison, Patricia, 1915-2018, interviewee.
Raitt, John, 1917-2005, interviewee.
Kantor, Michael, 1961- interviewer.
Kantor, Michael, 1961- director.
Squires, Buddy, cameraman.
Broadway Film Project, Inc, donor.
Thirteen/WNET, donor.
Research Call Number
NCOX 2133
View in Legacy Catalog