Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
American musical theatre star best known for originating roles in "South Pacific" and other Broadway hits.
On the island
Eight records
Batucada Fantastica
I've been living in Brazil for many, many years twenty actually and I love the rhythms, and this is from Carnival Carnival, as they say Batucada Fantastica and it's the marvelous rhythms that they have there, and the funny noises you'll hear are whistles and gourds and things that they make.
I have a record of his, and it's so beautiful, and this glorious, glorious voice, pure voice, and what you call an artist singing, because you can have a glorious voice, but if you don't have the heart, it means nothing.
I heard this perfectly glorious voice, and I just adore it. Such purity.
I Gotta CrowFavourite
Mary Martin and Heller Halliday
Because it's a reprise of a song called I Gotta Crow, which I did, and it's with my daughter, Heller, who played Liza at the age of eight or ten. We played it so long t she was ten before we finished, and I'm teaching Liza how to crow. So when you hear that first voice, it's it's my little girl who is now grown up and has three children, and I would take that with me.
In conversation
Presenter asks
0:53What sort of impact did [London] make on you first?
Well, it was the most amazing thing. I'm sure other people feel this way about seeing London and seeing England for the first time, but I came over with my husband and our little girl. And um it was right after the war, so the Queen Mary was still a troop ship. And we arrived in Southampton, and Noel Coward met us at at the boat, and whizzed us through customs like you know, like no only Noel Coward can do. and we drove into London in a beautiful long rolls or whatever, and having never been anywhere except Texas and California and Tijuana, Mexico, New York, I was pretty impressed, but I felt like I was coming home.
Presenter asks
2:49Did [your mother] teach you [the violin]?
Yes. My mother did teach me at the age of five to play the violin, a very small violin, and it was so absolutely dreadful, the sounds were so ghastly. that I just couldn't bear to study because I I she played so beautifully.
Presenter asks
5:43What had happened to the dancing school?
Well, I closed it. After three years and three hundred students, they all were looking like me and talking like me and acting like me and I couldn't bear to see it anymore. So I went back to Hollywood and auditioned for two years. With the occasional job.
The keepsakes
The book
Around the Year with Emmett Fox
Emmett Fox
it's not the Bible, but it has a great deal to do with faith and human nature. And you read a page a day if you wish, or you pick it up and look and read whatever you wish. But the reason I love it so very much is because it has humor too
The luxury
Scissors and Needle and Thread
Making things, sewing up palm l leaves and cocoanut things, because I can't bear not changing clothes
Presenter asks
7:42Why is it that all that spell in your life meant so little to you? All those Paramount pictures, they they were pretty good, they they were successful.
Well, they they said so. I just thought they were dull. And, um, I didn't like making movies. I love an audience. I'm so glad you're sitting there. You're my audience. Get it, baby.
Presenter asks
11:09What went wrong with [playing Annie Get Your Gun in London]?
No, they wanted me. Need to play any get your gun in London. But I really wanted to go back home. Uh no one had ever given me parts like this. You see, this was Ethel Merman's show. Yes. And it's you know, she was the sensational Annie of all time. But I really wanted to play that kind of part. So I went back to the United States and did uh Annie Get Your Gun y for a year all over America. I had a ball, I loved it. But my voice got lower and lower and lower because I was singing belting songs. I like Mermans. Uh I mean, they they were written that way. Cell Then I had to do everything on earth to get it back together, and I studied voice again in New York. South Pacific came next in New York.
Presenter asks
19:23Could you build a hut?
I could build anything after living in Brazil. I mean, I would try anything.
“I felt like I was coming home.”
“it was so absolutely dreadful, the sounds were so ghastly.”
“they all were looking like me and talking like me and acting like me and I couldn't bear to see it anymore.”
“I just thought they were dull. And, um, I didn't like making movies. I love an audience.”
“to the man who taught me the meaning of the words heart and belong.”