Do you like Ethel Merman?

[Ryuukie]

I think her two best roles were in Gypsy (below) and There's No Business Like Show Business. I never saw her in person, but oh how I would have loved to.

How about you?

 

[Croynan]

no. and i did see her in person doing the role of Rose in Gypsy.

she gave one of the worst performances i have ever seen by a stage "actor?"

she walked through the role. it was nothing more then a self indulgent, egocentric look at me performance. if she was tired of doing the role then she should not have toured with the show.

eM.

 

[star-warrior]

Is that Quincey M.D. sitting on her left?

 

[Yooper]

Ethel Merman's last appearance in a movie:

 

[belamy]

No... not even in her 1930s movie features.

 

[josher]

As you can see people either loved her or hated her. (My mother would leave the room, when Ethel would sing on TV.)

I enjoyed her very much.

I saw her in Philadelphia in a revival of Annie Get Your Gun (with Harve Presnell as her co-star) when I was 16 and loved her.

As Michael said she couldn't act her way out of a paper bag, but I thought she could sell a song better than any woman of her generation.

Her problem was that she became a musical star in the 1930s when all she had to do in the show was sing and be funny. As musicals progressed, and acting became much more important, she was out of her league.

Elaine Stritch tells some very funny stories about her in her show At Liberty, which you can buy on CD and DVD.

 

[Ryuukie]

As Michael said she couldn't act her way out of a paper bag, but I thought she could sell a song better than any woman of her generation.

Gee, maybe I should be more discriminating but I thought she was a good actress. I thought she was especially good (acting-wise) in There's No Business Like Show Business.

 

[gsdx]

Is that Quincey M.D. sitting on her left?

Sure is

........

Are you serious!???

That's Oscar Madison!!!

 

[SonOfSlobone]

Life is too short to spend any part of it not liking Ethel Merman...

 

[sixthson]

Are you serious!???

That's Oscar Madison!!!

Jack Klugman played both Oscar Madison and Dr. Quincy.

 

[gsdx]

Jack Klugman played both Oscar Madison and Dr. Quincy.

Shhhhhh. . . I'm trying to confuse gaskell

 

[ozguy]

She knew only one way to sing a song ... and that was to belt it out! I loved her!

"There's No Business Like Show Business" ....



"There's No Business .." on The Muppet Show ...



"Everything's Coming Up Roses" at Reagan's inauguration, 1981 ...



3 song medley from the 1972 Tony's show ...



"Anything Goes", 1979 ...



Singing Cole Porter ...



"Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" ...

 

[sixthson]

Shhhhhh. . . I'm trying to confuse gaskell

Is he easily confused?

 

[12fear99]

I think she great. I grew up listening to her as well, especially at my grandparents. I think she was great. Just me opinion and I like that style of music too and other types as well.

 

[gsdx]

Is he easily confused?

Yeah. Especially when it comes to punctuation

 

[gingentleman]

She was like a force of nature. She was wonderful in several roles, but I particularly liked her in IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD.

 

[gsdx]

^ Wasn't she married to Sid Caesar in that movie? I seem to recall her wearing a big floppy hat in a convertible.

 

[jsd62]

Gee, maybe I should be more discriminating but I thought she was a good actress. I thought she was especially good (acting-wise) in There's No Business Like Show Business.

The name of the play was Annie Get Your Gun. No Business Like Show Business was one of the numbers, from the play. If you listen to the original cast recording, she has a very small part, at the end of the song.

 

[josher]

^^No, there is a movie called There's No Business Like Show Business.

It starred Ethel, Dan Dailey and Marilyn Monroe, among others.

 

[Spellbound]

In movies of hers I've seen, she's a good comedic actor, but I don't like when she sings. Its just too much.