On Wednesday, November 30th, 1972 , at 10:00 pm , the 11th Episode
of The Julie Andrews Hour was aired.
Unlike the previous Disney show, this episode with guest artist Harry Belafonte
was clearly a sophisticated show meant for late night audiences.
After saying
hello from their onstage dressing rooms, Julie and Harry appear on a stage set
of starry blue night and perform some fancy moves before launching into their high
energy medley of “walking” songs:
“There’s the kind of walk you
walk when the world’s undone you,
There’s the kind of walk you walk when you’re
feeling proud…”
The
eight Tony Charmoli male dancers, who join the stars, dancing with abandon
along a lighted walkway, add to the “hip” feel of the number. Julie Andrews and
Harry Belafonte do some sharp period ballroom dancing, after which Belafonte
takes off with some funk of his own, bringing a unique excitement to the piece.
The medley concludes on a high note with an energy level usually reserved for
show finales, yet in this case, it’s only the beginning.
The
next scene opens with guest Sivuica playing guitar in the foreground and Harry
Belafonte seated in darkness under a spot in the background. Belafonte sings “Suzanne,”
a slow, folk song, with quiet intensity. This number is beautifully shot, as
are all the numbers on the show. For this show, Belafonte’s solos have been
carefully planned in terms of movement, lighting and camera angles, making it
one of the over all finest of the series.
[Belafonte was born March 1, 1927 in Harlem , New
York Jamaica New
York
To pay for his acting classes,
Harry Belafonte began working as a club singer. Although he began as a pop
singer, he had a keen interest in folk music and his careful and studied
pursuit of this led him to great success. After an appearance at the Village
Vanguard in NYC, he was given a recording contract with RCA. His 1956 album, Calyso, sold over a million copies in
one year, the first LP in U.S.
There
are many nice moments in Episode 1. Among those that stand out are the times where
Julie, Harry and Sivuica (whom Julie describes as “Santa Claus”) get together
and have some musical fun. Their first number together is Belafonte’s great
hit, “Mary Ann.” Later in the show, Sivuica trades the guitar for the accordion
and this time, the trio really goes wild. While Sivuica squeezes all kinds of
wild sounds from his “box,” Harry starts dancing and encourages Julie to let
go, which she does, first playing a whistle, then a gong, and finally pulling
in some wild vocal sounds of her own. From here, the trio launch with great fun
into one of Harry Belafonte’s top hits, “Matilda.”
At one
point, adding to the fun, impersonator Rich Little enters the stage dressed like
Belafonte and singing with his accent. It makes for a good laugh, especially
when Julie tries to hit him.
One of the
loveliest moments in the show occurs after Harry Belafonte suggests that Julie
try singing with Sivuica’s playing. Standing against a lovely set, replicating European
garden arches, she sings “Starry, Starry Night” to the gentle tones of
Siviuca’s guitar. The song is about Vincent Van Gogh’s troubled life and,
ultimately, his suicide. The quiet, intimacy of her performance is beautiful
and deeply moving.
Belafonte
follows this beautifully sad song with one of his hits, “Mr. Bojangles.” Set in
a park with rows of benches and street lamps, Belafonte is dressed in ragged clothing
and wearing shoes with holes in their soles. A bowler hat and cane add to the
style of the piece. It’s difficult to
tear one’s eyes from the artist and the atmospheric scene. Director Bill Davis
uses a number of unique shots to add to the artistry, including split screens
with close-ups and full body shots and a still shot that captures the singer leaping
through the air. It’s a great performance, captured with wonderful artistry by
director Bill Davis and cameramen.
***
It is
always a surprise to see how much is packed into an episode of The Julie Andrews Hour and this show is
no exception. Indeed, the next number is a surprise. Dressed in a gorgeous gold
weave caftan gown with Nehru collar, Julie Andrews sings a very intense
rendition of “This Nearly Was Mine.” Once again, the director uses a split
screen to show Julie’s beauty in this splendid gown, which must have cost a
fortune. In the finale of this number, Julie is captured in slow motion as she
twirls with joy to the music. This number simply has to be seen to be
appreciated.
Then,
suddenly, we are not in a musical land anymore. Julie and Harry appear, seated
on a park bench. Almost immediately, we feel they are not themselves. In fact,
Julie’s character seems completely different from her, a true testament to her
acting ability. The characters Andrews and Belafonte are portraying seem almost
playful in the beginning, yet, underneath, there is something tightly strung
and not quite right. Though this scene lasts only a few minutes, it seems
forever and we cannot turn away. We must find out what is going on with these
two characters. Belafonte seems protective of Andrews, while she seems ready to
snap at any moment. Again, realizing the brevity of the scene, it is amazing to
realize how deeply we are pulled into it. In the end, after she tells him, “I
wouldn’t talk to you if you were the last person on the earth...” the camera
turns back and we discover that indeed, they are the last two persons on earth.
On the
11th episode, “Look to the Stars” is devoted to those born under the
sign Gemini. Among those paid tribute to are Bob Dylan, (Belafonte sings
“Blowing in the Wind), Beatrice Lillie (Julie sings a hilarious “Fairies at the
Bottom of our Garden”), and Paul McCartney (Julie sings “Yesterday.”) There are also some scenes and vignettes with
Alice Ghostley and Rich Little portraying the characteristics of Geminis, but it
is the tribute to one of the show’s creative men, Nelson Riddle, that steals
this segment.
“Fever,” an arrangement which Riddle wrote for
Peggy Lee, is sung by Julie Andrews. Although she’s wearing a high collared
pantsuit, a costume which seems odd for this particular song, what she is
wearing soon matters little as Tony Charmoli’s choreography comes into play. The
number begins with Julie surrounded by eight male dancers, who are standing on
huge drums. We, the viewer, only see the dancers’ legs as they beat out the rhythm
of this very seductive song. As Julie sings, she moves provocatively from place
to place, sometimes taking hold of dancer’s leg, sometimes leaning against them.
It’s a great number.
As the
segment on Gemini concludes, we find that the show is over. It was a great
show. Thank you, Julie Andrews, Harry Belafonte and all associated with this
show. Bravo!
All photos on this site are for entertainment purposes only!
For
more information on Harry Belafonte, please visit:
Please
e-mail your comments to: catsong2@netzeron.net
Along
with the blog listings on this site by month, a complete list of blogs and
links back to this site can be found at:
Coming Soon:-December
6th - Episode 12 – Tom and Dick Smothers & Jack Cassidy
-December 8th – Christmas
with Julie
No comments:
Post a Comment