Susan Granger’s review of “Broadway: The Golden Age”
From the late 1930s to 1960s, Broadway had its heyday. Fortunately, Rick McKay, a theater buff, has interviewed the “legends who were there,” and his documentary offers a glimpse back to when a theater ticket cost $1.10. It’s an amazing anecdotal history of the American theater. Shirley MacLaine tells how she became a star overnight as Carol Haney’s understudy in “The Pajama Game.” Angela Lansbury’s confesses that she and composer/lyricist Jerry Herman secretly collaborated to get her the plum part of “Mame.” Robert Goulet recalls being intimidated by Richard Burton at his audition for “Camelot” and then discovering Burton’s own trepidation about singing on-stage. Carol Burnett recounts how she and her three roommates shared one good dress to wear for auditions. Plus there are words of wisdom from Elaine Stritch, Barbara Cook, Stephen Sondheim, Patricia Neal, Gwen Verdon, Jerry Orbach, Karl Malden, Jane Powell, Carol Channing, Sally Ann Howes, Arlene Dahl, Frank Langella, Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson. Outstanding archival footage includes an excerpt from a live audio recording of Marlon Brando’s “A Streetcar Named Desire,” clips from the original “Bus Stop” and “Mame,”and actress Laurette Taylor’s 1938 screen test for David O. Selznick, the only time she ever spoke on film. Director/producer/cinematographer Rick McKay spent five years on this project and, if it gets a bit redundant, that’s understandable. Laurette Taylor seems to have been everyone’s favorite actress. “The most mesmerizing actress I’ve ever seen,” marvels Gena Rowlands. And if you’ve never seen Taylor, here’s your chance. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Broadway: The Golden Age” is an enthralling, timeless 10. It’s the closest you’ll ever get to actually being there.
