Carousel Ballet - Original Broadway Cast, with orchestra added

With Bambi Linn, Annabelle Lyon, and Robert Pagent. This film of Agnes DeMille's dance was made with only a piano accompaniment, so I've added the orchestral music. But there is no complete recording of the ballet that matches the piano used for this film, so I had to cut together three different recordings, changing the speeds to match the dance. Interesting that the filmed ballet was always much faster than the audio versions.

[@Celluloidwatcher]

Thank you for putting together such a gem of video with Bambi Linn dancing with the original cast of Carousel with superb choreography by the legendary Agnes DeMille. What a treasure this is.

[@bethanygee6939]

Bambi Linn is my landlady, and is one of the sweetest woman I've had the pleasure to meet!

[@boinx1234]

Wow! Could you show this to her?

[@bethanygee6939]

@@boinx1234 Sure! Next time she comes out with her husband, I'll be sure to show her. I've spoken to her several times, but she never told me who she was. I found out this morning because her husband showed me a picture of her with Streisand.

[@boinx1234]

I'd love to hear what she thinks!

[@bethanygee6939]

Hey. I just told her husband about this video and your response. Is there anything you'd like to say to her? She honestly thinks nobody thinks about her any more!

[@boinx1234]

Great - was she able to watch it? Please tell her that she still has tons of fans, and that we're all glad this film came to light! Also, does she know why it was made? Was it filmed in order to teach touring productions how to stage the ballets, or just to document them for posterity?

[@studiotype]

A wonderful, orchestral reconstruction! To see this piece of theatre history as it was originally done is such a treat. Thanks for sharing this.

[@boinx1234]

You're welcome - I made it myself. I'm seeing it on Broadway soon, so I will be able to see how they've altered the dance and music.

[@murraywoldman473]

a truly great time travel reality--cannot believe how exciting this is to watch and hear! DeMille's work is beyond superb!

[@XTReporting]

Thank you so much for your efforts in putting this together. It is a privilege to be able to see Bambi Linn dance and to see Agnes DeMille's choreography. Appreciated greatly.

[@boinx1234]

Thanks - it was a ton of work!

[@mr.bob4630]

I never thought I'd ever be able to see this. Thank you so much!

[@boinx1234]

You're welcome - it was a lot of work!

[@jcnyc9087]

Thank you for these rare postings showing the innovative and exciting choreography that thrilled mid 1940s Broadway audiences!

[@JohnPJones-yv1sj]

A great showcase for Ms. Linn's talents. & the most beautiful legs you'll ever see!

[@simonf8902]

Extraordinary. What a treat. Brilliant.

[@simonf8902]

Agnes de Mille. Genius.

[@melizmatea]

You did an amazing job of matching the music! Thanks for this, it's amazing to see!

[@boinx1234]

Thanks - it was a real challenge!

[@allanfisch]

So wonderful to see and hear this.

[@jonlonoff4303]

Thank you for posting this historic artifact ... very grateful.

[@JudgeJulieLit]

Brilliant choreography, execution and emoting ... an artwork separate and different from the Carousel ballet in the 1956 film, but of like exalted calibre.

[@carylacamera4731]

Terrific Bambi.

[@richardcondon3797]

great job ! a lovely match of orchestra to dance.

[@shirleyaaragon8577]

Wow! What a treat!

[@michaelevans7582]

Fascinating to compare with the film version. Thanks for posting this great record of Broadway history. Bambi Lynn played "dream Laurey' in the movie of OKLAHOMA! The late Susan Luckey responded to a letter I wrote to her about 6 years ago. She told me the original plan had been to film the ballet on real sand on a real beach (as at the beginning) but it proved too arduous so a studio reconstruction was created. (IF I LOVED YOU was originally shot on location, but the delay in replacing Sinatra with MacRae meant that cooler weather was taking place in Maine and the footage was too foggy. A snippet from this version remains in the film when John Dehner enters the scene as Mr. Bascombe. Some stills from the film are from this first take)

[@fredgreer6534]

Michael Evans ok

[@jgregveneklasen2657]

So this has probably been asked a million times: is there any surving footage of Sinatra? (probably not)

[@jochenstossberg5427]

I was never aware that any footage was shot for Carousel with Sinatra. He walked out on the first day of shooting - apparently because he refused to do two takes for the two different processes the film was being shot in. But according to Shirly Jones he left for a different reasons. Ava Gardener was proving to be problematic. Outrageous behavior. But the good news was that Gordon McRae was a perfect Billy. I was also never aware that the dream ballet was originally going to be shot on the sand.

[@michaelevans7582]

@@jochenstossberg5427 i agree that MacRae was the perfect Billy Bigelow and won an award for his performance (see IMDB). Sinatra did walk out on Day One. MacRae and Jones filmed IF I LOVED YOU on location but it needed to be redone at Fox. Stills survive I think Jones was wrong re Gardner being the reason as the film she refers to is MOGAMBO, made in 1953. As well as being strictly "One Take Frank", Sinatra had failed to successfulky record Soliloquy in California and I suspect he was correctly concerned that his non-operatic voice was not up to the demands of the score. Either way, he did us all a favour by allowing MacRae to do the role of his career, imo. Bambi Lynn was married to Rod Alexander, who choreographed the movie. She is in the chorus and is thus the only Broadway cast member to appear in the film. She may have coached Luckey with her husband. Interestingly, she was also in OKLAHOMA! with MacRae and Jones.

[@billbrimmer7047]

Amazing. Thanks very much for posting this. Such talent!

[@EliTessadroo]

my heart

[@anthonyhenrysmith]

beautiful

[@SusanPrattDesign]

Thank you for creating this! 👏👏

[@boinx1234]

Thanks - it was a ton of work!

[@stephencowley3661]

Thanks alot this is amazing to see and all the great work you have done putting it together.I had heard that her choreography for this had been perserved for the record for future generations to see, of course for the film of Carousel Rod Alexander adapted her original choreography, as after she recreated her Oklahoma ballet for the film of Oklahoma! she fell out with Rodgers & Hammerstein and didnt work with them again as far as I know and she refused to recreate this for the film of Carousel.

[@boinx1234]

Thanks - it was a lot of work to add the orchestra in. Surprisingly, no complete recording of the ballet music exists!

[@jochenstossberg5427]

De Mille fell out with Rodgers and Hammerstein because she refused to listen to the creative team that were in charge of production . Basically, she was ignorant about re-creating her dances for the screen. Both the films were being shot in new ultra wide screen processes, so the potential was limitless, but she refused to listen to the cinematographer, or the director on Oklahoma - and she refused to do Carousel. Much to everyone's relief, so I believe. She just didn't understand that everything had to be not only bigger -but restaged for the cameras. Rod Alexander did a brilliant job of recreating her original work and giving it a polish and excitement the original didn't have. Strangely enough when you watch the American Dance Machine's recreation of some of her original dances for Carousel now, it's interesting to see how dated they look, and how limited de Mille actually was. The dream ballet's for both Oklahoma and Carousel, were, and still are timeless and brilliant. And much of the credit for getting them right for the screen was due to other talents.

[@stephencowley3661]

@@jochenstossberg5427 Thanks for the extra info, I knew she fell out with Rodgers & Hammerstein after the film of 'Oklahoma!' & I know she found it hard being both Director & Choreographer for 'Allegro' in 1947 so much so that Hammerstein had to step in. I can believe that she would have problems translating her choreography from the stage to the screen as you say the stage and screen are two different mediums and what worked on stage wouldn't necessarily work on screen. I think that would be true if you tried to adapt her dances/choreography for 'Allegro' for the screen if it is eventually filmed, which I've heard could be in the pipe line along with other Rodgers & Hammerstein shows which have yet to be filmed.

[@chrishaines1677]

Unmistakably De Mille.

[@markfischer9628]

I’m indebted to you for posting this beautiful video. Thank you. ❤

[@boinx1234]

Thanks - it was a ton of work!

[@pamelafrederick9816]

Thank you for your work!

[@mselbit]

THANK YOU SO MUCH for this. Great job!

[@jgregveneklasen2657]

I imagine most recent productions cut this way down, if not entirely, as well as the other Graham ballets?

[@boinx1234]

Yes, it was impossible to find a recording of the ballet music that was not extensively cut.

[@rufusred44]

The music syncs perfectly, thank you for doing this. Agnes's dances have always been an exploration of character and the dance serves that beautifully. Why her choreography isn't seen more on Broadway I'll never understand except it's all about $$ and commercialism. That being said, the dancing in the current revival of Carousel is supposed to be it's best asset. There are many wonderful dance films on KZbin, specifically Gelsey Kirkland doing the first act variation from Giselle and the ballet Brahams/Schoenberg Quartet and Violette Verdy doing Ballet Imperial with very poor music accompaniment or no music at all. Perhaps you can work your magic on those?

[@boinx1234]

Thanks - it was a huge amount of work, so I don't know if I can do any more for awhile!

[@rufusred44]

How did you do it?

[@boinx1234]

I found about five different incomplete versions of the ballet music, and then cut them together, varying the speed to match the piano track that this film was shot to.

[@rufusred44]

No doubt it took a lot of effort but your hard work paid off. If you ever get inspired please refer to one of the ballets I mentioned previously. Thanks again.

[@boinx1234]

I did add the orchestra back to the original film fragments ot "Appalacian Spring" kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2LSZ2iqeL-HjaM

[@moso299]

Wow, I never realized how small Broadway stages are, compared to opera stages. Our touring shows perform in an auditorium that is almost twice as big as this.

[@stevepotfora7461]

Most touring shows perform in old movie palaces that were never designed for theater but for large movie screens. Theater is performed in much smaller auditorium so you can see the faces. Opera houses are large because the cast and orchestra and settings are double the size of musical theater and all those people need to be paid.

[@miamiracer]

Doesn't anyone see echoes of the Dream Ballet from Oklahoma in this piece?

[@jochenstossberg5427]

Yes. When it all comes down to it, frankly, all of Agnes de Milles work looks the same.

[@harlemboy64]

In a review of the 2018 Broadway revival of CAROUSEL, one critic says that Agnes DeMille's ballet for the original production was 40 minutes long. Is that true? Is it a myth that Agnes DeMille started herself?

[@boinx1234]

Either a misinformed critic or he was referring to the total ballet time, including the Hornpipe, etc.

[@boinx1234]

@@davidroberts7295 Perhaps in tryouts, but this is the complete ballet as it was performed on Broadway.

[@stuartlee6622]

Looks totally dorky.

[@jochenstossberg5427]

It does. For such a lavish big show with a huge cast with beautiful sets, it's hard to believe that this is what the ballet originally looked like.