On the Twentieth Century 1978 Tony Awards

Robert Guillaume introduces Kevin Kline, John Cullum, Imogene Coca, Judy Kaye & company in On the Twentieth Century at the 1978 Tony Awards.

[@johntlew]

Judy Kaye is extraordinary! Her final high notes at the end can be heard over entire cast and orchestra.

[@jcnyc9087]

Absolutely, unassailable, quintessential Broadway! On of the finest scores ever written for the Broadway stage!

[@wandawoman8392]

Really? I've never heard of it and I thought I knew all the major musicals. Maybe the rest of the score is better but I found this number quite forgettable.

[@breadway6781]

Sad to say, were missing a lot of these “major musicals” most people don’t even recognize them, and I’m personally worried that they will diminish over time. I’m talking City of Angels, On the Twentieth Century, Passion, Flower drum Song, Fiorello, Damn Yankees, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Mame, Wonderful Town, Nine, etc.

[@kennethwayne6857]

@@breadway6781 Sadly, you're so right.

[@jochenstossberg5427]

But it doesn't sound like a Broadway score does it? Clever, but I always found the faux operetta sound seriously irritating. It was an acquired taste. Not for everyone.

[@njatty]

@@jochenstossberg5427 Doesn't sound like a Broadway score? Try listening to Jerome Kern (SHOWBOAT, MUSIC IN THE AIR, ROBERTA) or Sigmund Romberg (STUDENT PRINCE, NEW MOON). Both extremely popular, especially during the time period in which ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY is set. MUSIC IN THE AIR, in fact, has its own Oscar and Lily, who sing a hilariously over-the-top (!!!) "The Song is You" in the show.

[@11calman]

Wow, the world Can't produce stuff like this anymore,, This was astounding

[@honeyjbc1]

Cy Coleman and Adolphe Greene outdid themselves in their mock opera numbers. What a cast. This was a fabulous show.

[@markschildberg1667]

Don't forget Betty Comden. All three created a gloriously funny operetta.

[@showtunestarpower]

And Betty Comden!

[@robertkaufman7312]

The album was the first of it's kind. It was engineered differently then its predecessors in order to fit the music on one album. Cy was adamant about not having a two album recording. He knew it would hurt sales. If memory serves, it sold over 400k in the first full year. A helluva number.

[@solveigmwilder2512]

Great Show !Perfect in every way ! Great casting, music and marvelous John Cullum !

[@phillipphinney206]

Was working as an usher at the Los Angels Music Center in the summer of 1979 when the road show arrived at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion. Judy Kaye and Imogene Coca were back and some guy named Rock Hudson in the lead and if memory serves me right, he wasn't half bad. It was a great time and working the show, must have seen it about 25 times. Judy Kaye and Imogene Coca were an absolute delight.

[@markbeck8384]

I fell in love with the cast album, but seeing it dance/sung/acted like this is just utterly incredible. What a good number.. what a great show!

[@elaynemordoff976]

I saw the original on Broadway with Madeline Kahn and then saw Judy Kaye as well. Both outstanding performers!!

[@williampelto6095]

Love this score, it's so operatic.

[@dtrooper101]

My favorite show of all time! I saw it with Judy Kaye! She was miraculous! Now we have tickets to see the revival 36 years later! I am so psyched! It was actually this musical number shown on the Tony's that exposed me to the show initially and when I moved to New York later that year it was the first show I saw. Watching this brings back such wonderful memories. Thank you for posting it!

[@paulgalbraith2862]

Still My Favorite Musical from 45 years ago!

[@huntress1863]

Understudies mattered then, and they certainly matter now! Maybe even more than ever. Bravo to Judy Kaye!

[@beckettmaupin8563]

BEAUTIFUL, MEMORABLE - EVERYTHING GOOD...

[@thomasscamahorn5023]

Tony awards

[@patrickhamilton6207]

I saw this in the summer of 1978 with Kaye, front row center. Could’ve tapped the conductor on the shoulder. I thought it was thrilling. Gorgeous sets, orchestra, songs, etc.. and they hired GREAT voices too for the ensemble. I remember one review said, “you leave the theatre humming the scenery.” They WERE spectacular! I think Kahn had just left when I saw it, and remember being very disappointed she wasn’t in it. However, Kaye was terrific. I wonder WHY did Prince have such a chip on his shoulder about the GREAT Madeline Kahn? In a KZbin blog, John Cullum and his wife talk about OTTC and how they felt Kahn wasn’t treated very nicely, and that she was a very special and rather fragile person. I knew Ray Stephens, the porter on the far right. He was a total sweetheart. He was 23 when this show opened. He died at 35 of AIDS. I briefly knew Quitman Fludd, lll as well, the porter on the far left. He was the lead player in an AMAZING production of PIPPIN that I saw in Oklahoma City. He was FANTASTIC in that role. Also, taken by AIDS in the late 80s.

[@jochenstossberg5427]

Madeline Khan was very difficult. End of a sad story. Judy Kaye was way better frankly.

[@BalletBabyBoy]

MAGNIFICENT! Thank you Larry Fuller!

[@locorco1]

It's funny that in the introduction they mention Judy Kaye becoming a star from this part when Madeline Kahn received the Tony Nomination.

[@JaredGoerke]

The policy of the tony awards state the performer in the role opening night is the only one tony eligible. (With very few exceptions in shows like After Midnight)

[@richardmayora1289]

@@JaredGoerke Larry Kert was not in Company on the opening night but he was nominated. The precedent was clear and the Tony committee made a major mistake.

[@johnpickford4222]

@@richardmayora1289 Yes and who was the director: Hal Prince. But I think Dean Jones didn’t last very long in the role as opposed to Kahn. Also I think Prince tried to have Kahn’s name removed from the vocal selections. I don’t know where the animosity came from but Kahn was signed first and vetoed Danny Kaye for Oscar ( she saw what he did to TWO BY TWO.)

[@kennethwayne6857]

There is no way they would have given the award to Madeline, what with theatre politics and the power of Prince. I haven't yet heard Liza Minnelli on the recording of 'The Act', although I've heard stories that she practically had to be carried into the theatre after partying the night before. I do believe the great Ms. Kahn deserved to win that year.

[@richardstaub551]

@@kennethwayne6857 I saw Madeline Kahn in the role and she was great.

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

What's wonderful is that this performance includes a part of the number that isn't preserved on the Original Broadway Cast Recording (starting at "All the service you enjoy while stationary ...").

[@begs54]

I saw the the Boston try out of this show in February 1978. The entire company was stuck in Boston due to the blizzard of "78". When we finally got out to the theater, the company blew us out of the Colonial Theater. We knew then we were seeing a hit before it went to Broadway. It was electrifying.

[@suzannederringer1607]

This was my absolute favorite show - we were young singing students in Manhattan then and saw it live. Then wore out the original Vinyl album. I've just ordered a CD... We - my young Husband and myself - were so delighted with it because we knew the old 1930s Film it was based on - fantastic Screwball Comedy starring Carole Lombard and John Barrymore. Comden, Greene and Coleman translated a very fast-paced, wordy Filmscript into a wonderful Musical

[@reneastle8447]

A farcical musical at its best.

[@TexasPhoneMan]

I still can't believe "Ain't Misbehavin'" won for best musical in 1978 over On the Twentieth Century".

[@richardmayora1289]

A ridiculous mistake. And I bet 20th Century would have run longer if it won the Tonys it deserved. Ain't Misbehavin was a fun revue but there is no comparison.

[@jochenstossberg5427]

Ain't Misbehavin' was a much easier show to love. If you failed to get the joke, re the faux operetta style of 'Twentieth' you wouldn't get the show at all. And a lot of people didn't get it. They were expecting a traditional Broadway score. Judy Kaye was brilliant at projecting the style of it instantly. And if Madeline Khan hadn't left so quickly, which created a bad vibe for the show early on - it might have won. Judy Kaye was actually much better, but Khan put a cloud over the show.

[@mzmiller52]

I saw Judy Kaye, and she’s no Madeline Kahn, Kevin Kline was great and actually made him a star, but the highlight was the porters, they were electric and owned the stage when they were on.

[@richardmayora1289]

Judy Kaye was no Madeline Kahn. Kaye sang the role better and moved like a star in stead of shlumping around the stage. I ADORED Kahn but she was so inferior.

[@liteflightify]

@@richardmayora1289 Kahn could have been great. Kaye was good and played the role straight. But Khan’s quirks, irony and comedic abilities fit perfectly into the production. It was a role made for her She just didn’t have the stamina nor did she especially care.

[@jochenstossberg5427]

The porters were what the audience desperately wanted - and didn't get enough of in this show. Show business.

[@biddybooable]

saw the original WITH madeline kahn. seeing it next week with kristen chenowith. time sure flies!!

[@mtl9732]

Victor Grisiatis Hope the set gets applause like it did the night I saw it w Kahn

[@AvalonMorley]

Victor Grisiatis I bet you didn't see it with Kristen Chenowith after all. Hopefully, you saw it with Kristin Chenoweth.

[@deaton98]

I saw the original with Judy Kaye. Joseph Wise, you and your fellow performers were killing the audience. "Life Is Like A Train" was drop dead BRILLIANT! I have a a couple of questions for you if I may. Was backstage during the original run an obstacle course with train wagons taking every inch of space? And was the entire staging of this number different on Broadway than presented here on the Tony Awards? This looks much more choreographed than I remember. And what voices! What energy!! Sends chills up my spine!!

[@DavidN369]

Classic.

[@paulgalbraith2862]

HAPPY 45th ANNIVERSARY

[@HyakuMusicOohbaby]

Musical🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@Ernie1]

Madeline Kahn was the best!!!

[@richardmayora1289]

Kaye was much better. And I was THE biggest Kahn fan. The ONLY time in my life that I got up very earlly to buy a ticket for anything was to see Madeline Kahn in this show. I was the second person on that very long line. Kahn was good but Kaye was stunning.

[@NuisanceMan]

@@richardmayora1289 I never saw it, but on the soundtrack, KAHN is stunning.

[@broadwaymike92]

It's coming back to Broadway next year with Kristin Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher!!

[@jimsher9880]

High time too.

[@darbyzworld]

Ugh.....Kristin Chenoweth has the most irritating voice and demeanor. I want to squash her like a bug.

[@NuisanceMan]

@@darbyzworld I actually think she has a lovely singing voice, but I'm basically with you. She is an airhead and lacks the necessary understanding for acting.

[@chocolatesouljah]

I can't believe this didn't run longer, Some blame Madeline Kahn for giving uneven performance and quitting the show early. Leaving her capable understudy Judy Kayen at the reins but not a star at that point. John Cullum and Kevin Kline alone should have been enough to ensure a longer run.

[@AvalonMorley]

Rusty Phresh And don't forget Imogene Coca. Wish I could have seen this!

[@kennybrookes5543]

I did see it on Broadway it was good but there was some element missing ? Thats why it didnt run Julia Mackenzie did it in London...also didnt run

[@chocolatesouljah]

Kenny Brooks I see your point. The opening number as shown on the Tonys is pretty dazzling. Now that you mention it I'm a big Cy Coleman but I probably listened it to a few times and never went back. So that would be a missing element for me. I agree with you but Ms. Kahn's early exit certainly didn't help.

[@AvalonMorley]

Rusty Phresh It's been awhile since I listened to OTTC ocr lp, but it's always seemed to me to sound a little bit off, as in the sound engineering. That one and the ocr of the original LA CAGE AUX FOLLES both just don't seem terribly well recorded, somehow. I'll have to listen to 20th CENTURY again soon, and see if I still feel the same about that. The score is not my very favorite, but I enjoy the operetta flavor to it, and so much of the humor. Still wish I could have seen it.

[@chocolatesouljah]

I like that kooky operatic feeling as well. The humor is palpable. John Cullum's line "The 2 of you are like Judas Iscariot and his sister Sue" I remember and haven't listened in years. I know Madeline is still much beloved but I wish her soprano voice to be more full bodied. I find Cy Coleman to be master at recreating a genre. He wrote a believable rag for "Little Me" and a believable gospel song for "The Life." I think operetta may be the one he was least suited for.

[@m.a.6136]

I saw this and slept through most of it. I only was awake when Imogene came on stage.

[@itstheburnz]

I had heard Madelyn missed a lot. Sure enough she was out the night we went. Kline and Imogene were a hoot. Judy did her best. It was totally a vehicle for Kahn. .

[@richardmayora1289]

You were lucky. I saw the show the day after opening and I knew there was something missing from Kahn's performance. A few months later, I kept hearing about her understudy and didn't exactly go to the theater with the most open mind since I ADORED Kahn....but there is no comparison. Kaye was glorious.

[@rachela5383]

Is there a bootleg anywhere with this cast?

[@CrandMackerel]

LOL! The orchestra conductor kind of let things get away from him at 2:25. Understandable though. They probably only had one rehearsal for this.

[@stevepotfora7461]

I am not sure what you are hearing but there are no changes in tempo or key or even an unusual chord from 2:20 to 2:30. Perhaps you are listening to Kevin Kline go out of pitch at 2:38 but that is hardly the conductors fault. Which instruments do you hear "getting away from the conductor"?

[@Hairsprayxoxoful]

Chicago and New York were 16 hours by train in the 70s!? Does it still take that long? It doesn't seem like it should

[@mariociancibello3825]

James Winer Nope - although the play debuted in the late 70's, it depicts a journey in the 1930's via the New York Central Railroad

[@mariociancibello3825]

Mario Ciancibello Passenger train service between New York and Chicago is provided by Amtrak. The journey takes between 19 and 21 hours. The ticket price varies from 100 to 600 $, depending on the class and whether you want to travel in a seat or have your own room with a bed. Source: www.new-york-chicago.com/English/ I guess it WAS faster in the railway's heydays.

[@georgespellvin6859]

Mario Ciancibello There's good reason for that too-Amtrak doesn't own the tracks they run on, so they have to stop for freight trains with the right of way.

[@virafmulla]

Is there a DVD available? I have it's music.

[@easyaspi1177]

Pretty good. Who is the soprano early on in this clip?

[@timothysmith7888]

The “pretty good soprano” is introduced at 0.19 seconds into the clip: Judy Kaye

[@cscottzimnamaste]

Love this show! The choreography, not so much.

[@mr.m.5719]

Hmmm, this clip makes it look like a good show. IT WAS NOT. The lyrics and the book were AWFUL.

[@johnpickford4222]

You bastard? Betty Comden and Adolph Green wrote the book and lyrics and they weren’t awful.

[@robertkaufman7312]

5 tony awards. Best Lead actor, Best Featured actor, best score, best book and best scene design. You are definitely in the minority here.

[@jochenstossberg5427]

Don't worry about being the odd one out. You're not. The score definitely wasn't to everyone's taste, trust me. If you failed to appreciate the campy, tongue in cheek musical style of this fake operetta, you wouldn't enjoy it. That's why it wasn't a hugely popular hit. It was a critics hit. The set design was a the main attraction. The score?? Can you name a hit song from it? Me neither. Comden and Green were often a touch too witty for their own good.

[@independentfilmchannel1476]

You don't need a "hit" song in order for a score to be excellent. Most members of the public wouldn't know clever if their lives depended on it. @@jochenstossberg5427

[@peteradaniel]

This is truly terrible!

[@robertkaufman7312]

Beg to differ. It was a fantastic show. This was a version of the opening number for the awards show. It was spectacular. The sets in 1978, cost over a million dollars, the first show to do that.