You Could Drive A Person Crazy - Company OBC, 1970

[MithraMusic]

Funny how they changed the word "fag" for the revival. This show actually held up really well over time and really didn't lose much relevance at all after forty years. And these actresses are incredible. It must've been great to see them live.

[dailypinoyshowbiz]

Your vid is popular on Amsterdam

[jerrynova14]

Can you imagine is Sondheim actually composed the music to Gypsy? I don't think I can even wrap my mind around that.

[Marktheho]

@jerrynova14 He only wrote the lyrics for Gypsy not the music, Jule Styne wrote the score. He also wrote additional lyrics for West Side Story, so he started as a lyricist.

[jerrynova14]

@Marktheho I know. That's what I was saying. What *if* he wrote the music to Gypsy.

[psychomusicanana]

As I said elsewhere, I recently heard that Stritch, when she isn't "on" is a normal and nice person. My husband did summer stock with her (in a former life), and because he didn't drink much, she used to call him "Cheap Date Charlie." LOL

[1037pm]

So much talent! They make it look effortless.

I wish I could go back in time and observe this!

[allanfisch]

RIP Susan_love her and she sings Barcelona like an angel.

[darthflower]

there voices are so pure, its lovely

[Richiesutherland]

It's amazing that Donna McKechnie sings the top line of the trio with high A's and the fairly difficult melody when she was also the lead dancer of the show and and one of the greatest dancers ever seen on Broadway! And she's so beautiful as well! God, that woman has enough talent for five Broadway performers!

[CloudcoleVII]

@Richiesutherland Just met her at BTP 2011 and had the honor of a master class with the woman. She is truly incredible.

[ViveClaire]

I love that those girls could not even sit still while singing that song on the tenth take, that song has so much brilliant irony and fun it makes me want to get up and skip around

[Beaulechat]

This is from an era when excellence was the standard.

[isitfunthere1]

"There's a question of delicacy about it because you can't get Donna to sing that... soft." Hahahah

[isitfunthere1]

IT'S DONNA MCKECHNIE! IT'S DONNA MCKECHNIE!

*runs around in circles*

So amazing.

[BTURNER1961]

Ethel's instincts were right about using Stein to collaborate on Gypsy . Sondheim turned out the be a fantastic composer. But the finished product was as good as a musical gets.

[jesswantstobewicked]

Oh. The 70's outfits and hair. Oh.

But amazing!

[MikesMiyu]

watch?v=g9zIMNDEAcU

[cadi123]

I absolutely love it when Sondheim talks about how he felt resentful having to write the lyrics wanting to write the music AAARRRGH I love MT gossip!!!!!!! This must be like normal people reading celeb magazines! :D Great Great vid tho, amazing footage! I LOVE discovering vids like these! :D

[Tyronethe24th]

You have to love anyone who could rhyme "personable" with "coercin' a bull."

Also, I'm totally the guy in this song.

[astoria25]

Donna is beautiful here, and, for some reason, she reminds me a little bit of Catherine Deneuve.

[ivelosthewilltolive]

@astoria25 Agreed, but how did she end up with caterpillars on her eyelids?

[BOomeek]

This is phenomenal footage!

Thank you so much for posting. :D

[aspaul21]

Sondheim looks like he wants to kill someone when the girls say "booby" instead of "bubbi."

[whkrause]

@aspaul21 LOL. It's all worth it to see Pamela's smile when she nails it.

[Horusdragon]

YAY! Real singing! no belting and actual technique!! LOVE IT!

[robbertstoop]

What great footage this is! Just to watch how the best-known version of this song was recorded; beautiful!

[goodlevy]

That my uncle, Phil Kraus on the tympanies.

He's just turning 91 and still going strong!

[theBestArts]

Great comment - thanks!

[goodlevy]

I spoke to my uncle a couple of weeks ago about this recording, and he remembered three things about this session: how much of a pain in the rump Elaine Stritch was (he had worked with her for years on recordings), that he crawled home at dawn, and that he got double-overtime - over $1000 - for this session - great money in 1970!

btw - he was one of the greatest vibe players in the world and still plays amazingly well - check out the youtube video of him from 2006 or so, under "Phil Kraus".

[maggiepower]

awesome!

[robbertstoop]

That's so cool! Pass on to your uncle that he was there when new musicals was written!

[danishcookie]

@goodlevy thats so amazing!! I would be so proud if he was my uncle.

[tracer740]

@goodlevy -Phil can beat them skins, he can! Kudos to Phil.

[vicmark12]

@goodlevy Thats really wonderful!! Congratulations on his accomplishment! Yall should be proud!

[KatherineXIX]

Does it just say "random profanity" in the score at 1:03? Haha...and also, this is SO much better than the revival where they play most of the vocal stuff.

[AkihiroHattori52455]

@KatherineXIX I think they do, but "you son of a b*tch!" is pretty common in all the times I've heard this song heard. Then again, sometimes they don't say anything.

[shroomix14]

This is so cool, thank you for posting it.

[stickyfixer]

Who's the guy in the cravat with the magic 'never-burns-down' ciggie? What a ballbag.

[safeinpants]

That's the producer of the record, Tom Shepard. He also produced the OBCs for Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd, Sunday In the Park With George, La Cage Aux Folles, etc.

The guy with the pipe is Fred Plaut, Columbia's chief engineer for classical and Broadway recordings. His name is on almost every Columbia OBC from the '40s through the '70s.

[BDaviWA]

Absolutely flawless!!!

[BrochtrupBean]

Donna knows!