Ethel Merman - Before The Parade Passes By -1982

[WIZZINGSHIRE]

a pure 100 percent showwoman.judy garland,ethel merman,lena horne.they just dont make em like those dames anymore.

[FredericaBimble]

I love Ethel Merman so I saying this with humour and good will in mind. She looks like the inspiration for every drag queen who ever put on a dress. The mannerisms she has is Drag Queen 101.

[dangraphic]

Probably THE MOST IRRITATING and ANNOYING voices that I've ALWAYS detested. All she had was an over the top volume. How anyone could ever like her singing is frankly beyond me.

Compared to the greats of her time, she was like a fire alarm going off.

She probably induced her own tumor with those shrieks and screams.

[GooglFascists]

@dangraphic Hey knock that off. First off the sound on this video is WAY OFF,

gurgling around. Merman was used to booming a song off a Broadway

stage into a large audience. Ol' Ethel was a STAR, and that meant she

was SHEER CLASS.

[MGMArsGratiaArtis]

@dangraphic That is the meanest thing I have ever heard. Let me know when your name is as nationally known as Ethel Merman's.

[FredericaBimble]

@dangraphic - I love her voice! it is so unique and you can't help but smile and feel a bit better when you hear her belt out one of the crowd pleasers.

[fkd1963]

Go, Ethel!

[mlstately]

@fkd1963 Fabulous - to all who understand the performance level of Ethel Merman! A few years ago a critic who carried a LOT of weight in the closing of Broadway shows compared Hugh Jackman's performance in the "Boy From Oz" to only one other Broadway performer - Ethal Meman = Charisma is the key!

[fromthevalley]

Bless her! a real star x

[DukeofYar]

Ethel Merman is truly a star. I mean, that was spectacular!

[funnyguy52]

For those of you who are too young to know, Ethel Merman was one of the very few truly GREAT legends of the Broadway musical stage. She was a true star.

I met her in 1973 and it was truly a thrilling moment.

May she rest in peace.

[falana1234]

iam sorry folks but her voive would drive me crazy please

[tranquilitybase]

Just looks who's on the couch. That will never happen again. Sadly.

[arechs]

what a sweet conversation.

[cooloperetta]

My 'dream team' for the 60s film version of Hello Dolly would be Ethel Merman for Dolly, Julie Andrews for Molly, and Robert Morse and Anthony Perkins as the 2 guys, reprising their roles in the non-musical version (The Matchmaker) from the 50s.

[dannybex]

@cooloperetta Merman was too "big" for the movies, the "Molly" part was too little for Andrews, Perkins couldn't sing or dance (although in truth neither could Michael Crawford), and Morse...well, let's just say too porky.

[BabyDillGerkin]

Merman is 74 here. Streisand was 27 in the movie. Give The Merm a break, people!

[Toertchen1983]

barbra streisand sings this so much better!!!!!! BARBRA IS THE BEST

[phorevarjb]

@Toertchen1983 pshh you try singing like this at 74 years old...HA id like an oil painting of that...

[rcir2]

I think Streisand knocked this song out of the world- period.

[rcir2]

I think Streisand knocked this song out of the world- period.

[filmmekker]

Great acting as she sings!

[MNBluestater]

i love Ethel, but just me, peaked too soon in the song...a little sublety at the beginning is so beautiful.

[iriisblue]

An authentic powerhouse even in her 70s. Incredibly touching moment when Herman discloses his experience with AGYG.

[loumondelli]

She was The Queen of the American Musical Theater, and if you don't enjoy one of the most unique voices of all time...

[MRDINK513]

74 and kicking butt, what a remarkable singer!

[Robert4770]

How dare there not be a street or theatre on Broadway named for this great lady. She is the greatest star of American musical theatre and has no tribute. There is something wrong when a theatre is named for a cartoonist before Merman.

[TheSpencer1960]

@Robert4770 I so agree

[davedave9103]

Ethel was probably around 74 years old here, and this was one of her last appearances on TV before taking ill and dying of a brain tumor in 1984. I found Jerry Herman's story of seeing Ethel in Annie Get Your Gun touching. All the people I know who saw her on the stage said she was one of a kind, and a great performer--the best and original Gypsy.

[cmcb09]

@davedave9103 Had seen some pictures of her from shortly before she died, simply tragic you couldn't even tell that it was her.

[jimdonaldsong]

Critics, Critics! Who needs 'em? Go do something GREAT yourselves.....before YOUR parade passes by.

[gabsylv]

what a ragtag band

[blue2765]

I understand her place in hollywood but I could just not see the talent. she seems to sing off key but like I said, I just dont hear it.

[eldiran2]

@jlya2012 Yea, Ethel Merman always did seem like an bad impersonator's version of a real person.....

[DiabloSandwich59]

Who's the man sitting next to Jule Styne?

[MANUELFARINELLI]

Thank you Ethel, your song brought to me some energy to move on.. thanks!:)

[damone77]

Jerry Herman wrote some of the greatest songs ever written for the Broadway stage! My favorite is a song called "Look over there" from "La Cage". He's a great pianist too!

[Selendomono]

@damone77 Wow TOTALLY agree about "Look Over There" It's my favorite and NOBODY knows it :D

[WillScarlet16]

Most people don't know, but "Hello Dolly" was written for her, but she turned it down.

[billyboylb]

I love Streisand's version of this.

[UnknownBroadwayBaby]

Amazing! Best belter! Her and lupone togher would be amazing! Dose anyone know where I can get a recording of this?

[bzzzzap]

Ethel is 74 years old here! ROCK IT SISTER! We should be so lucky to have that energy at her age.

[8prieskd]

Barbra did it the best

[fontenayperi]

does anyone know if there's a Hello Dolli recording by Ethel Merman? I'd love to hear it!!

[hillevifan]

I have a live recording of it!

[fontenayperi]

wouah! is it on youtube? :)

[damone77]

Yes there is! I'd try J&R music in NYC!

[fontenayperi]

@damone77 what's J&R music? a music store?

[damone77]

@fontenayperi Hi there,

Yes J&R music is one of the last great music stores left in NYC. I don't have there phone number but I'm sure that you could get it online. Cheers! Also I'm assuming that you live in France. I know that they ship:)

[fontenayperi]

@damone77 thanks for the advise damone77. they must have a website. i'm gonna take a look :)

[thesoundofmusic1991]

@fontenayperi

Um, sort of. When Merman joined the Hello Dolly cast, Herman re-inserted two songs he had written when he was composing the score. Back when he did this, he was planning to have Merman be Dolly, so they were belter songs, but she turned it down and the songs were cut. I know there are recordings of those two songs out there sund by Ethel, but as far as the rest of the score, I don't think so.

[fontenayperi]

@thesoundofmusic1991 thanks for your comment!

[olbrych82]

I was so happy when Merv griffin repeated ethel this award which I got to see given to her at Carnegie Hall in May 1982 the time i saw her perform the first was Hello Dolly and it was a feeling like jerry herman describes luckily I got to see Ethel performe many times in between liveand there was never a bad one.

[showtunestarpower]

This is an incredible treasure. I had the opportunity to see Ethel do this song in HELLO DOLLY and this record of the performance (along with the Texaco performance) seem to be all we have. THANK YOU!!

[Gregg30]

She had it until the end! Amazing.

[nornsnornsnorns]

Thank you - such a wonderful Merman moment I've never seen before. Immensely touching. One of my great theatrical experiences was seeing this great lady at the Palladium in 1974. Unforgettable and irreplaceable.