Television Musicals

In this reference work 222 musicals developed specifically for television are fully detailed, including musical episodes from nonmusical shows, animated specials that appealed to adults as well as children, and operas and related works commissioned for the small screen. Each entry provides air date, network, running time, cast and credits, and a listing of all the songs. A plot synopsis follows, focusing on the show itself and the story from which it was adapted; information on award nominations and awards won, recordings, videos and published music is then provided. Contemporary reviews of the show complete the entry.

The late Joan Baxter lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Joan Baxter
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 216
Bibliographic Info: 28 photos, chronology, bibliography, indexes
Copyright Date: 2012 [1997]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7404-2
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Preface      1
Introduction      3

THE MUSICALS

The Accused      9
Ace Hits the Big Time      9
The Adventures of Huck Finn      10
The Adventures of Marco Polo      10
Aladdin (1958)      11
Aladdin (1967)      12
Alice in Wonderland or “What’s a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This”      12
Alice in Wonderland Part I      13
Alice in Wonderland Part II      15
Alice Through the Looking Glass      16
All About Me      17
Amahl and the Night Visitors      17
Androcles and the Lion      19
Around the World with Nellie Bly      20
Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf      20
Art Carney Meets the Sorcerer’s Apprentice      21
Autumn in New York      21
Babes in Toyland      21
The Bachelor      22
The Ballad of Smokey the Bear      23
The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas      24
Beatrice      24
A Bell for Adano      24
The Borrowers      25
A Bouquet for Millie      26
The Box Supper      27
The Boys from Boise      27
Break of Day      27
Burlesque      28
Cabeza de Vaca      28
The Cage      29
The Canterville Ghost      29
Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield      29
A Charlie Brown Christmas      31
A Child Is Born      32
A Christmas Carol      33
Cinderella (1957)      34
Cinderella (1965)      35
Cinderella ’53      36
Cindy      36
Cindy’s Fella      37
Come to Me      37
Cop Rock      38
Copacabana      39
The Cricket on the Hearth      40
The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood      40
The Danny Kaye Show      43
The Death Goddess      43
The Decorator      44
Deseret      44
A Diamond for Carla      45
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde      45
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas      46
Dolcedo      48
A Doonesbury Special      48
A Drum Is a Woman      49
Drummer Man      50
The Easter Bunny Is Comin’ to Town      50
The Emperor’s New Clothes (1967)      51
The Emperor’s New Clothes (1972)      51
The Entertainer      52
Evening Primrose      52
Feathertop      54
Fenwick      55
The Final Ingredient      55
Freedom Is      56
Frosty Returns      56
Frosty the Snowman      57
Galileo Galilei      57
Gallantry      58
Gift of the Magi (1958)      58
Gift of the Magi (1978)      60
Gnomes      60
Golden Child      61
Goldilocks      61
La Grande Bretèche      62
The Great Man’s Whiskers      63
Griffelkin      63
Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates (1958)      64
Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates (1969)      64
Hansel and Gretel      65
The Happiest Day      66
Happily Ever After      66
Heidi      67
Here Comes Peter Cottontail      67
The Hero      68
He’s for Me      68
High Pitch      69
High Tor      69
Hi-Hat      71
The Hobbit      71
Holiday      72
The Honeymooners      72
I’m Getting Married      73
In Fashion      73
The Incredible, Indelible, Magical, Physical Mystery Trip      74
It’s a Brand New World      75
It’s Sunny Again      75
Jack: A Flash Fantasy      76
Jack and the Beanstalk (1956)      76
Jack and the Beanstalk (1966)      76
Jack and the Beanstalk (1967)      77
Jack Frost      78
The Juggler      78
Junior Miss      79
Keep in Step      79
The King and Mrs. Candle      81
Kingdom Chums: Little David’s Adventure      81
Kingdom Chums: The Original Top Ten      82
Labyrinth      82
The Land of Green Ginger      84
The Legend of Robin Hood      84
Let Me Go, Lover      85
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus      85
Li’l Abner      86
Li’l Abner in Dogpatch Today      86
The Little Drummer Boy      87
Little Women      87
The Littlest Angel      89
Liza Minnelli in Sam Found Out: A Triple Play      89
The Lord Don’t Play Favorites      90
Madeline      91
The Magic Horn      92
The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red’s Head      92
Manhattan Tower      92
A Man’s Game      93
Maria Golovin      94
The Marriage      95
Martin’s Lie      96
The Mercer Girls      96
The Mighty Casey      97
Minstrel Man      97
Miss Chicken Little      98
Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol      99
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree      100
Mother Goose      100
The Mouse on the Mayflower      100
Mrs. Santa Claus      101
My Heart’s in the Highlands      102
Myshkin      102
The New Adventures of Heidi      103
The Night the Animals Talked      104
The Night They Saved Christmas      104
No Man Can Tame Me      105
Noah and the Flood      105
O’Halloran’s Luck      106
Oliver and the Artful Dodger      107
Olympus 7-0000      108
On the Flip Side      110
On the Road to Broadway      111
Once Upon a Brothers Grimm      111
Once Upon a Christmas Time      112
Once Upon a Tune      112
Once Upon an Eastertime      113
Our Town      113
Owen Wingrave      115
Paris in the Springtime      115
The Parrot      116
La Pastorela      116
Peter Pan      116
The Pied Piper of Hamelin      119
Pinocchio (1957)      119
Pinocchio (1967)      120
Pinocchio (1968)      120
Pinocchio (1976)      122
Pinocchio’s Christmas      122
The Point      123
Polly      124
Polly—Comin’ Home!      124
Queen of the Stardust Ballroom      125
Quillow and the Giant      126
Rachel, La Cubana      126
Really Rosie      127
Return of the King      127
Return to Oz      128
The Road to Lebanon      128
The Royal Follies of 1933      129
Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July      129
Rudolph’s Shiny New Year      130
Ruggles of Red Gap      130
The Saga of Sonora      131
St. George and the Dragon      132
Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town      132
Sarah      133
Satins and Spurs      133
The Secret Garden      134
Sextuplets      135
Sing a Sign      135
The Singin’ Idol      136
Skinflint      136
Snow White Christmas      137
So Help Me, Aphrodite      137
The Sojourner and Mollie Sinclair      137
A Special London Bridge Special      139
The Stingiest Man in Town (1956)      139
The Stingiest Man in Town (1978)      140
The Story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer      141
Stover at Yale      143
Strawberry Blonde      144
Svengali and the Blonde      144
The Swing      145
Tell Me on a Sunday      145
That’s Life      145
The Thief and the Hangman      146
Think Pretty      147
The Thirteen Clocks      147
Three for the Girls      148
The Tiny Tree      148
Tippy Top      149
Tom Sawyer      149
The Trial at Rouen      150
The Trial of Mary Lincoln      150
Trouble in Tahiti      151
’Twas the Night Before Christmas      151
Uncle Sam Magoo      152
A Waltz Dream      152
What Day Is It?      152
Who’s Afraid of Mother Goose?      153
Who’s Earnest?      153
The Wind in the Willows      154
The Year Without a Santa Claus      154
Young Man from Boston      155

Chronology      157
Bibliography      163
Song Index      167
Name Index      179

• “No comparable book exists…exhaustive…will enrich television and music reference collections”—Reference Reviews
• “Sensibly arranged…fascinating”—Choice
• “Will enrich television and musical reference collections more than musicals have enriched TV”—Rettig on Reference
• “A thoroughly researched and well written history of an underappreciated genre”—Past Times
• “Top-notch documentation”—Television Chronicles
• “Excellent”—Show Music
• “As a reference work it succeeds admirably…valuable”—ARBA.