Carol Channing & Pearl Bailey on Broadway

On opening night, January 16, 1964, Carol Channing proved she was a perfect match for the title role in Hello, Dolly! A few years later, Pearl Bailey took over on the same stage of the St. James Theatre. On March 16, 1969, the two chanteuses appeared together for a special televised concert, filmed at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre and, by all rights, it should have been a heckuva show. The musical highlights include: "Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home?," "76 Trombones," "If I Were a Rich Man," and, of course, a smashing duet on "Hello, Dolly!" Unfortunately, the mono soundtrack is a case example of high infidelity: Bailey's voice all but disappears on occasion, while the "76 Trombones" are handily drowned out by the bass. The real highlight here, besides the nostalgia factor, is actually non-musical: Channing's hilarious dead-on sketches of Marlene Dietrich, Carmen Miranda, and the amusingly high-pitched sibilant whistle of "Cecilia Sisson." Optional. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)