Richard Kiley and Diahann Carroll host this 1983 potpourri of songs, dance, and comedy bits, which served as part of the pledge-week package that PBS stations ran to solicit viewer support, filmed before a live audience at the Tropicana in Las Vegas (appropriately, because it resembles nothing more than the mediocre variety shows mounted at Sin City casinos). A few of the numbers possess real historical value: it's good to hear Kiley, the original Man of La Mancha, reprising “The Impossible Dream” from the same hit, and he and Carroll perform “The Sweetest Sounds,” the lovely duet they introduced in Richard Rodgers' first post-Hammerstein musical, 1962's No Strings. And the performance of “Don't Cry for Me, Argentina” by Patti LuPone, the original Evita, is, as always, a showstopper. But most of the attractions on tap here are so-so or worse: although opera diva Roberta Peters handles Lehar's famous melody from The Merry Widow nicely, her voice doesn't exactly suit Gershwin; in addition, the dance routines are spirited but tiresome; Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows offer up a terrible comedy sketch; and Rich Little's impersonations—of old standbys like Jack Benny, Jimmy Stewart, and Humphrey Bogart—fall flat. The reaction of the live audience to this mélange is fairly muted, and viewers of this DVD—presented in Dolby Digital stereo—are likely to feel the same. Not recommended. Aud: P. (F. Swietek)
Starfest: The Stars Salute Public Television
(1983) 90 min. DVD: $19.99. Kultur International Films. Color cover. ISBN: 0-7697-8189-6. Volume 21, Issue 5
Starfest: The Stars Salute Public Television
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