Broadway in the 1960s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Camelot

"What Do the Simple Folk Do?" In the early 1960s, not-so-simple theatergoers read the negative reviews, but they also watched television. "Camelot" (1960) had some good tunes and a strong cast, but it took Julie Andrews and Richard Burton on t.v. to save the show. Ed Sullivan asked Lerner and Loewe to prepare a tribute to "My Fair Lady", but they decided to feature their new show instead.

Answer: Davy (David) Jones

It's that Davy Jones (1945-2012), of The Monkees. And yes, he trained as a jockey before his theatrical career. The Artful Dodger was his first and last Broadway role. In a curious twist of fate, Jones appeared with co-star Georgia Brown to perform excerpts from "Oliver!" on the same 1964 episode of "The Ed Sullivan Show" that featured The Beatles. A two-front British Invasion?

Answer: It opened on Broadway before playing in the UK

"Sail Away" was a distinctly transatlantic endeavor, or endeavour? During tryouts in Boston - Massachusetts, not Lincolnshire - Noel Coward (1899-1973) re-wrote the show to vastly expand the part played by Elaine Stritch (Mimi Paragon). The show ran only 167 performances on Broadway. Ms. Stritch crossed the Atlantic for the West End production, which was more successful. Coward would later write the music and lyrics for "The Girl Who Came to Supper" (1963), but did not write the book. By the mid-1960s, he turned increasingly to directing and film roles.

Answer: Rudy Vallee

Rudy Vallee (1901-1986) last trod the Broadway boards in 1936, and had never played a role in a book musical. He reportedly wanted to reprise some of his favorite songs from the 1930s, but Loesser and Burrows dissuaded him. "How to Succeed" won seven Tony Awards (but not for Vallee's performance).

Answer: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

"Comedy Tonight": "A Funny Thing..." was the first Broadway show with both music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Phil Silvers and Milton Berle passed on the part of Pseudolus, the conniving Roman slave. In the 1966 movie version, Zero Mostel reprised his role.

He was joined by Silvers (in anachronistic hornrimmed glasses), playing the significantly-expanded part of Marcus Lycus, the proprietor of a ... see the movie for further information.

Answer: Jerry Herman (music & lyrics)

The role of Dolly was originally written for Ethel Merman, who declined the part. Ms. Merman eventually took over the role toward the end of the show's original run in 1970.

The first of many revivals of "Hello, Dolly!", a limited run in 1975, starred the luminous Pearl Bailey and an all African-American cast. Carol Channing reprised her role in revivals in 1978 (Broadway), 1979 (West End) and 1995-96 (Broadway).

Composer-Lyricist Jerry Herman would remain active and successful on Broadway through the 1960s, and the '70s, and the '80s, and the '90s.

Answer: Sydney Chaplin

Sydney Chaplin (1926-2009) was the son of Charlie Chaplin. He appeared in a handful of Broadway musicals, winning a Tony as Best Supporting Actor for "Bells Are Ringing" (1956). "Funny Girl" was his last Broadway turn. The show received eight Tony nominations including Chaplin, Barbra Streisand, and supporting performers Danny Meehan and Kay Medford, but won no awards.

Barbra Streisand did win an Academy Award for her performance as Fanny Brice in the 1968 movie of the musical, co-starring with Omar Sharif. Mr. Sharif never performed on Broadway, in either a musical or straight play.

Answer: Dick Gautier

The name Conrad Birdie is a word-play on country singer Conway Twitty, though the character and plot are drawn from Elvis Presley's induction into the U.S. Army.

Dick Gautier became a familiar face on American television after this, his only Broadway role. During the show's original run, Dick Van Dyke took time off to film the pilot for his long-running t.v. series "The Dick Van Dyke Show". He was replaced by his understudy, Charles Nelson Reilly, who likewise enjoyed a long career on American television. Future t.v. game show host Gene Rayburn also appeared later in "Birdie's" run.

Answer: Flora, the Red Menace

"Flora" ran less than 100 performances in 1965, but Liza Minnelli received rave reviews. She would not return to Broadway until 1974's "Liza".

"Flora" was also the first collaboration between composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb. They would return to Broadway in 1966 with "Cabaret" - another politically-charged musical set in the 1930s.

Answer: Christopher Isherwood

The first line of Christopher Isherwood's book "Goodbye to Berlin" is: "I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive ..." John Van Druten used "I Am a Camera" as the title of his 1951 Broadway play based on Isherwood's work, which in turn was adapted for the musical "Cabaret".

The role of Sally Bowles is associated with Liza Minnelli because of her Oscar-winning performance in the 1972 movie, but she was not in the original Broadway cast. Isherwood's character of Sally was based on Jean Ross, an expatriate British night club singer. The role of Sally in "Cabaret" was originated by British actress Jill Haworth, in her only Broadway appearance. Sally was Americanized for the movie to suit Ms. Minnelli.

Answer: Mitch Leigh

Mitch Leigh (1928-2014) achieved his dream with "Man of La Mancha", which played over 2,300 performances from 1965 to 1971. Most of his later composing efforts were less popular. "Cry For Us All" (1970) closed a week after opening; "Home Sweet Homer" (1976) closed on opening night. Leigh found greater success as a producer of revivals, including "The King and I", "Mame", and of course "Man of La Mancha" (1972, 1977, 1992 and 2002).

Answer: Galt McDermot

Canadian composer Galt McDermot wrote the score. He teamed with writer/performers James Rado and Gerome Ragni - who also appeared in the original Broadway cast.

Galt McDermot's next Broadway offering was the score to the musical, "Two Gentlemen of Verona" (1971). He had more conventional collaborators: John Guare wrote the lyrics, and William Shakespeare provided the plot. Listen carefully to "Thurio's Samba" ...


McDermot again worked with Rado and Ragni on "Dude" (1972), an historic box-office disaster. McDermot also wrote the score for "Via Galactica" (1972), the first show at the new Uris Theater (now the Gershwin Theater). It lasted a week before closing, and lost a fortune for its investors.

Answer: Betty Buckley

Nearly all of the characters in "1776" are male. Book author Peter Stone interpolated Martha Jefferson, though she did not visit Philadelphia during the Continental Congress, and Abigail Adams.

Betty Buckley pursued a long and successful career after this, her Broadway debut. She received the Tony Award as Best Actress in a Musical for the role of Grizabella in the Broadway production of "Cats" (1983). She was also active in television and film. Ms. Buckley was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2012.

Answer: Burt Bacharach

Dionne Warwick's recording of "I'll Never ..." was a huge hit, but Ms. Warwick never appeared on Broadway. The song was originally a duet between Jerry Orbach (Chuck) and Jill O'Hara (Fran) - the latter in her final Broadway appearance.

Although "Promises, Promises" won the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical and was nominated for a Tony Award, Burt Bacharach never composed another Broadway "book" musical. Six Grammys and three Academy Awards attest to his success in other genres.

Answer: Fiddler on the Roof

"If I Were a Rich Man" ... If I'd invested in "Fiddler" I would be!

According to the Internet Broadway Database, the number of performances - and the number of Tony Awards - were:

"Fiddler on the Roof" - 1964-1972; 3,242 performances; 9 Tonys
"Hello, Dolly!" - 1964-1970; 2,844 performances; 10 Tonys
"Man of La Mancha" - 1965-1971; 2,328 performances; 5 Tonys
"Hair" - 1968-1972; 1,750 performances; no Tony Awards and only two nominations.

"Hair" lost out to the more conventional "1776" for Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical, but "1776" played only 1,217 performances during its initial run.