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Old Posted May 18, 2011, 12:15 AM
Los Angeles Past Los Angeles Past is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nostalgie View Post
...and about Scott's CLO recollections: it was 1963 when Edwin Lester brought in a revival of "Carousel" with original leads John Raitt & Jan Clayton, as well as a touring company of "Camelot" with Kathryn Grayson (they had to cover her cleavage to keep the Baptist landlords from apoplexy) and Louis Hayward as King Arthur. Ahhhhh....THOSE were the days!

Wow, really, I actually saw Raitt and Clayton? That is awesome! I had no idea I'd seen the original leads! Of course, I was too young to appreciate that back then, but now – their "bench scene" in "Carousel" is absolutely legendary to me.

And it's interesting – one of my distinct memories of "Camelot" was before the curtain rose, a voice came over the PA system announcing that Kathryn Grayson would not be appearing at that matinee, and Guenevere would instead be played by her understudy. Groans went up from the audience. I don't remember who the understudy was, but she was actually VERY well-received and got a standing ovation at the end. In fact, the "understudy" announcement and that ovation at the end are my most vivid memories of Philharmonic Auditorium. I've wondered ever since just who that brilliant unknown actress was who so stunned that audience with her performance...

-Scott
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