Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} the Films of Barbra Streisand
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Films Of Barbra Streisand by Karen Swenson Barbra Streisand’s Career Is So Huge That It’s Impossible To Recap But We’re Really Trying Because It’s Her Birthday. Sure, she made headlines recently for really sticking her foot in it re: Michael Jackson’s accusers but that doesn’t mean that the apologetic star, who turns 77 on April 24, is any less accomplished, successful, or essential. Here, we look back at the pioneering singer’s biggest accomplishments. Click to share this on Facebook Click to share this on Twitter Click to share this via email. Born in Brooklyn in 1942, Streisand remembers, "I was considered the girl on the block with the good voice," according to ‘The Films Of Barbra Streisand’ by Karen Swenson and Christopher Nickens. As a young girl, she made her singing debut at a PTA assembly, then went on to sing at weddings and summer camp. By age nine, she was ready to audition at MGM records. (Poor little nine-year-old Streisand failed the audition.) More Galleries. Born in Brooklyn in 1942, Streisand remembers, "I was considered the girl on the block with the good voice," according to ‘The Films Of Barbra Streisand’ by Karen Swenson and Christopher Nickens. As a young girl, she made her singing debut at a PTA assembly, then went on to sing at weddings and summer camp. By age nine, she was ready to audition at MGM records. (Poor little nine-year-old Streisand failed the audition.) She became an honours student at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn where she sang in the Freshman Chorus and Choral Club alongside classmate and fellow future star Neil Diamond. Streisand graduated at age 16 and set out to audition for stage roles. At her first job in 1960, she was the opening act for comedian Phyllis Diller. By 1963, she was inspiring rave reviews like this one by columnist Robert Ruark: “Her name is Barbra Streisand. She is 20 years old, she has a three-octave promiscuity of range, she packs more personal dynamic power than anybody I can recall since Libby Holman or Helen Morgan. She can sing as loud as Ethel Merman and as persuasively as Lena or Ella, or as brassy as a Sophie Tucker . and only Barbra Streisand can turn "Cry Me a River" (note: he’s talking about the 1953 Arthur Hamilton torch song, not the Justin Timberlake classic, obvi) into something comparable to Enrico Caruso having his first bash at Pagliacci. When Streisand cries you a river, you got a river, Sam . and she will be around 50 years from now if good songs are still written to be sung by good singers.” In 1962, she became Broadway's most exciting and new star, playing a secretary in "I Can Get It For You Wholesale" to rave reviews at age 20. Streisand received a Tony nomination and New York Drama Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. Her first record, ‘The Barbra Streisand Album’, was released in 1963 and included standards like “Cry Me a River”, “A Taste of Honey”, and “Happy Days Are Here Again”. It cracked the Billboard Top 10 and made her the bestselling female vocalist in the United States. She followed it up with ‘The Second Barbra Streisand Album’ later that year. Clearly, she was too busy making hit records to come up with artsy names for them. Respect. Streisand returned to Broadway in 1964 with an acclaimed starring performance as entertainer Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl". The show introduced two of her signature songs, "People" and "Don't Rain on My Parade". She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical but lost to Carol Channing in "Hello, Dolly!" No biggie, tho: They made a whole special honorary "Star of the Decade" Tony Award for Streisand in 1970 so it’s all good. No rain on this parade. Her first film was a reprise of her Broadway hit, "Funny Girl", in 1968. The adaptation sees Streisand not only sing and act but roller-skate, pirouette, and age on screen. It’s an amazing movie, so no wonder Streisand won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actress BUT she had to share it! In the only tie ever in this Oscar category, Streisand split the win with Katharine Hepburn for "The Lion in Winter" (a film which, for the record, contains absolutely zero roller-skating). Streisand’s next two movies were also based on musicals, "Hello, Dolly!" (in 1969) and "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" (1970). Through the ‘70s, Streisand actually starred in a handful of screwball comedies opposite Ryan O'Neal: "What's Up, Doc?" in 1972 and "The Main Event" in 1979. In 1976, she starred in a remake of "A Star Is Born" in the role recently made famous by Lady Gaga. But her most famous movie role in the 1970s was opposite Robert Redford in 1973’s "The Way We Were". Streisand is a well-known supporter of the Democratic Party but did you know that she was on President Richard Nixon's 1971 list of political enemies? John Lennon also made the list. Even though she was starring in films through the ‘70s, she was also cranking out the hits, including the #1 songs "The Way We Were" "Evergreen (Love Theme from 'A Star Is Born')", "No More Tears” with Donna Summer, and "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" with her old high school chum Neil Diamond (pictured). By the end of the ‘70s, Streisand was the most successful female singer in the U.S. – only Elvis Presley and the Beatles had sold more albums. Her 1983 film "Yentl" was turned down by every Hollywood studio when she asked to direct and star in the film. Eventually, Orion Pictures took the risk. Streisand became the first woman to receive a Golden Globe for Best Director and the picture was also awarded two Oscars. Streisand also produced, directed, and starred in "The Prince of Tides" in 1991 and "The Mirror Has Two Faces" in 1996. In 1993, the New York Times music critic Stephen Holden wrote that Streisand "enjoys a cultural status that only one other American entertainer, Frank Sinatra, has achieved in the last half-century". In September of that year, Streisand announced her first public concert appearances in over 20 years. Tickets for the tour were sold out in under an hour. 'Time' magazine called it "the music event of the century". Ticket prices ranged from US$50 to US$1,500, making Streisand the highest-paid concert performer in history. In 2004, Streisand made a return to film acting after an eight-year hiatus in the hit movie "Meet the Fockers" playing opposite Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller, and Robert De Niro. Her most recent role was alongside Canadian Seth Rogen in 2012’s "The Guilt Trip". … Streisand sure seems to like us! On top of her Oscar-nominated 1996 duet with Bryan Adams, "I Finally Found Someone", Streisand dueted with Celine Dion on ‘97’s “Tell Him”, and with Diana Krall on her #1 hit 2009 jazz album, ‘Love is the Answer’. But that’s not all: Streisand also dated Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau! But we can’t! We’ve got to wrap this up somehow. So let’s go with a brief list of accolades. In 2007, French President Nicolas Sarkozy presented Streisand with the Legion of Honour, the highest decoration in France, and President George W. Bush presented her Kennedy Center Honors, the highest recognition of cultural achievement. In 1988, she was named the All-Time Favorite Musical Performer at the People's Choice Awards (All! Time! Favourite!). She’s ranked among the 12 greatest female gay icons of all time by ‘Out’ magazine. In 2016, ‘Funny Girl’ was marked for preservation by the Library of Congress in the National Film Registry. In 2017, the song "People" was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry. She’s been nominated for 43 Grammys and won eight, plus the 1992 Grammy Legend Award and the 1994 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame — four times . In 2015, Viking Press announced it had bought Streisand's memoirs but they have yet to be published. In 1977, Streisand became the first female composer to win a Best Song Oscar, for “Evergreen” from her version of "A Star Is Born". She has had #1 albums in each of the last six decades. As we sit on the cusp of a new decade, we hope she can continue this streak! Interview with Karen Swenson. Born in San Francisco, Karen Swenson spent most of her childhood in White Bear Lake, a suburb outside St. Paul, Minnesota. After a year of college, she moved to sunny Southern California determined to find a home in the land of entertainment and movies. After several jobs including stints at local studios, record companies, public relations and talent agencies, she landed a job as project coordinator on Barbra Streisand's multi- media collection, Just for the Record. while racking up some impressive writing credits. She wrote Barbra: The Second Decade (Citadel Press, 1986), co-wrote Judy and Liza with James Spada (Doubleday, 1983), and provided research assistance on several other projects including Streisand: The Woman and the Legend (James Spada, Doubleday, 1981), Preston Sturges: Between Flops (James Curtis, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982), Brando: A Biography in Photographs (Christopher Nickens, Doubleday, 1987), and Rainbow's End: The Judy Garland Show (Coyne Steve Sanders, William Morrow, 1990).