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Something Wonderful
- Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution
- Narrated by: Todd S. Purdum
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
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Publisher's summary
A revelatory portrait of the creative partnership that transformed musical theater and provided the soundtrack to the American Century
They stand at the apex of the great age of songwriting, the creators of the classic Broadway musicals Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music, whose songs have never lost their popularity or emotional power. Even before they joined forces, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had written dozens of Broadway shows, but together they pioneered a new art form: the serious musical play. Their songs and dance numbers served to advance the drama and reveal character, a sharp break from the past and the template on which all future musicals would be built.
Though different in personality and often emotionally distant from each other, Rodgers and Hammerstein presented an unbroken front to the world and forged much more than a songwriting team; their partnership was also one of the most profitable and powerful entertainment businesses of their era. They were cultural powerhouses whose work came to define postwar America on stage, screen, television, and radio. But they also had their failures and flops, and more than once they feared they had lost their touch.
Todd S. Purdum's portrait of these two men, their creative process, and their groundbreaking innovations will captivate lovers of musical theater, lovers of the classic American songbook, and lovers in general. He shows that what Rodgers and Hammerstein wrought was truly something wonderful.
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Philip Norman turns his formidable talent to the Beatle for whom belonging to the world's most beloved pop group was never enough. Drawing on previously untapped sources, and with unprecedented access to all the major characters, here is the definitive portrait of John Lennon. This biography takes a fresh and penetrating look at Lennon's much-chronicled life, including the songs that have turned him, posthumously, into almost a secular saint.
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Really Bad Abridgement Job (slash job)
- By Let's Be Reasonable on 12-04-08
By: Philip Norman
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The Speed of Sound
- Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution 1926 - 1930
- By: Scott Eyman
- Narrated by: Adams Morgan
- Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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In this mixture of cultural and social history that is both scholarly and vastly entertaining, Eyman dispels the myths and gives us the missing chapter in the history of Hollywood, the ribbon of dreams by which America conquered the world.
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Better than nothing!
- By Colin Barton on 08-31-11
By: Scott Eyman
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Bright Lights, Dark Shadows
- The Real Story of Abba
- By: Carl Magnus Palm
- Narrated by: Adrian Mulraney
- Length: 26 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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An exploration of all aspects of the Abba member’s lives and careers. Amazingly detailed, it examines the group member’s family backgrounds, the pre-Abba days, the legendary 70s, the marriages, the divorces, the business ups and downs, and the post-Abba solo careers.
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Awesome! -- All the Swedish words pronounced!
- By Howard_a on 06-18-12
By: Carl Magnus Palm
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American Rebel
- The Life of Clint Eastwood
- By: Marc Eliot
- Narrated by: Marc Eliot
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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From the New York Times best-selling author Marc Eliot comes the definitive biography of one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful actors, producers, and directors in the history of American motion pictures. Marc Eliot examines the ever-exciting, often tumultuous arc of Eastwood's life and career, from his days as a disaffected college dropout, to his rise to fame as the archetypal loner, to his acceptance into the pantheon of the Academy as a multiple Oscar Award winner.
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I learned the hard way.
- By Ty Pritchard on 07-23-10
By: Marc Eliot
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Tearing Down the Wall of Sound
- The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector
- By: Mick Brown
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 17 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Phil Spector, born in the Bronx in 1940, grew up an outsider despised by his peers. But he formed a band, and had a number-one hit with "To Know Him Is to Love Him". He quickly became the top producer of early rock and roll and the originator of such girl groups as the Ronettes. Hit followed hit, and for all of them he used a new recording style called the "wall of sound". But the reign of the boy-man who owned pop music was doomed, and Spector spiraled into paranoid isolation and peculiar behavior.
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Descent Into Madness
- By Chris on 06-11-12
By: Mick Brown
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The Ballad of Bob Dylan
- A Portrait
- By: Daniel Mark Epstein
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a vivid, full-bodied portrait of one of the most influential artists of the 20th-century - a man widely regarded as the most important lyricist America has ever produced. Acclaimed poet and biographer Daniel Mark Epstein frames Dylan against the backdrop of four seminal concerts - all of which he attended. Beautifully written, The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a unique, eye-opening portrait of an artist who has transformed generations and continues to inspire and surprise today.
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Excellent book, excellent narration
- By L chandler on 12-22-11
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Being John Lennon
- A Restless Life
- By: Ray Connolly
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 16 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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What was it like to be John Lennon? What was it like to be the castoff child, the clown at school, the middle-class suburban boy who pretended to be a working-class hero? How did it feel to have one of the most recognizable singing voices in the world but to dislike it so much he always wanted to disguise it? Being John Lennon is not about the whitewashed Prince of Peace of “Imagine” legend - because that was only a small part of him. The John Lennon depicted in this book is a much more kaleidoscopic figure, sometimes almost a collision of different characters.
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Stars taken off for inclusion of MDC’s story
- By rob on 12-09-22
By: Ray Connolly
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Orson Welles's Last Movie
- The Making of The Other Side of the Wind
- By: Josh Karp
- Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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In the summer of 1970, legendary but self-destructive director Orson Welles returned to Hollywood from years of self-imposed exile in Europe and decided it was time to make a comeback movie. It was about a legendary self-destructive director who returns to Hollywood from years of self-imposed exile in Europe. Welles swore it wasn't autobiographical.
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Engaging and human portrait of Welles
- By TrevorTrujillo on 06-20-20
By: Josh Karp
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Furious Love
- Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century
- By: Sam Kashner, Nancy Schoenberger
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 17 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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He was a tough-guy Welshman softened by the affections of a breathtakingly beautiful woman; she was a modern-day Cleopatra madly in love with her own Mark Antony. For nearly a quarter of a century, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were Hollywood royalty, and their fiery romance - often called "the marriage of the century" - was the most notorious, publicized, and celebrated love affair of its day.
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Paul Boehmer needs more practice
- By Brenda Miller on 06-16-10
By: Sam Kashner, and others
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Razzle Dazzle
- The Battle for Broadway
- By: Michael Riedel
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Razzle Dazzle is a provocative, no-holds-barred narrative account of the people, money, and power that reinvented an iconic quarter of New York City, turning its gritty back alleys and sex shops into the glitzy, dazzling Great White Way - and bringing a crippled New York from the brink of bankruptcy to its glittering glory.
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Too long and boring in spite of a vibrant subject
- By harry rohme on 03-04-18
By: Michael Riedel
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Unsinkable
- A Memoir
- By: Debbie Reynolds, Dorian Hannaway
- Narrated by: Debbie Reynolds
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The definitive memoir by legendary actress and performer Debbie Reynolds - an entertaining and moving story of enduring friendships and unbreakable family bonds, of hitting bottom and rising to the top again - that offers a unique and deeply personal perspective on Hollywood and its elite, from the glory days of MGM to the present.
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Loved Loved loved IT!
- By Virginia on 12-07-17
By: Debbie Reynolds, and others
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Putting It Together chronicles the two-year odyssey of creating the iconic Broadway musical Sunday in the Park with George. Through conversations between Lapine and Sondheim, as well as most of the production team, and with a treasure trove of personal photographs, sketches, script notes, and sheet music, the two Broadway icons lift the curtain on their beloved musical. Putting It Together is a deeply personal remembrance of their collaboration and friendship and the highs and lows of that journey, one that resulted in the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning classic.
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“What am I, bologna?” Mary Rodgers (1931-2014) often said. She was referring to being stuck in the middle of a talent sandwich: the daughter of one composer and the mother of another. And not just any composers. Her father was Richard Rodgers, perhaps the greatest American melodist; her son, Adam Guettel, a worthy successor. What that leaves out is Mary herself, also a composer, whose musical Once Upon a Mattress remains one of the rare revivable Broadway hits written by a woman. Shy is the story of how it all happened.
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What a fun book!
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Sondheim
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Brimming with insights from a veritable Who's Who of Broadway Babies and complemented by more than two hundred color and black-and-white images, Sondheim: His Life, His Shows, His Legacy offers a witty, multidimensional look at the musical genius behind Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, and the landmark West Side Story and Gypsy.
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Sondheim: A genius never to be forgotten
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Finale
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In 2017, New Yorker staff writer D.T. Max began working on a major profile of Stephen Sondheim that would be timed to the eventual premiere of a new musical Sondheim was writing. Sadly , that process – and the years of conversation – was cut short by Sondheim’s own hesitations, then the global pandemic, and finally by the great artist’s death in November 2021.
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Untitled
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The Secret Life of the American Musical
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For almost a century, Americans have been losing their hearts and losing their minds in an insatiable love affair with the American musical. It often begins in actors and reaches its passionate zenith when it comes time for love, marriage, and children, who will start the cycle all over again. Americans love musicals. Americans invented musicals. Americans perfected musicals. But what, exactly, is a musical?
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Great review lacked music
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By: Jack Viertel
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Everything Was Possible (Updated Edition)
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As the sole production assistant for Stephen Sondheim’s Follies, Ted Chapin had a front row seat for the creation of one of the most important American musicals of all time. He kept a detailed journal of his experiences, and his rich storehouse of memories forms the core of Everything Was Possible, which itself has become a modern classic of musical theater history. Combining the zeal of an enthusiast with a journalist’s narrative chops, Chapin takes the listener on a roller-coaster ride through the creation of an original Broadway musical.
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It’s absolutely everything
- By Pennypie on 01-03-24
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Putting It Together
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Putting It Together chronicles the two-year odyssey of creating the iconic Broadway musical Sunday in the Park with George. Through conversations between Lapine and Sondheim, as well as most of the production team, and with a treasure trove of personal photographs, sketches, script notes, and sheet music, the two Broadway icons lift the curtain on their beloved musical. Putting It Together is a deeply personal remembrance of their collaboration and friendship and the highs and lows of that journey, one that resulted in the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning classic.
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Revisiting a truly great theatrical experience
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Shy
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“What am I, bologna?” Mary Rodgers (1931-2014) often said. She was referring to being stuck in the middle of a talent sandwich: the daughter of one composer and the mother of another. And not just any composers. Her father was Richard Rodgers, perhaps the greatest American melodist; her son, Adam Guettel, a worthy successor. What that leaves out is Mary herself, also a composer, whose musical Once Upon a Mattress remains one of the rare revivable Broadway hits written by a woman. Shy is the story of how it all happened.
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What a fun book!
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Brimming with insights from a veritable Who's Who of Broadway Babies and complemented by more than two hundred color and black-and-white images, Sondheim: His Life, His Shows, His Legacy offers a witty, multidimensional look at the musical genius behind Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, and the landmark West Side Story and Gypsy.
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Sondheim: A genius never to be forgotten
- By PJ on 11-03-23
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Finale
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- Narrated by: Christopher Grove, Keith Sellon-Wright
- Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins
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In 2017, New Yorker staff writer D.T. Max began working on a major profile of Stephen Sondheim that would be timed to the eventual premiere of a new musical Sondheim was writing. Sadly , that process – and the years of conversation – was cut short by Sondheim’s own hesitations, then the global pandemic, and finally by the great artist’s death in November 2021.
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Untitled
- By Michael on 01-11-23
By: D.T. Max
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For almost a century, Americans have been losing their hearts and losing their minds in an insatiable love affair with the American musical. It often begins in actors and reaches its passionate zenith when it comes time for love, marriage, and children, who will start the cycle all over again. Americans love musicals. Americans invented musicals. Americans perfected musicals. But what, exactly, is a musical?
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Great review lacked music
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It’s absolutely everything
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Oscar Hammerstein II and the Invention of the Musical
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You know his work—Show Boat, Oklahoma!, Carousel, The King and I. But you don't really know Oscar Hammerstein II, the man who, more than anyone else, invented the American musical. Among the most commercially successful artists of his time, he was a fighter for social justice who constantly prodded his audiences to be better than they were.
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A good Oscar Hammerstein biography
- By Karen Creeden on 02-14-24
By: Laurie Winer
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Razzle Dazzle
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Razzle Dazzle is a provocative, no-holds-barred narrative account of the people, money, and power that reinvented an iconic quarter of New York City, turning its gritty back alleys and sex shops into the glitzy, dazzling Great White Way - and bringing a crippled New York from the brink of bankruptcy to its glittering glory.
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Too long and boring in spite of a vibrant subject
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Tradition!
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Since it first opened on Broadway in September 1964, Fiddler on the Roof has constantly been onstage somewhere, including five Broadway revivals, four productions on London's West End, and thousands of schools, army bases, and countries from Argentina to Japan. Barbara Isenberg interviewed the men and women behind the original production, the film, and significant revivals.
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Adored.
- By David Schildkret on 02-26-24
By: Barbara Isenberg
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Lord Knows, At Least I Was There
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When the Atlanta-born Paul Ford first fell in love with the American musical theater at the age of five, he never imagined that his future skills as a "piano thumper" would lead him to a career on Broadway playing rehearsals or in the "pit" for classic Stephen Sondheim musicals and numerous concerts, birthday tributes, and television spectaculars. Now retired, the candid (and admittedly opinionated) author looks back on the performances and personalities that defined the American musical theater in the waning years of the 20th century.
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Mostly Sondheim
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Sondheim in Our Time and His
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Sondheim in Our Time and His offers a wide-ranging historical investigation of the landmark works and extraordinary career of Stephen Sondheim, a career which has spanned much of the history of American musical theater. Each author uncovers those aspects of biography, collaborative process, and contemporary context that impacted the creation and reception of Sondheim's musicals. In addition, several authors explore in detail how Sondheim's shows have been dramatically revised and adapted over time, bringing together his past with the present, thriving existence of his musicals.
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Compulsory reading for any Sondheim-lover
- By Bklvr on 07-06-23
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Song of Spider-Man
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The true story of a theatrical dream—or nightmare—come true…the making of the Spider-Man musical.
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A "Disaster Artist" for theater nerds
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Uncle of the Year
- & Other Debatable Triumphs
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In deeply personal essays drawn from his life, as well as his career on Broadway and in Hollywood, Rannells argues that we all pretend we are constantly succeeding—for friends, partners, parents, and others—that we are constantly succeeding in the process known as “adulting.” But if this acting is leaving us unfulfilled, then we need new markers of time, new milestones, new expectations of what adulthood is and can be.
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Funny and a great listen!
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Broadway Nights
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Stephen Sheerin was born to play on Broadway - or at least, under it. He's a musician, a conductor, and his dream is to music-direct a big Broadway musical. After years of toiling in the pit of some of the best-loved (and loathed) hits on the Great White Way, he's just been given his big break. Can life really be going that well? Of course not.
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A *must-have* for any fan of Broadway or humor!
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The Method
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On stage and screen, we know a great performance when we see it. But how do actors draw from their bodies and minds to turn their selves into art? What is the craft of being an authentic fake? More than a century ago, amid tsarist Russia’s crushing repression, one of the most talented actors ever, Konstantin Stanislavski, asked these very questions, reached deep into himself and emerged with an answer.
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Where is the Thesis?
- By Frances L. on 07-27-22
By: Isaac Butler
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The Movie Musical!
- By: Jeanine Basinger
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- Length: 24 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Irresistible and authoritative, The Movie Musical! is an in-depth look at the singing, dancing, happy-making world of Hollywood musicals - an essential audiobook for anyone who's ever laughed, cried, or sung along at the movies. Leading film historian Jeanine Basinger reveals, with her trademark wit and zest, the whole story of the Hollywood musical - in the most telling, most incisive, most detailed audiobook of her long and remarkable career.
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So You Think You Know Movie Musicals
- By Orson Scott Card on 02-19-20
By: Jeanine Basinger
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Home Work
- A Memoir of My Hollywood Years
- By: Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton
- Narrated by: Julie Andrews
- Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In this follow-up to her critically acclaimed memoir, Home, Julie Andrews shares reflections on her astonishing career, including such classics as Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and Victor/Victoria.
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Love Julie, Didn't Love the Memoir
- By Kat on 11-06-19
By: Julie Andrews, and others
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Love, Lucy
- By: Lucille Ball
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- Unabridged
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Story
Love, Lucy is the valentine Lucille Ball left for her fans—a warm, wise, and witty memoir written by Lucy herself. The legendary star of the classic sitcom I Love Lucy was at the pinnacle of her success when she sat down to record the story of her life. No comedienne had made America laugh so hard, no television actress had made the leap from radio and B movies to become one of the world’s best-loved performers. This is her story—in her own words.
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What a great book
- By SCOTT on 07-11-18
By: Lucille Ball
What listeners say about Something Wonderful
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- BigWally
- 06-27-18
Fabulous book about Rodgers & Hammerstein!!!
If you, like I, grew up in the 1950s loving the musicals of Rodgers & Hammerstein this book is for you! It is an excellent account of the lives of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, II and their subsequent careers together which tragically ended in 1960 with the death of Oscar Hammerstein, II. I was so inspired by this lovely book that I have started watching all those, dare I say wonderful, Broadway musicals now on film. Among these musicals are OKLAHOMA!, CAROUSEL, THE KING & I, SOUTH PACIFIC, and of course THE SOUND OF MUSIC. I agree with the author that the film version of CAROUSEL is the weakest adaptation. There is very little "chemistry between Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan. The Blu-ray versions are excellent.
I have a general rule that an author should NEVER read his or her book. In this case the author, Todd S. Purdum does an outstanding job of reading his book for Audible.
I highly recommend this book. It brought back so many wonderful memories of those Broadway musicals!!!
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9 people found this helpful
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- Mark Stanton
- 05-15-18
magnificemt!
Indispensible for lovers of R&H
author's narration is spot on. This is a must read.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Brian T.
- 04-14-18
Rediscovery of an innovative team of artists
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Highly recommend. This book is a terrific description of R&H’s journey individually and as a team.
What did you like best about this story?
I think some modern audiences may approach R&H’s work with a dismissive attitude. This book provides plenty of evidence of their continued importance and relevance. There’s no Hamilton without Oklahoma.
What about Todd S. Purdum’s performance did you like?
He’s clearly passionate about his subject matter, and his voice, pace, and cadence are pleasant.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Kate F.
- 07-29-18
Something Wonderful
I was probably predisposed to liking this book as I was raised on Rodgers & Hammerstein. My father gleefully belted out “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” nearly every Sunday to get me and my sisters up and moving. But this book is really a history of musical theater, and it’s very well written. The historical context Purdum provides gave me ideas for my history classroom, and this year I used themes from R&H when I taught students about Japanese internment, prejudice, and the Red Scare.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 05-14-18
very interesting
Enjoyed it immensely. I knew the music but the background to the creation and development of the musicals that have become so well known was enlightening.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 07-25-18
Not enough credit
Loved this story of Broadway’s greatest team. They don’t get the credit they deserve today with the likes of Sondheim and Miranda flooding the bill. Their music is the music of our lives
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- Alan L. Rubin MD
- 11-14-18
The Sweetest Songs
I listened to this book and when I finished it, the first thing I did was listen to it again. The story of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein is so well told and so filled with memorable stories that I just had to play it again. The pair wrote over 900 songs and 43 Broadway musicals, some of the greatest ever written for their time and today. The author is the reader and although he does not sing any of their songs, he speaks the poetry of Oscar Hammerstein. If you love Broadway, you'll love this book.
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- Susana
- 01-04-23
Delightful and full of insights
I’ve always loved Roger’s and Hammerstein. Listening to this wonderful book made me go and rewatch the movies that sprang from the original productions. Thank you Dick and Ockie. And thank you Mr. Purdum for bringing them to life for readers everywhere.
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- Donna Deal
- 07-16-21
Glorious account of the Magic of musicals
This is a classic about the gifts of Rodgers and Hammerstein to the American theater,
and to the American culture. This is a lovely listen, the narrator just perfection, the
account of the lives of these two masters spellbinding. This is one listen to keep and
to hear many times. The only thing that could have made it better would be the addition
of some of the songs that were mentioned... but I doubt the copyright laws would allow that.
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- Sally
- 07-23-18
Disappointed in this book.
This book didn’t set my expectations after my enjoyment of the recent book about Harry Truman.
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