Barbra Streisand - The Television Specials [DVD]

Love Barbra. I remember most of these specials from their original screenings. I was 11 when I first fell in love with Barbra, watching "My Name is Barbra" on my black-and-white TV in my bedroom. When she sang "Happy Days are Here Again", man, I thought she was singing to me. And of course the incredible "People". My memories of "My Name is Barbra" and "Color Me Barbra" are pretty vivid so naturally I like those, if not just from nostalgia. But "A Happening in Central Park" is just an absolutely wonderful concert film of Barbra, nostalgia or not. It could have been filmed yesterday, save for a 24 year-old Babs, and perhaps hi-def (and the chiron), but it's still a beautiful video. I like the other two videos, and they complete the collection, though I find myself rewatching the first three - particularly "Happening". Barbra introduces some of the videos with interesting bits recorded in 1987. Sigh, how time flies. The photo is of Barbra personifying the Eakins painting "The Concert Singer" during "Color Me Barbra."

For Streisand fans this is a real treat. These specials have been unavailable for way too long, so to have them all in one box set is wonderful. For me, the pick of them is 'My Name is Barbra', where she really swings, and we see the original raw talent. She's fresh and funny in 'A Happening in Central Park' and free of affectation. And she looks stunning. 'The Belle of 14th Street' is the only turkey, so let's pretend it never happened.The transfers are terrific, and for this huge fan, who was living at the bottom of the world when these were first screened, and never got to see them until recently - it's like the best gift ever. She was wonderful back then. This you have to own.

They just don't make them like they use to.Well, this set proves them right. The disks from Barbra's earliest television specials show what a truly unique, limitless, talent she is.MY NAME IS BARBRA was the first opportunity that America got to see the legend. She appeared on local shows as a guest and was wowing them on Broadway in Funny Girl (she talks about that during the show). This was the first time when all and sundry could study the phenomenon up close.CBS was nervous when Streisand insisted on no guest stars (a staple up to that time) or chorus lines. It was a big risk and the odds were against the 24 year old from Brooklyn. And she scored and won over everyone!With only fantastic songs to guide her, Barbra re-invented the special. Breaking it up into a three act play she sang about the wonders of being a child. Then it was off to Bergdorf's fur vault for the fabulous fashion medley and then she capped it all off with a concert.Next year, she came out with the bookend companion piece, COLOR ME BARBRA. Act One took place in a Philadelphia art museum where Barbra Streisand's selections were inspired by the art itself. The next part was the circus act where she did everything from singing to an ant eater to waltzing with an elephant. Again, she capped it off with a no-holds-barred concert.THE BELLE OF FOURTEENTH STREET was regarded as her first flop by the critics but do give it a try. She recreated the vaudeville routines and sang some very nice numbers (a duet with herself; talking about Irving Berlin who was the new kid on the block during that time period). This time she had back-up performers (including Jason Robards) and her voice was lovely but broadcast at the height of the love revolution and the age of Aquarius, it was considered "dated". It is hardly a flop by anyone's standards when viewed today.A HAPPENING IN CENTRAL PARK is the edited version of a young Barbra performing in New York City during a warm, summer night. Again, it was just Barbra and wonderful music - no back up singers, no gimmicks. And she pulled it off working the crowd into a frenzy.BARBRA STREISAND AND OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS is a curio. She will try anything and her experimenting is always unique if not totally on point. Singing classics altered to the native rhythms of various countries produced a strange effect. Singing along with electrical appliance is also odd (to put it politely) but no one can say Barbra isn't game. However, her duet with Ray Charles is a classic.All in all this collection is a must for all Barbra and/or music lovers.

In her youth, the woman had a thing for flowing evening gowns, elevated walkways, and thematic song medleys, but she always knew what worked for her. And she still does. What a treat to be able to see Barbra Streisand's first five network-TV specials, in this deluxe DVD package. Not only are the programs in pristine condition aurally and visually, but they provide a compelling, often sparkling record of her stage prowess when her legacy was starting its breathless ascendancy. Well before her expansive filmmaking efforts and even more encompassing political activism, Streisand was simply one of the best song stylists around. While you can see evidence of this in her more recent millennium concerts, these five specials showcase her talent when she was still proving her worth. What is refreshing about these performances four decades later is how she displays the polish and energy level that justify the mythic status she has among her fans.Signed to a long-term contract with CBS to produce hour-long variety shows, an almost extinct format nowadays, Streisand was all of 22 in her first special, 1965's "My Name Is Barbra". At that point of her career, her notoriety was limited to a handful of best-selling albums and her successful Broadway run in "Funny Girl". Filmed in crisp black-and-white, the program is divided into three distinct parts. The first segment cleverly shows her growing up from childhood through numbers as diverse as "Make Believe" and "I'm Five". The second part takes place at the chic Bergdorf Goodman's store where she is elegantly costumed and singing "I've Got Plenty of Nuthin'" and "The Best Things in Life Are Free" with comic irony. The third is a straight-ahead concert which includes a "Funny Girl" medley and ends with her classic, melancholic take on "Happy Days Are Here Again".In then-revolutionary color, 1966's "Color Me Barbra" follows a similar format to its predecessor - three segments with unique concepts. The first takes place at the Philadelphia Museum of Art where she roams the galleries and becomes part of the artwork through song; the second in the studio where she interacts with animals, including her beloved poodle Sadie, in a circus-like setting; and the third again a concert when she sings some chestnuts, "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home", "Where Am I Going?" and "Starting Here, Starting Now" among them. The juxtaposition of locale and song is even more effective than in her first special, and she again spotlights her talent for comic monologues full of silly non-sequiturs. My favorite moment in the special is when she transforms into a dead ringer of Queen Nefertiti while singing a haunting rendition of "Where or When".An idiosyncratic departure from the first two specials, 1967's "The Belle of 14th Street" is a full-fledged tribute to turn-of the-last-century vaudeville of which Streisand is one of several performers on hand. Not seen since its original airdate, the program is not nearly as bad as its reputation claims. All the period detail, including the audience, has been recreated with surprising authenticity, and the overall tone is actually more nostalgic than satirical. This may be part of the problem viewers had with the special at the time since there is no context provided for why vaudeville would be relevant for a contemporary audience. Regardless, she performs some rare standards beautifully, such as "Alice Blue Gown", "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" and a lovely medley of "My Buddy" and "How About Me?". The downside is that the other participants, who include a game Jason Robards and a bevy of overweight women, prove rather distracting, and there is an overlong though enthusiastic 11-minute version of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" which seems more intrusive within the scheme of the show.A live-performing Streisand is showcased to often thrilling effect in 1968's "A Happening in Central Park" (actually filmed in June 1967 but held back until September of the following year to coincide with the release of the movie version of "Funny Girl"). There are no unique concepts, just straight-ahead singing and consequently, it represents essential Streisand. Performing outdoors before 150,000 people, the program is full of her classics including her obligatory anthem "People", unfamiliar gems such as "Love Is Like a Newborn Child" and "Natural Sounds", and sizzling interpretations of standards like "Down With Love". She even sings an oddly appropriate "Silent Night" in the middle of summer. I have to admit that some of the comedy is a bit forced, for instance, her irrelevant introduction to "Value" and the very dated "Marty the Martian".Streisand goes back to her three-act concept structure with 1973's extravagant "Barbra Streisand...and Other Musical Instruments", which revolves around the basic idea that music is a universal language. By this time, Streisand had catapulted herself into a movie career, and her music evolved into a broader terrain of pop beyond her standard repertoire of torch songs and show tunes. She surrounds herself with a 100-piece orchestra including a musical saw, exotic instruments from around the world (highlighted in the whirl of color and costumes on the extended "I Got Rhythm" medley), then-current data computers and tuxedoed men operating electric household appliances. The highlight is her segment with Ray Charles, where he effortlessly sings "Look What They Done to My Song, Ma", duets mighty prettily with Streisand on Buck Owens's "Cryin' Time Again" and then accompanies her and his Raylettes on her churning medley of "Sweet Inspiration" and "Where You Lead". Granted her choreography is a bit awkward and her bell-bottoms somewhat distracting in this number, but it still works. Her best performance comes a little later with Harold Arlen and Truman Capote's "I Never Has Seen Snow".Similar to her career anthology box set, 1991's "Just for the Record...", there is a deluxe, color booklet with photographs and synopses on each special. In many respects, television is the ideal medium for Streisand since she has forced the elephantine contours of her movie persona around some inappropriate vehicles. With these specials, she just proves that her greatest gifts are wrapping that amazing flexo-flyer of a voice around great songs and being her self-deprecating comic self. This is a stunning record of a legend in her prime.

Beautifully packaged set of five discs with all the material that those of us who love the early Streisand (ie everything before about 1970) have waited for years to see. Priceless material, you can see why the first shows swept the board at the Emmys: the first three specials are true works of art, full of visual wit and flair. They fizz with the excitement of America's discovery of a highly unusual new star, one who was to be, for a short time, the final exemplar of the Broadway/Tin Pan Alley/Vaudeville tradition; who provided a bridge between the old order and the horror of Rock 'n' Roll.Apart from the related LPs, many will have seen fuzzy bootlegs of My Name is Barbra and Color Me Barbra. The Central Park concert has been commercially available for some time on VHS. It is wonderful to have these shows available now in pristine DVD form.Of enormous interest here though, are two shows that we have only really known through production stills: The Belle of 14th Street and BS... And Other Musical Instruments (though this latter also had an album attached). Unlike another reviewer here, I LOVE The Belle of 14th Street. True, it is highly unusual and some will not like seeing BS sharing the soundstage with other performers. Personally, I found the first two parts of the show enthralling, with excellent support from the great Jason Robards and a beautiful number from John Bubbles (the orginal Sportin' Life in Porgy and Bess). BS proves herself a wonderful team player too in some brilliantly mounted numbers and skits. Others will not agree but to me, the final solo section is the weakest here.And Other Musical Instruments is also fascinating but... is it just me or is it a complete mess? There is a long production number in which she seems to be trapped in a nightmare where she is doomed to sing her old hits to wildly inappropriate accompaniments. She ends this bit by holding a note so long, you could leave the room and make a cup of tea before it finishes; when it does, she does a hammy act of staggering about breathlessly - but since it was mimed, what is the point? I felt that there was a hint of desperation in such a freakish, unmusical stunt. It seems to show how far she had come since the heady days of the mid-60s. The simplest numbers are the best here, with the Ray Charles duets (including one where she does not sing but just watches him enraptured) and I Never Has Seen Snow outstanding.An absolute joy to have these shows!

This is 5 star entertainment for those who saw these originally broadcasted on TV many decades now and finally are on DVD....they show the early progression from start to super star. so for anyone who has the origianl LPs and now would like to see the actual TV shows they were taken from, this is a must as this is also a must for any Streisand fan past and future.,

A luxury box-set with 5 amazing dvds and a booklet with a detailed description of each tv special. You can see masterpieces (My Name is Barbra, Happening in Central Park) and mistakes (The Belle of 14th Street), but all 5 shows tell the story of a young girl whose drive and talent brought her to be the first star to sign a contract for 5 tv specials (when she was only 22) with complete artistic control.

A real gift to all of us, fans of La Streisand, who were children at the time of these tv masterpieces and who can now enjoy such sophisticated shows.But pay attention: these dvd sold as region 2, but they ar region 1. They will not work on european players.

I love her, allways have and I remember when her shows were aired in Swedish TV, it was around christmas and what a gift it was!!