Broadway: The Golden Age: Exclusive Video From The Vault Featuring Angela Lansbury

When creating a documentary featuring the who's who of Broadway, one can't possibly include everything - that means tough decisions on what to keep and what must unfortunately get cut.  Rick McKay had over 300 hours of footage filled with fascinating theatrical stories told by the people that lived them. BroadwayWorld.com is pleased to celebrate Broadway: The Golden Age this week by presenting 6 exclusive featurettes that you won't see anywhere else - including on PBS and on the DVD.

Today's exclusive video from the vaults of Rick McKay features Angela Lansbury. Angela Lansbury garnered Tony Awards for her performances in Sweeney Todd, Mame, Dear World and Gypsy. She has also been seen on Broadway in Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle, Hotel Paradiso, A Taste of Honey, The King and I, a 1983 revival of Mame, and A Little Family Business. A long-time film star, her screen credits include National Velvet, The Harvey Girls, The Court Jester, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, The World of Henry Orient, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and The Pirates of Penzance; she received Oscar nods for her performances in Gaslight, The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Manchurian Candidate. Lansbury starred in the title role of Jerry Herman's telemusical "Mrs. Santa Claus," but is best known to TV audiences for her role as detective Jessica Fletcher on "Murder, She Wrote."

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Broadway: The Golden Age, which premiered at the Angelica Theatre in June of 2004, is the most comprehensive film ever made about America's most celebrated indigenous art form. Upon its theatrical release, the film earned rave reviews as well as much support and praise from both Broadway stars and fans alike. Now, the film comes to PBS airing throughout the country for its March pledge drive airing around thecountry throughout the month, and premiering in New York on March 13th. The DVD is also available in stores, and for order at Amazon.com and other sites.

The award-winning documentary was created by Rick McKay, who traveled across four continents over the couse of five years to discover "whether there had been a golden age of theatre and why it had never been documented, as well as to learn "the stories of our theatrical legends, how they came to New York, and how they created this legendary century in American theatre." He interviewed dozens of Broadway artists, icons and stars, includingCarol Channing, Betty Comden, Barbara Cook, Nanette Fabray, Julie Harris, Uta Hagen, Jerry Herman, Donna McKechnie, Ann Miller, Robert Morse, Jerry Orbach, Harold Prince, Chita Rivera, Steven Sondheim, Elaine Stritch, Leslie Uggams, and Gwen Verdon, whose memories brought to life Broadway's glamorous and glorious heydey. A starry sequel--Broadway: Beyond The Golden Age--is currently filming and is set for a 2007 release date.