One Enchanted Evening

Holiday time is a bit merrier this year thanks to the Museum of Television & Radio. Throughout December, the museum is screening the landmark--and little-seen--1957 television version of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s musical “Cinderella,” starring a then 22-year-old Julie Andrews.

The musical also featured Edie Adams, Howard Lindsay, Dorothy Stickney, Jon Cypher, Alice Ghostley and Kaye Ballard performing such standards as “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful” and “Ten Minutes Ago.”

Although CBS’ 1965 version starring Lesley Ann Warren is best known to baby boomers and the lavish 1997 “Wonderful World of Disney” adaptation starring Brandy captured the imagination of today’s youth, the original overflows with charm, humor and romance.

The live production was telecast in color, but the later transmission to the West Coast was on black-and-white videotape because color videotape was not yet available. The only two surviving kinescopes are also black-and-white.

“We are thrilled with the success of the Brandy version and are very sentimental about the Lesley Ann Warren version, but we want people to know about the Julie Andrews version,” says Bert Fink, vice president of public relations for the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization.

“It surprises people,” Fink says. “It’s wonderful. It was done with great Broadway talent. The cast was just wonderful. Howard Lindsay [later] co-wrote the book to ‘The Sound of Music.’ What people were seeing in March of ’57 was in a sense the opening night of a Broadway musical. Rodgers himself in his autobiography estimated that more people saw ‘Cinderella’ that one night than had seen every performance of every Rodgers and Hammerstein musical to date.”

When “Cinderella” aired live on CBS on March 31, 1957, the estimated audience was more than 107 million viewers, which was approximately 60% of the country.

“It was quite remarkable when we did it,” recalls Ghostley, who, along with Ballard, played Cinderella’s spoiled stepsister. “It was a wonderful gig as they say. It was like an opening night on Broadway when we did it. Whatever we did that night was it. There wasn’t a second night.”

“Cinderella” was CBS’ answer to NBC’s acclaimed 1955 live presentation of the Broadway musical “Peter Pan,” with Mary Martin.

“Some executives at CBS had the notion of doing a children’s musical or a family musical for their network,” Fink says. “Instead of just transferring a Broadway project to TV, they said, ‘Let’s commission an original musical.’ ”

The hottest Broadway composers in the ‘50s were Rodgers and Hammerstein. Since 1943, the duo were responsible for such legendary hits as “Oklahoma!,” “Carousel,” “South Pacific” and “The King and I.”

“Rodgers and Hammerstein in their day, I can’t even say they were Andrew Lloyd Webber--they were bigger,” Fink relates. “They were hotter. Their shows were major, major events and to do a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical on this new free medium was a phenomenon that galvanized the country.”

At the same time, Andrews was the toast of Broadway as Eliza Dolittle in “My Fair Lady.” Andrews was able to do “Cinderella” during a vacation break from the Lerner-Loewe musical.

Part of “Cinderella” was written while Hammerstein was visiting his wife’s family in Australia, Fink says. “He and Rodgers actually wrote one of the most famous songs by correspondence: ‘Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful,’ ” Fink offers.

To further heighten awareness of the impending broadcast, the cast album was released prior to March 31. The Sunday before the show, Rodgers and Hammerstein appeared on “Ed Sullivan” to promote their latest collaboration.

“For Rodgers and Hammerstein, it was a whole new medium,” Fink says. “Here they were being asked to write, in a sense, a six-act, 90-minute musical.”

Fink describes the special effects in the musical as “delightful” by today’s standards. “In fact, Julie Andrews’ transformation into the ball gown was choreographed off camera to such a degree that the camera begins on her shoes and travels up the length of her body. The camera actually traveled slowly because while the camera was going up, the hairdresser was doing her hair.”

The reviews for the show, Fink says, “were stunning.” It was such a success, he adds, there was talk of a rebroadcast. It was also suggested that the entire cast should reunite six months later for another live telecast. Neither plan came to fruition.

“You had one chance to see it and then it vanished,” Fink says. “But the cast album kept it alive. It was clearly so popular that it took on a life of its own.”

BE THERE

“Cinderella” screens Wednesdays through Sundays at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. through Dec. 31; the Museum of Television & Radio is located at 465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills; $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and students and $3 for children under 13. (310) 786-1025.