Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand

by William J. Mann

“Friends of the sensationally”: Dorothy Kilgallen’s syndicated column, as in the Daytona Beach Morning Journal, August 29, 1962.

  [>] “Barbra Streisand is the front-runner”: Dorothy Kilgallen’s syndicated column, as in the Lowell Sun, August 31, 1962.

  [>] Harold Clurman, in a long piece: NYT, September 23, 1962.

  11. Fall 1962

  [>] “very dependent on each other”: Playboy, November 1970.

  “so right for each other”: Esquire, September 22, 2009.

  [>] “old things and bizarre things”: Life, December 12, 1969.

  [>] “listen to the radio”: NYT, March 4, 1973.

  “the first annual Alexander”: Life, May 22, 1964.

  “didn’t want Elliott”: Playboy, October 1977.

  “Animalism ... a certain animal quality”: Kaufman Schwartz and Associates transcript of interview, August 15, 1963, Sidney Skolsky Collection, AMPAS.

  [>] begun talking salary: Earl Wilson reported that Streisand hadn’t yet signed for the part because she was still “discussing salary.” (Earl Wilson’s syndicated column, as in the Reno Evening Gazette, September 17, 1962.) Not surprisingly, Dorothy Kilgallen put it in more negative terms: Streisand was “still dickering over salary.” (Dorothy Kilgallen’s syndicated column, as in the Salt Lake Tribune, September 18, 1962.)

  [>] in her own word, “hell”: Life, May 22, 1964.

  “some special business”: Louella Parsons’s syndicated column, as in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, October 4, 1962.

  Barbra and Fran: A syndicated Hollywood column with no byline published in the Hartford Courant, September 30, 1962, stated: “While Barbra Streisand ... was taping a Dinah Shore show, Fanny Brice’s daughter, Fran (Mrs. Ray) Stark, showed up to ogle her for the title role in the coming musical based on Fanny’s life.”

  [>] Peter and Wendy grew up: Interview, September 1985.

  “the outstanding Hollywood party”: NYT, September 29, 1960.

  a treasure chest of gems: In June 1953, the Starks, staying at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel in New York on their way to Paris, had their room broken into; $40,000 worth of jewelry was taken. The thief overlooked other jewelry worth $13,700 sitting atop a dresser in the bedroom. The jewels were only “partly insured.” Stolen was a platinum-and-gold ring with two eight-carat diamonds as well as a platinum bracelet holding a six-carat diamond and three emeralds, each valued at $20,000. Left behind on the dresser were two pearl rings, a pearl necklace, platinum earrings, and a diamond-and-platinum wedding band. Associated Press newswire, as in the Lima (Ohio) News, June 28, 1953.

  [>] “a group of vocal performers”: Hartford Courant, May 12, 1963.

  [>] Barbra seemed “anxious”: syndicated Scripps-Howard article, as in the Albuquerque Tribune, May 13, 1963.

  [>] Barbra Streisand would never play: A quote from Fran Stark, “That woman will never play my mother” or some variant thereof, has shown up in virtually every account of Streisand’s life. John Patrick told Anne Edwards for Streisand: A Biography that Fran Stark spoke the line directly to him. Given that the quote has usually been accompanied by the erroneous assertion that Ray Stark, as well as his wife, opposed Streisand’s casting, I was tempted to doubt its authenticity. However, Jule Styne, who was very much on the scene during the period in question, was quoted in several accounts confirming Fran’s opposition; Kaye Ballard, who by this time was in the running for the part, and Suzanne Merrill also remembered it. In Spada’s Streisand: Her Life, however, Styne was quoted as saying it was Ray Stark who said Streisand would never play his mother-in-law, which the Robbins papers clearly disprove.

  [>] “a lot of loot”: Dorothy Kilgallen’s syndicated column, as in the Lowell Sun, September 29, 1962.

  “creative control, no coupling”: Considine, Barbra Streisand: The Woman, the Myth, the Music.

  Marty had secured a clause: Billboard, August 3, 1963.

  “After months of negotiations”: Dorothy Kilgallen’s syndicated column, as in the Dunkirk (New York) Evening Observer, October 8, 1962.

  [>] “It doesn’t feel like”: Backstage with Lee Jordan, WXYZ radio, September 1962, included on the Just for the Record DVD.

  [>] Merrick would “bristle”: Kissel, David Merrick: The Abominable Showman.

  [>] “Yeah, let’s go”: Considine, Barbra Streisand: The Woman, the Myth, the Music.

  [>] “David Merrick may hold”: LAT, September 29, 1962.

  “completely out of”: Louella Parsons’s syndicated column, as in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, October 4, 1962.

  “Although Jerry has been”: Floria Lasky to Albert da Silva, September 20, 1962, JRC, NYPL.

  “ghastly sessions”: Isobel Lennart to Jerome Robbins, [nd, September 1962], JRC, NYPL.

  “not ready yet”: Jerome Robbins to Ray Stark, [nd, September 1962], JRC, NYPL.

  “I think there can be”: Ray Stark to Albert da Silva, August 31, 1962, JRC, NYPL.

  [>] “As for delivering”: Jerome Robbins to Ray Stark, [nd, September 1962], JRC, NYPL.

  “not want any”: Floria Lasky to Albert da Silva, September 20, 1962, JRC, NYPL.

  “Barbra Streisand, who’s been practically”: Earl Wilson’s syndicated column, as in the Wisconsin State Journal, October 5, 1962.

  [>] Peter found he could work: For background and insight into Peter Daniels, I am grateful to Lainie Kazan.

  [>] press reports were stating that Kaye Ballard: NYT, October 10, 1962.

  [>] “was doing everything”: Riese, Her Name Is Barbra.

  [>] “like putting on”: NYT, May 21, 2009.

  [>] Wholesale was $140,000: Kissel, David Merrick: The Abominable Showman.

  “I’m free! I’m free!”: Spada, Streisand: Her Life.

  12. Winter 1963

  [>] “Now let’s hear it from”: Liner notes from Streisand’s Just for the Record CD album, 1991.

  “She’s breaking me up”: Just for the Record DVD. Streisand appeared on the Sullivan show on December 16. She had been advertised in some TV listings to appear on December 9, but perhaps that date was changed since Wholesale had just ended the day before, and it was decided not to let that cloud Streisand’s appearance.

  [>] There were reports: John Patrick told Anne Edwards for Streisand: A Biography that after the Bon Soir, Fran Stark had said that Barbra would never play Fanny Brice. But a reliable source told me that she “softened” on Barbra after the Bon Soir and from then on kept her views very private so as not to interfere with her husband’s work.

  [>] “terrible anxieties”: Playboy, November 1970.

  director Joe Layton’s offer of a part: Earl Wilson’s syndicated column, as in the Idaho Falls Post Reporter, December 3, 1962.

  [>] forfeiting $100,000 worth: Earl Wilson’s syndicated column, as in the Delaware County Times, January 14, 1963.

  “pretty heavy shouting”: Riese, Her Name Is Barbra.

  In just twelve hours: NYT, January 25, 1963.

  [>] “vital and imaginative”: Graham Payn and Sheridan Morley, eds., The Noël Coward Diaries (Boston: Da Capo Press, 2000).

  “dehydrated”: Cole Lesley, The Life of Noël Coward (New York: Penguin, 1988).

  [>] “a big compliment,” “very harsh at times”: Considine, Barbra Streisand: The Woman, the Myth, the Music.

  [>] “walking a tightrope”: Spada, Streisand: Her Life.

  [>] had their columns clipped: Interview with Don Softness.

  “hottest young comedienne”: Earl Wilson’s syndicated column, as in the Delaware County Times, January 14, 1963.

  “glad, sad or mad”: NYT, July 1, 1965.

  “She packs more personal”: Robert Ruark’s syndicated column, as in the El Paso Herald-Post, January 18, 1963.

  [>] “A bump on a girl’s”: Earl Wilson’s syndicated column, as in the Delaware County Times, January 14, 1963.

  “There is a full-blown”: Mel Heimer’s syndicated column, as in the Masillon (Ohio) Evening Independent, December 29, 1962.

  [>] �
�I think Barbara Streisand is”: Bridgeport Post, January 25, 1963.

  Barbra was set to fly out: Hollywood Reporter, February 1, 1963.

  [>] “in a Broadway theater at last”: Dennen, My Life with Barbra. My account is also supplemented by a personal interview with Dennen.

  [>] “should draw an enormous amount”: Billboard, March 23, 1963.

  “getting the kind of reception”: Billboard, March 2, 1963.

  “Miss Marmel Steisand”: Boston Globe, February 1, 1963.

  had retreated to the back: See the series of photographs at www.barbra-archives.com.

  reached only Midwest audiences: As an advertisement in the NYT on July 31, 1963, makes clear, Group W was planning to bring The Mike Douglas Show into the New York and other markets soon, but had not yet done so. “A big success in Cleveland,” the advertisement calls the show.

  [>] “To the singer from”: Kaufman Schwartz and Associates transcript of interview, August 15, 1963, Sidney Skolsky Collection, AMPAS.

  [>] “talked out of going”: Earl Wilson’s syndicated column, as in the Manitowoc (Wisconsin) Herald Times, February 28, 1963.

  “something technical on”: Playboy, November 1970.

  [>] “She was easily the kookiest”: San Francisco Chronicle, March 24, 1963.

  [>] “Barbra Streisand is unquestionably”: San Francisco Chronicle, April 1, 1963.

  “a vocal plumber”: San Francisco Chronicle, March 5, 1995.

  “Well, my dear”: San Francisco Chronicle, January 31, 2001. The quote comes from Country Joe McDonald, who was also the one to liken Davis to Auntie Mame.

  [>] “Singers are not known”: People, July 6, 1981.

  “obstructing the performance”: San Francisco Chronicle, March 5, 1995.

  “Funny singer Barbra Streisand”: Galveston (Texas) Daily News, March 28, 1963.

  [>] “consciousness of an unconscious”: People, July 6, 1981.

  [>] comedian Woody Allen: Allen closed at the hungry i on March 30, so he and Streisand overlapped by four days. San Francisco Chronicle, March 30, 1963.

  “the most influential nightclub”: NYT, May 13, 1961.

  “being catapulted into”: Oakland Tribune, April 13, 1964.

  [>] “modestly disclaimed having”: NYT, May 13, 1961.

  [>] “a tawny, feline, long-haired”: San Francisco Chronicle, April 1, 1963.

  a young engineer named Reese Hamel: See All About Barbra fanzine, number 37, as well as www.barbra-archives.com. The recording of that night is available online.

  13. Spring 1963

  [>] “a potentially great new stylist”: Syracuse Post Standard, April 14, 1963.

  “shows herself to be one”: Altoona (Pennsylvania) Mirror, April 8, 1963.

  “the silk in ‘Happy Days’”: Walter Winchell’s syndicated column, as in the San Antonio Light, April 13, 1963.

  [>] “almost definite”: NYT, April 26, 1963.

  Investors had lost: NYT, May 4, 1963.

  [>] “been signed for the role”: Oakland Tribune, March 23, 1963. The San Francisco Chronicle also reported she’d been signed on March 26. Both publications, however, referred to the Brice project as a film.

  “They’ve been having a tough”: Mike Connolly’s syndicated column, as in the Pasadena Independent, April 18, 1963.

  “That funny Barbra Streisand”: Mike Connolly’s syndicated column, as in the Pasadena Star News, May 7, 1963.

  “an ordinary beauty shop”: Cosmopolitan, May 1965.

  [>] “the most sought-after”: Payn and Morley, eds., The Noël Coward Diaries.

  [>] The Barbra Streisand Album had reached: Billboard, May 18, 1963. Mary Travers, of Peter, Paul, and Mary, was higher than Streisand on the chart, but only as part of her group.

  “much too busy”: This anecdote is recounted in Ballard’s memoir, How I Lost 10 Pounds in 53 Years, and was also told in more detail in a personal interview.

  [>] Originally called La Vie en Rose: NYT, October 25, 1967.

  “the town’s top agents”: Billboard, May 25, 1963.

  Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn: Grant’s telegram was reported in Earl Wilson’s syndicated column, as in the Uniontown (Maryland) Morning Herald, May 16, 1963. For Hepburn, see Riese, Her Name Is Barbra.

  “shouting their enthusiasm”: Louis Sobol’s syndicated column, as in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, May 19, 1963.

  for his upcoming show: Earl Wilson’s syndicated column, as in the Lowell (Massachusetts) Sun, May 17, 1963, and Dorothy Kilgallen’s syndicated column, as also in the Lowell Sun, May 19, 1963.

  “A potent belter”: Variety, May 22, 1963.

  [>] “with the talent and ability”: Billboard, May 25, 1963.

  “Kenneth coif”: Variety, May 22, 1963.

  “a different kind of mama”: syndicated UPI article, as in the Columbus (Nebraska) Daily Telegram, May 13, 1963.

  “attempt one of the great”: syndicated Scripps-Howard article, as in the Albuquerque Tribune, May 13, 1963.

  [>] “playfully mocked”: Sir! magazine, October 1963.

  “juxtaposition of the music”: Variety, May 22, 1963.

  “turning himself into a period piece”: Billboard, May 25, 1963.

  [>] “an Armenian folk song”: Saturday Evening Post, July 27, 1963.

  “The last act of Tosca”: syndicated Scripps-Howard article, as in the Albuquerque Tribune, May 13, 1963.

  “a Flatbush gamine”: Alan Gill’s syndicated column, as in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, May 16, 1963.

  “crawling under a table”: syndicated UPI article, as in the Columbus (Nebraska) Daily Telegram, May 13, 1963.

  [>] hosted by Keefe Brasselle: According to the Hartford Courant, May 28, 1963, Brasselle had four summer shows taped and “in the can”; according to Alan Gill’s column, as in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, May 30, 1963, one of those shows was the one with Streisand.

  “live in-between”: Unedited transcript of a Kaufman Schwartz and Associates public-relations interview with Streisand, August 15, 1963, submitted to Sidney Skolsky, Skolsky Collection, AMPAS. An extraordinary unexpurgated account straight from Streisand’s lips. Hereafter, Kaufman Schwartz interview.

  [>] “down in her own purse”: Merriman Smith, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, wrote about the gala in a UPI report, as in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, May 26, 1963.

  comedian Jack E. Leonard: Earl Wilson’s column, as in the Idaho Falls Post Register, May 24, 1963.

  an electric bread slicer: My account of the dinner and gala comes from the NYT, May 25, 1963, and various wire reports.

  [>] “Just as long as you’ve been”: This iconic meeting of Kennedy and Streisand has taken on much mythology over the years. Peter Daniels, who was there, gave his eyewitness account to Shaun Considine for Barbra Streisand: The Woman, the Myth, the Music, so I have based much of my account on his. However, Daniels told Considine that Kennedy used his back to sign Streisand’s program. But a photograph of the moment shows the president signing it in his hand as Daniels and Streisand look on. Merv Griffin, in his memoir, Merv: An Autobiography, wrote that he asked Streisand the next day why she’d broken protocol, but he did not seem angry that she had done so, despite what subsequent accounts have implied. In addition, Griffin said that when he asked Streisand what Kennedy had written, she replied, “Fuck you. The president.” This was clearly a joke, a good example of Streisand’s sense of humor. Kennedy wrote no such thing. But several accounts have presented the story as if it were true.

  “Smart girl”: Merv Griffin with Peter Barsocchini, Merv: An Autobiography (New York: Pocket Books, 1981).

  [>] “He knows you well”: Walter Winchell’s syndicated column, as in the Lebanon (Pennsylvania) Daily News, June 24, 1963.

  “three-week showing”: Chicago’s American, June 13, 1963.

  “somebody’s living room”: Chicago Sun-Times, August 21, 2005.

  [>] “A cross between a sweet-voiced”: Chicago Daily News, June 15, 1963.

 
; “That’s almost enough”: Chicago Tribune, June 16, 1963.

  “alive and thrilling”: Chicago’s American, June 13, 1963.

  “A fantastic first!”: Billboard, June 29, 1963.

  [>] “do this [and] do that”: Considine, Barbra Streisand: The Woman, the Myth, the Music.

  “If I have ideas about sets”: Playboy, October 1977.

  [>] “We don’t want to upset”: Spada, Streisand: Her Life.

  “a national reputation”: Pageant, November 1963.

  “demanded” a copy: Earl Wilson’s syndicated column, as in the Galveston Daily News, May 31, 1963.

  [>] “with the Bostonese”: Earl Wilson’s syndicated column, as in the Idaho Falls Post-Reporter, June 3, 1963.

  the security guard at the Studio 50: Saturday Evening Post, July 27, 1963.

  “which may star Barbra”: Billboard, June 1, 1963.

  to an “ovation”: NYT, May 31, 1963.

  [>] “practically at the contract-signing”: Earl Wilson’s syndicated column, as in the Idaho Falls Post-Reporter, June 13, 1963.

  Barbra had already been: Mike Connolly’s syndicated column, as in the Pasadena Independent, June 6, 1963.

  14. Summer 1963

  [>] Liberace wanted his fans: My account of Liberace introducing Streisand, and their time together in Vegas, comes from Bob Thomas, Liberace: The True Story (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1989), as well as memories of several Streisand friends. Many of the stories of Streisand being hostilely received at the Riviera in previous accounts seem exaggerated since, with the exception of one snide Hollywood Reporter review, contemporary coverage of her time in Vegas was glowing. Still, friends recalled that Liberace did help prepare his audience for Streisand. My account attempts to reconstruct that experience as accurately as possible.

  [>] two nights were “disastrous”: Considine, Barbra Streisand: The Woman, the Myth, the Music.

  thirty thousand souvenir postcards: Oakland Tribune, July 26, 1963.

  “By far the hottest singer”: Oakland Tribune, July 26, 1963.