''Break Up'' is a musical comedy special which aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

in 1973. Directed by

Jerry Paris William Gerald Paris (July 25, 1925 – March 31, 1986) was an American actor and director best known for playing Jerry Helper, the dentist and next-door neighbor of Rob and Laura Petrie, on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', and for directing the majo ...

and produced by Charles W. Fries and

Alan Sacks Alan Sachs is an executive producer, most well known as producer and co-creator of the TV series '' Welcome Back Kotter''. He formerly managed the band Unlocking the truth. Disney Alan Sacks produced a string of films for the Disney Channel, ...

, the cast included

Carl Ballantine Carl Ballantine (September 28, 1917 – November 4, 2009) was an American magician, comedian and actor. Billing himself as "The Great Ballantine", "The Amazing Ballantine" or "Ballantine: The World's Greatest Magician", his vaudeville-style com ...

, Jack Collins,

Bruce Davison Bruce Allen Davison (born June 28, 1946) is an American actor and director. Davison is well known for his starring role as Willard Stiles in the cult horror film '' Willard'' (1971) and his Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning perfor ...

, Anthony Holland,

Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo co ...

Billy Sands Billy Sands (January 6, 1911 – August 27, 1984) was an American character actor who appeared as a regular on ''The Phil Silvers Show'' (''Sgt Bilko'') as Pvt. Dino Papparelli and was a regular on ''McHale's Navy'' as Harrison "Tinker" Bell. He ...

, and

Barbara Sharma Barbara Sharma (born September 14, 1938, Dallas) is an American actress and dancer of the night clubs, stage, television, and film. She began dancing at age 4 and professionally at age 9, dancing in nightclubs in Miami and Havana, Cuba. As a dance ...

. The special consisted of three sketches which were written by

Dee Caruso Dee Caruso (April 7, 1929 – May 27, 2012) was an American television and film screenwriter and television producer, whose credits included ''Get Smart'', ''The Monkees'' and ''The Smothers Brothers Show''. Caruso and his longtime writing partne ...

Gerald Gardner Gerald Brosseau Gardner (13 June 1884 – 12 February 1964), also known by the craft name Scire, was an English Wiccan, as well as an author and an amateur anthropologist and archaeologist. He was instrumental in bringing the Contemporary Pag ...

, and Don Van Atta. The show ended with the entire cast singing "

Together (Wherever We Go) "Together (Wherever We Go)" is a song, now considered a standard, with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, written for the musical play ''Gypsy'' in 1959. It was introduced by Ethel Merman, Jack Klugman, and Sandra Church. Recor ...

" from the 1959 musical ''

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

'' with music by

Jule Styne Jule Styne (; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer best known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became s ...

and lyrics by

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

Sketches

*"Dressing Room Interruptions" the performing Hertz Brothers receive terrible news just before the show begins. *"Mr. Acropolis" A group of theater performers uses crazy devices to earn the sympathy of a jaded theater owner. *"Ginsberg" A Charlie Chan with a Yiddish accent rescues a damsel in distress as comedy ensues.

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=1526758, title=Break Up 1973 television specials Musical television specials 1973 in American television