''Liza with a "Z"'' is a 1972
concert film
A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian.
Early history
The ...
made for television, starring
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...
, produced by
Fred Ebb
Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Riv ...
and
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...
. Fosse also directed and choreographed the concert, and Ebb wrote and arranged the music with his song-writing partner
John Kander
John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb (with lyricist Fred Ebb), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including ''Ca ...
. All four had recently completed the successful
film adaptation of ''Cabaret''. According to Minnelli, ''Liza with a "Z"'' was "the first filmed concert on television".
Singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
sponsored the production, even though producers did their best to prevent the sponsors from seeing rehearsals, fearing they would backout due to Minnelli's short skirts.
Filmed on May 31 at the
Lyceum Theatre in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
after only eight weeks of rehearsals,
the concert was shot with eight 16mm film cameras
[Zadan, C., "1972", Liza with a "Z" DVD inlay, 2006, Anchor Bay Entertainment] at the insistence of Fosse, in contrast to other television specials of the time which were all shot on videotape.
Throughout the concert Minnelli sings and dances to a variety of popular songs, highlights from ''Cabaret'', and material specifically written for her by
Kander and Ebb
Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander (born March 18, 1927) and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004). Known primarily for their stage musicals, which include ''C ...
—most notably the title song.
[''The Art Of The American Musical: Conversations With The Creators'', Jackson R. Bryer, Richard Allan Davison, p. 102, 2005, Rutgers University Press, ] Minnelli is often accompanied on stage by dancers, backup singers, and musicians. Costumes were designed by
Halston
Roy Halston Frowick (April 23, 1932 – March 26, 1990), known mononymously as Halston, was an American fashion designer who rose to international fame in the 1970s.
His minimalist, clean designs, often made of cashmere or ultrasuede, were ...
, who was also a friend of Minnelli's.
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. Hamlisch was one of only seventeen people to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. This collection of all four is referred to as an " EGOT ...
was selected by Kander and Ebb to be music coordinator.
First broadcast by
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
on September 10, 1972, it went on to win four Emmys and a Peabody Award. Kay Gardella of the ''
New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' reviewed the film as being "sensational with an ''S''."
After the initial broadcast, NBC re-ran the concert only twice more and did not screen it again after 1973.
The film was not seen for over thirty years and was thought lost until 1999, when
Michael Arick discovered that Minnelli owned the copyright and the two set about restoring the negatives.
Musical numbers
# "Yes"
# "
God Bless the Child"
# "Say Liza (Liza with a "Z")"
# "It Was a Good Time"
# "
I Gotcha"
# "
Son of a Preacher Man
"Son of a Preacher Man" is a song written and composed by American songwriters John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins and recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield in September 1968 for the album ''Dusty in Memphis.''
Springfield's version was produc ...
"
# "Ring Them Bells"
# "
Bye Bye Blackbird
"Bye Bye Blackbird" is a song published in 1926 by Jerome H. Remick and written by composer Ray Henderson and lyricist Mort Dixon. It is considered a popular standard and was first recorded by Sam Lanin's Dance Orchestra in March 1926.
Song in ...
"
# "You've Let Yourself Go"
# "
My Mammy
"My Mammy" is an American popular song with music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Joe Young and Sam M. Lewis.
Though associated with Al Jolson, who performed the song very successfully, "My Mammy" was performed first in 1918 by William Fra ...
"
# ''
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
'' Medley
Remaster and DVD release
After the initial broadcasts in 1972 and 1973, the negatives were stored in the vaults of NBC, only occasionally being brought out for Minnelli's own personal use.
In the 1980s, the original negatives were lost and feared destroyed. Michael Arick and Minnelli eventually tracked down the original negatives in 1999 in Los Angeles and New York.
In 2005, Minnelli revealed to
Craig Zadan
Craig Zadan (April 15, 1949 – August 20, 2018) was an American producer and writer. Working alone and with Neil Meron, his partner in the production company Storyline Entertainment, he produced such films as ''Footloose'', ''Chicago'' and ...
and
Neil Meron
Neil Meron (born October 26, 1955) is an American film producer known for producing the 2002 film ''Chicago'' and the 2007 film ''Hairspray''. With partner Craig Zadan he ran the production company Storyline Entertainment until Zadan's death in ...
, producers and friends of hers, that she owned the rights to the film and that she had been restoring it with Arick. They introduced her to
Robert Greenblatt
Robert Greenblatt (born 1959/1960) is an American television executive, former Chairman of NBC Entertainment and former Chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment. He has since launched his production company, The Green Room
Early life and educatio ...
, President of Entertainment for
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
, who agreed to finance the restoration, broadcast the film, and release the DVD.
[Zadan, C., "Flash forward 34 Years", Liza with a "Z" DVD inlay, 2006, Anchor Bay Entertainment]
The re-mastered film was accepted into both the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
and the
Hamptons Film Festival and premiered September 9, 2005, at the
Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres in Toronto. Showtime broadcast the restored film on April 1, 2006.
As well as a restored picture, the DVD also offers the option of
5.1 surround sound
Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener ( surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to sur ...
audio. This was made possible due to a new mix being created from reels of sound recordings Minnelli had personally archived after the original production in 1972.
The DVD also includes a commentary track recorded by Minnelli, a performance of "Mein Herr" cut from the original film, an interview with Kander recorded by Minnelli, a recording of Minnelli and the restoration producers discussing the film at the Toronto Film Festival, and a separate performance by Minnelli at the
GLAAD
GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals ...
Awards in 2005.
Awards and honors
Soundtrack
The original film soundtrack was recorded to 1/4" tape, and mixed down into a mono track for the 16mm film.
An
LP of the soundtrack was released in 1972 and followed in the success of the film by becoming a best seller
and being
certified gold
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
.
In total it spent twenty-three weeks in the Top 40 charts, and has never been out of print.
A
CD of the stereo soundtrack was simultaneously released alongside the film's 2006 DVD release.
Track listing
The following is the track listing from the 2006 reissue. There are two differences between the 1972 original and the reissue — the first is that "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Ring Them Bells" were placed in the correct performance order for the reissue. The original release had the two songs in reverse order.
The second difference is that the original had a twelfth track, entitled "Bows".
For the reissue, this track was mixed into the end of the previous track.
# "Yes" (
Kander and Ebb
Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander (born March 18, 1927) and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004). Known primarily for their stage musicals, which include ''C ...
) — 3:15
# "
God Bless the Child" (
Herzog
''Herzog'' (female ''Herzogin'') is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title. ...
,
Holiday
A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...
) — 3:07
# "Say Liza (Liza with a "Z")" (Kander and Ebb) — 3:06
# "It Was a Good Time" (
Curb
A curb (North American English), or kerb (Commonwealth English except Canada; see spelling differences), is the edge where a raised sidewalk or road median/central reservation meets a street or other roadway.
History
Although curbs have ...
,
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
,
Jarre) — 4:58
# "
I Gotcha" (
Tex
Tex may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tex (nickname), a list of people and fictional characters with the nickname
* Joe Tex (1933–1982), stage name of American soul singer Joseph Arrington Jr.
Entertainment
* ''Tex'', the Italian ...
) — 3:44
# "
Son of a Preacher Man
"Son of a Preacher Man" is a song written and composed by American songwriters John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins and recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield in September 1968 for the album ''Dusty in Memphis.''
Springfield's version was produc ...
" (
Hurley, Wilkins) — 3:25
# "Ring Them Bells" (Kander and Ebb) — 5:41
# "
Bye Bye Blackbird
"Bye Bye Blackbird" is a song published in 1926 by Jerome H. Remick and written by composer Ray Henderson and lyricist Mort Dixon. It is considered a popular standard and was first recorded by Sam Lanin's Dance Orchestra in March 1926.
Song in ...
" (
Dixon,
Henderson Henderson may refer to:
People
*Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname
*Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan
Places Argentina
*Henderson, Buenos Aires
Australia
*Henderson, Western Australia
Canada
* H ...
) — 3:57
# "You've Let Yourself Go" (
Aznavour) — 3:56
# "
My Mammy
"My Mammy" is an American popular song with music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Joe Young and Sam M. Lewis.
Though associated with Al Jolson, who performed the song very successfully, "My Mammy" was performed first in 1918 by William Fra ...
" (
Donaldson,
Lewis
Lewis may refer to:
Names
* Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name
* Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname
Music
* Lewis (musician), Canadian singer
* "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...
,
Young
Young may refer to:
* Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents
* Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood
Music
* The Young, an American roc ...
) — 3:03
# "Cabaret Medley" (Kander and Ebb) — 10:21
(9:52, 1972 version)
# "Bows" (
Gershwin,
Gershwin,
Kahn
Kahn is a surname of German origin. ''Kahn'' means "small boat", in German. It is also a Germanized form of the Jewish surname Cohen, another variant of which is ''Cahn''. ) — 0:30 (1972 version only)
Charts
Certifications and sales
See also
*
List of American films of 1972
This is a list of American films released in 1972.
''Cabaret'' won 8 Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Actress. ''The Godfather'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
__TOC__ A–C
D–G
H–M
N–S
T–Z
See also
* ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liza With A Z
1972 films
Emmy Award-winning programs
Peabody Award-winning broadcasts
Films directed by Bob Fosse
American musical films
Concert films
Liza Minnelli soundtracks
Musical television specials
NBC television specials
Films shot in New York City
1970s English-language films
1970s American films