Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Rick McKay

Writer:

Rick McKay (writer)

Genre:

Documentary | History | Music

Tagline:

The largest collection in history of award-winning stars brought together in a single movie!

Plot:

In their own words, and not a moment too soon - 'Broadway' tells the stories of our theatrical legends...

Plot Keywords:

Legend | Reference To Beethoven | Manhattan | Broadway Musical | Great White Way

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Edie Adams	...	Herself
Bea Arthur	...	Herself
Elizabeth Ashley	...	Herself
Alec Baldwin	...	Himself
Kaye Ballard	...	Herself
Bryan Batt	...	Himself
Betsy Blair	...	Herself
Jim Borstelmann	...	Himself
Tom Bosley	...	Himself
Marlon Brando	...	Himself (archive footage)
Carol Burnett	...	Herself
Kitty Carlisle	...	Herself
Carol Channing	...	Herself
Betty Comden	...	Herself
Barbara Cook	...	Herself
Carole Cook	...	Herself
Hume Cronyn	...	Himself
Arlene Dahl	...	Herself
Charles Durning	...	Himself
Daisy Eagan	...	Herself
Fred Ebb	...	Himself
Nanette Fabray	...	Herself
Cy Feuer	...	Himself
Phil Ford	...	Himself
Bonnie Franklin	...	Herself
Betty Garrett	...	Herself
Ben Gazzara	...	Himself
Robert Goulet	...	Himself
Farley Granger	...	Himself
Tammy Grimes	...	Herself
Uta Hagen	...	Herself
Sheldon Harnick	...	Himself
Julie Harris	...	Herself
Rosemary Harris	...	Herself
June Havoc	...	Herself
Ruthie Henshall	...	Herself
Jerry Herman	...	Himself
Mimi Hines	...	Herself
Al Hirschfeld	...	Himself
Celeste Holm	...	Herself
Sally Ann Howes	...	Herself
Kim Hunter	...	Herself
Jeremy Irons	...	Himself
Anne Jackson	...	Herself
Derek Jacobi	...	Himself
Richard Jay-Alexander	...	Himself
Simon Jones	...	Himself
Lainie Kazan	...	Herself
Miles Kreuger	...	Himself
Michael John LaChiusa	...	Himself
Martin Landau	...	Himself
Hanna Landy	...	Herself
Frank Langella	...	Himself
Angela Lansbury	...	Herself
Arthur Laurents	...	Himself
Carol Lawrence	...	Herself
Michele Lee	...	Herself
Hal Linden	...	Himself
Cameron Mackintosh	...	Himself
Shirley MacLaine	...	Herself
Karl Malden	...	Himself
Rick McKay	...	Himself
Donna McKechnie	...	Herself
Ann Miller	...	Herself
Liliane Montevecchi	...	Herself
Patricia Morison	...	Herself
Robert Morse	...	Himself
James Naughton	...	Himself
Patricia Neal	...	Herself
Phyllis Newman	...	Herself
Fayard Nicholas	...	Himself
Harold Nicholas	...	Himself
Jerry Orbach	...	Himself
Janis Paige	...	Herself
Don Pippin	...	Himself
Amanda Plummer	...	Herself
Jane Powell	...	Herself
Harold Prince	...	Himself
John Raitt	...	Himself
Lee Roy Reams	...	Himself
Rex Reed	...	Himself
Elliott Reid	...	Himself
Charles Nelson Reilly	...	Himself
Diana Rigg	...	Herself
Chita Rivera	...	Herself
Tony Roberts	...	Himself
Mary Rodgers	...	Herself
Gena Rowlands	...	Herself
Eva Marie Saint	...	Herself
Marian Seldes	...	Herself
Vincent Sherman	...	Himself
Douglas Sills	...	Himself
Stephen Sondheim	...	Himself
Kim Stanley	...	Herself (archive footage)
Maureen Stapleton	...	Herself
Marti Stevens	...	Herself
Elaine Stritch	...	Herself
Laurette Taylor	...	Herself (archive footage)
Mary Testa	...	Herself
Tommy Tune	...	Himself
Leslie Uggams	...	Herself
Gwen Verdon	...	Herself
Betsy von Furstenberg	...	Herself
Eli Wallach	...	Himself
Thommie Walsh	...	Himself
Wendy Wasserstein	...	Herself
Fay Wray	...	Herself
Gretchen Wyler	...	Herself
Karen Ziemba	...	Herself

Also Known As:

Broadway (USA) (short title)
Broadway: The Golden Age (USA) (short title)
Broadway: The Movie (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

USA:111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Cork, County Cork, Ireland

Company:

Second Act Productions

Trivia:

Angela Lansbury declined an interview four times before she finally accepted. After seeing the finished film, she told Rick McKay that she would have been devastated had she not appeared.

Quotes:

Gwen Verdon: Now they tell me that it was The Golden Age of Broadway, but when you're that involved with it, you don't know you're in The Golden Age. And after I left the stage, I immediately started playing everybody's mother in movies!

Movie Connections:

Spin off Broadway: The Next Generation (2009)

Twenty Four Carat GOLDEN AGE

Honestly, there's nothing better you could do with your time or money than buy this movie and watch it immediately.

I'd heard glowing reviews of this movie, so as soon as it hit Chicago I was first in line, bringing a friend along. The next day, I was back there again, with another friend in tow.

Myself, my friends, and everyone else I know that's seen this movie feel it is the most important documentary ever made about Broadway. They say history is made by the people who lived it, and here--from his own personal passion--Rick has amassed the largest number of living legends ever to appear in the same film. Rather than a bland collection of facts, this movie is filled with life and energy and stories--both silly and heartfelt--by the people who were actually there. You can't beat Chita Rivera talking about the original production of WEST SIDE STORY, or Angela Lansbury and MAME, or countless others.

As you watch, you're simply spellbound by the love and dedication that went into preserving these people on film and more so, by the love and dedication these legends have for Broadway stage. Your heart aches to be there, with them, in all the glory and splendor they recreate from their recollections.

Quite simply, if you care about theatre in any way shape or form, this movie is required viewing. And if you don't care about theatre, this movie will make you a convert to the magic that is live theatre. Rick McKay is a saint of the performing arts and deserves entry into the theatre hall of fame for this movie, right alongside all the legends he interviewed.

The only thing you could possibly have against this film is that it's too short. It's two hours, and when it's done, you want to sit for another two, and I imagine another two after that.