|
THE TELEVISION
SPECIALS |
|
MITZI
Original air date: 10/14/68 NBC (in color)
Guest stars: George Hamilton and
Phil Harris
33 Million Watched Its
Original Airing! |
 |
|
Executive Producer: Jack Bean
Produced and Directed by Bob Henry
Written by Larry Hovis and Ann Elder
Choreography by Peter Gennaro
Costumes by Bob Mackie |
|
v
Mitzi performs top hits of the day including
GENTLE ON MY MIND and LOVE IS BLUE.
v
George Hamilton, Phil Harris
and Mitzi parody Rosalind Russell, Doris Day
and Rita Hayworth in a “Late, Late Show”
comedy sketch.
v
Mitzi performs sizzling dance numbers to
EVERYBODY LOVES MY BABY and PRETTY FOR ME.
v
Mitzi plays her heart touching character
“The Kid.”
v
Mitzi portrays a country bumpkin, an eager
teenager and a busy body friend in hilarious
comedy sketches. |
|
|
MITZI's 2ND SPECIAL
Original air date: 10/13/69 NBC (in color)
Guest star: Ross Martin
Executive Producer: Jack Bean
Producer: James Loren
Directed by Richard Dunlap
Written by Larry Hovis and Ann Elder
Choreography by Danny Daniels
Costumes by Bob Mackie |
 |
|
v
Mitzi opens the show with a scintillating
musical number, LET GO, wearing a shimmering
“see through” Bob Mackie gown that worried
the censors.
v
Ross Martin
(THE WILD, WILD WEST) joins Mitzi for a side
splitting musical spoof of GONE WITH THE
WIND with clever nods to SHOW BOAT, HELLO,
DOLLY and Mitzi’s own SOUTH PACIFIC.
v
Mitzi introduces her “Hipsy, Pipsy Gypsy”
character in a musical comedy sketch.
v
A return visit from her humorous alter ego,
“The Kid” in which she narrates her
experiences in a school recital where she
played a fairy onion.
v
Mitzi performs a solo medley of the hits
including SPINNING WHEEL, WALK ON BY,
WHAT’LL I DO and SON OF A PREACHER MAN. |
|
|
MITZI...THE FIRST TIME
Original air date: 3/28/73 CBS (in
color)
Guest stars: Ken Berry, Mike
Connors and Dan Dailey
Executive Producer:
Jack Bean
Producer: Lee Miller
Directed by John
Moffitt
Written by Jerry
Mayer and Stanley Ralph Ross
Choreography by
Robert Sidney
Costumes by Bob
Mackie |
 |
|
v
Special is built around the theme of first
times – first day of school, first dance,
first fan letter and so on.
v
Mitzi performs a lively challenge and answer
routine with her costliest guest star ever –
the $1.6 million scoreboard at the Los
Angeles Coliseum.
v
Mitzi is reunited with the co-star of her
first movie, MY BLUE HEAVEN, legendary
hoofer Dan Dailey.
v
Ken Berry
(MAMA’S FAMILY), Mike Connors (MANNIX)
and Dan Dailey join Mitzi in a
recreation of the A SAILOR’S NOT A SAILOR
number from her film THERE’S NO BUSINESS
LIKE SHOWBUSINESS.
v
Mitzi sings WHEN I’M 64, THE FIRST TIME EVER
I SAW YOUR F ACE, and a YADA YADA musical
sketch, long before Seinfeld popularized the
phrase.
v
Mitzi appears in no less than 20 eye popping
Bob Mackie costume creations. |
|
|
MITZI...A TRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE
Original air date: 2/04/74 CBS (in color)
Guest stars: Ted Knight, Cliff Norton,
Jerry Orbach, Suzanne Pleshette and
Jane Withers
Executive Producer: Jack Bean
Producer: Lee Miller
Directed by Tony Charmoli
Written by Jerry Mayer and Charlotte Brown
Choreography by Tony Charmoli
Costumes by Bob Mackie |
 |
|
v
Mitzi fittingly opens the special with a
lilting rendition of MARRIED from the hit
musical CABARET and later scorches through
I’M A WOMAN and a swinging, dance infused I
CAN COOK, TOO.
v
Mitzi’s first special featuring the
choreography of Tony Charmoli who would work
on all of Mitzi’s TV spectaculars throughout
the 70’s in addition to choreographing and
directing her acclaimed nightclub and
concert act.
v
Top TV stars Ted Knight (THE MARY
TYLER MOORE SHOW) and Suzanne Pleshette
(THE BOB NEWHART SHOW) are featured in their
first televised musical performances.
v
Mitzi brings guest Jerry Orbach (LAW
& ORDER) back to his theatrical roots as the
entire cast participates in a musical comedy
sketch featuring songs from Stephen
Sondheim’s legendary Broadway hit, COMPANY.
v
Features Mitzi’s first televised performance
of her future theme song, YOU ARE THE
SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE. |
|
|
MITZI...AND 100 GUYS
Original air date: 3/24/75 CBS (in color)
Guest stars: Jack Albertson,
Michael Landon and the USC Trojan
Marching Band
Executive Producer:
Jack Bean
Producer: Mort Green
Directed by Tony
Charmoli
Written by Jerry
Mayer
Choreography by Tony
Charmoli
Costumes by Bob
Mackie |
 |
|
v
Mitzi made headlines with the title and
premise of her latest special. The hundred
guys in question were a million dollar
chorus featuring over 30 of the top male
stars of the day including Ed Asner, Bill
Bixby, Andy Griffith, Dean Jones, Jim Nabors
and William Shatner.
v
Guest star Michael Landon (LITTLE
HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE) makes a rare singing
and dancing appearance joining Mitzi in a
rousing duet of LIFE IS A ROCK.
v
Mitzi burns up the screen with versions of I
GOT THE MUSIC IN ME, GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY
LIFE and OH MY, MY.
v
Bob Hope
joins Mitzi for the old soft shoe.
v
Mitzi dazzles in a solo performance of THE
MOST BEAUTIFUL GUY IN THE WORLD.
v
The Show stopping finale features Mitzi, 10
dancers and the entire USC Trojan Marching
Band. |
|
|
MITZI...ROARIN' IN THE 20's
Original air date: 3/14/76 CBS (in color)
Guest stars: Ken Berry, Linda Hopkins
and Carl Reiner
Executive Producer: Jack Bean
Producer: Harry Waterson
Directed by Tony Charmoli
Written by Jerry Mayer
Choreography by Tony Charmoli
Costumes by Bob Mackie |
 |
|
v
Mitzi is the ultimate flapper in no less
than 21 Bob Mackie twenties era costume
creations.
v
Broadway star Linda Hopkins, as
‘Bessie Smith,’ joins Mitzi for a roof
shaking, side steppin’ version of CRAZY RAG.
v
Mitzi’s elaborate “Charleston to end all
Charleston’s” features inventive
kaleidoscopic effects and cartoon animation.
v
Mitzi’s razzmatazz solos include a version
of Peter Allen’s contemporary hit EVERYTHING
OLD IS NEW AGAIN and a vamping HARD HEARTED
HANNAH.
v
Guest star Ken Berry (MAMA’S FAMILY)
joins Mitzi for a Tin Pan Alley sketch
featuring ME AND MY BABY from the Broadway
hit CHICAGO.
v
Mitzi’s “day in the life of a flapper”
sketch includes a hot tango number with
co-star Carl Reiner. |
|
|
MITZI...ZINGS INTO SPRING
Original air date: 3/29/77 CBS (in color)
Guest stars: Roy Clark and Wayne
Rogers
Executive Producer: Jack Bean
Directed by Tony Charmoli
Written by Jerry Mayer
Choreography by Tony Charmoli
Mitzi Gaynor’s gowns by Bob Mackie
Costumes by Ret Turner |
 |
|
v
Radiant Mitzi opens with an electrifying
acrobatic dance routine built around the hit
song YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCING.
v
Guest stars Roy Clark (HEE-HAW) and
Wayne Rogers (M*A*S*H*) join Mitzi
for laugh out loud comedy sketches and a
singing, dancing salute to international
folk songs.
v
Mitzi goes patriotic and dances up a storm
with a high stepping YANKEE DOODLE DANDY and
performs a shimmering interpretive dance as
a springtime butterfly.
v
Mitzi performs sensational versions of MR.
MELODY, IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW, YOU CAN FEEL IT
ALL OVER and CAN WE GET TOGETHER. |
|
|
MITZI...WHAT'S HOT, WHAT'S NOT
Original air date: 4/6/78 CBS (in color)
Guest stars: Benny Goodman, Gavin MacLeod
and John McCook
Executive Producer: Jack Bean
Directed by Tony Charmoli
Written by Jerry Mayer
Choreography by Tony Charmoli
Mitzi Gaynor’s gowns by Bob Mackie
Costumes by Ret Turner |
 |
|
v
The hottest trends, the hottest fads and the
hottest fashions are the theme of Mitzi’s 8th
special.
v
Stars of two of TV’s hottest shows, Gavin
MacLeod (THE LOVE BOAT) and John
McCook (THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) join
in for the fun.
v
The incomparable Big Band star Benny
Goodman join Mitzi for a
once-in-a-lifetime duet performance of I’M
HIP.
v
Mitzi sparkles in a jazz infused solo
segment featuring SATIN DOLL, IF I HAD YOU,
and LOVER MAN. She closes the show with
Barry Manilow’s CAN’T SMILE WITHOUT YOU.
v
Mitzi acknowledges one of America’s latest
obsessions, King Tut. The touring “Tut”
exhibit was causing pandemonium in Museum’s
across the country and Mitzi joins in the
fun with an intoxicatingly lavish King Tut
disco medley. |
|
