Product Description

Her first television special to feature guest-stars, The Belle Of 14th Street celebrates, in ways both comedic and heartfelt, "The Golden Age of Song". A marvelous showcase for such evergreens as Sophie Tucker's "Some Of These Days", "How About Me" (written by "a young new talent" Irving Berlin), the poignant "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", and the sublime "My Buddy" - all classics of the vaudeville era, reinvented by "the greatest star" of our time.

Track Listings:
I Don't Care [Act 1]
You're The Apple Of My Eye [Act 1]
Alice Blue Gown [Act 1]
I'm Going South [Act 1]
We're Four Americans [Act 1]
Liebestraum [Act 2]
Mother Machree [Act 2]
A Taste Of The Tempest [Act 2]
My Melancholy Baby [Act 3]
Everybody Loves My Baby [Act 3]
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows [Act 3]
My Buddy [Act 3]
How About Me [Act 3]
A Good Man Is Hard To Find [Act 3]
Some Of These Days [Act 3]
Put Your Arms Around Me Honey [Act 3]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50965 in DVD
• Brand: WEA HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2006-07-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 60 minutes

Features

• Her first television special to feature guest-stars, The Belle Of 14th Street celebrates, in ways both comedic and heartfelt, "The Golden Age of Song". A marvelous showcase for such evergreens as Sophie Tucker's "Some Of These Days", "How About Me" (written by "a young new talent" Irving Berlin), the poignant "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", and the sublime "My Buddy" - allics of the vaudevi

Amazon.com
Barbra Streisand's third television special, The Belle of 14th Street (October 11, 1967) is something of an oddity. It's styled like a vaudeville show, with period costumes (including the audience) and old-time numbers. Jason Robards (singing and dancing!), John Bubbles, and others guest-star. Streisand plays a modest stripper for "Alice Blue Gown," plays an operatic diva for "Liebestraum," then does double duty as a boy (pre-Yentl) in the audience invited to sing a duet of "Mother Macree" with the on-stage Streisand. The last segment is Streisand singing (accompanied on stage by David Shire before he wrote shows on Broadway with Richard Maltby) such songs as "My Melancholy Baby," "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," and a medley that includes "My Buddy" and "How About Me?" Previously released as part of the five-disc Barbra Streisand: The Television Specials. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

BELLE Not A Bummer
THE BELLE OF 14TH STREET has a bad reputation among Streisand's television specials. It was never rebroadcast after it aired in 1967. Columbia Records cancelled a soundtrack album that was to be released. And over the years, Streisand fans have come to know of it as her first "bomb".

Now it's out on DVD. You can judge for yourself.

For me, BELLE is not as horrible as people say it is. True, it is a departure from the formula which worked so well in MY NAME IS BARBRA (1965) and COLOR ME BARBRA (1966). In fact, Barbra's next television special (A HAPPENING IN CENTRAL PARK) would return to the format: Streisand - only - singing.

BELLE included guest stars and a format in which Streisand was not prominently featured. Jason Robards and John Bubbles had their own songs. Set in a turn-of-the-century vaudevillian theater, BELLE OF 14TH was an homage to that style of performing. Perhaps it does not succeed because the creative team makes fun of it and yet lovingly salutes it at the same time.

For Streisand fans, there is a lot to enjoy even if the entire concept does not gell. Barbra and Robards sing a fun, patriotic "We're Four Americans". Any fan who wondered what Streisand must have been like in her off-Broadway show ANOTHER EVENING WITH HARRY STOONES need look no further. In "skit" mode, Streisand is charming. With Robards during this song she dances, mugs, and sometimes does some scene-stealing bits. Fun!

Finally, the last concert segment is pure Streisand joy. Every song is superb. Favorites here are "My Buddy/How About Me" as well as the exhilarating "Everybody Loves My Baby" in which Streisand gets to do some comedic singing.

BELLE is not a bummer. It's a hodge podge of styles and a funny homage to vaudeville. If you can't stand to watch the overly long TEMPEST set piece, then just forward to the songs!

Streisand's Belle engaging
This TV special certainly has a bad reputation- and a few online critics here apparently agree. But for me watching this program for the first time recently was a revelation. Yes there are slow parts- and yes- the other guests distract. But to see Barbra hamming it up and being silly is a delight. Then there's her singing. The concert portion with BS as the "belle" is the best- and she shines throughout this section. She looks trim & radiant just a few months after giving birth to Jason. Rent it or buy it- but judge for yourself. Despite some flaws, it's still classic Barbra.

Dare I say I Liked It?
I had never even heard of The Belle of 14th Street and found its concept pretty interesting. I find vaudeville very curious and I celebrate that Barbra tried this concept out. I suspect that vaudeville didn't have a great reputation and that it bombed because of that, but if you see talent involved and how good they are, that counts for a lot. I recommend it.