When I saw Jimmy Stewart and Helen Hayes on Broadway in a wonderful revival of HARVEY, I thought to myself during the Act Two sanitarium scene, "That red-headed actress playing the young nurse has a very special quality about her."
I can't think of a performance by her that was anything short of perfection. My own personal favorites were PAPER MOON, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN and HIGH ANXIETY. She will live forever in her work and set the standard for comic actresses.
I was lucky enough to see Kahn in a preview of the original Broadway cast of ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. She was terrific. But she left the cast around the opening, which gave her understudy, Judy Kaye, the chance to step up to stardom. Luckily, Kahn was still around to record the cast album, which we can now reference.
I also have an "independent" recording of one of her first public performances, as Cunegonde, in a one-time-only benefit of Leonard Bernstein's CANDIDE, at Lincoln Center in 1968, which, by the way, also had Alan Arkin, playing Dr. Pangloss and Martin. Kahn was priceless, especially in her standout number, "Glitter and Be Gay," in which the character assuages her lack of moral character with her love of jewelry. To tell the truth, though I have heard many other renditions of this song, I have never heard it performed as well by anyone else.
I even heard a story about how she got cast as Cunegonde. Since she had an opera-trained voice, she was heading to another opera audition, and apparently walked into the wrong room, without realizing it, and sang for the concert CANDIDE, got cast, and got her start.
I can't think of a performance by her that was anything short of perfection. My own personal favorites were PAPER MOON, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN and HIGH ANXIETY. She will live forever in her work and set the standard for comic actresses.
I love all those performances, but my absolute favorite is her performance as Eunice Burns in "What's Up, Doc?"
That should have won her the Oscar. Instead, she wasn't even nominated.
I can't think of a performance by her that was anything short of perfection. My own personal favorites were PAPER MOON, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN and HIGH ANXIETY. She will live forever in her work and set the standard for comic actresses.
I love all those performances, but my absolute favorite is her performance as Eunice Burns in "What's Up, Doc?"
That should have won her the Oscar. Instead, she wasn't even nominated.
I don't think much of WHAT'S UP, DOC?, but I agree that she was fantastic.
The first time I saw this magnificent lady was in What's Up Doc? and then Paper Moon. I loved her in both of those films, but when she hit the screen as Lili Von Schtupp in Blazing Saddles, she stole my heart!!!
"She's up there now with Mel Brooks' now deceased stars Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Richard Pryor, Harvey Korman and Cleavon Little."
The Heavenly Comedy Ensemble!
The late Lois Carruth (Jerry Goldsmith's personal assistant) used to love telling me about her favorite times working for Jerry. Those were the days when Jerry would invite Harvey Korman over for an extended lunch. Lois was always included. She would just sit back and howl as Harvey & Jerry cracked each other up!
"She's up there now with Mel Brooks' now deceased stars Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Richard Pryor, Harvey Korman and Cleavon Little."
The Heavenly Comedy Ensemble!
The late Lois Carruth (Jerry Goldsmith's personal assistant) used to love telling me about her favorite times working for Jerry. Those were the days when Jerry would invite Harvey Korman over for an extended lunch. Lois was always included. She would just sit back and howl as Harvey & Jerry cracked each other up!
Jerry and Harvey where very good friends and in fact, Harvey and Ronnie Schell were at the recording session for Jerry's very last film score ("Looney Tunes Back In Action").
"Jerry and Harvey where very good friends and in fact, Harvey and Ronnie Schell were at the recording session for Jerry's very last film score ("Looney Tunes Back In Action")."
RONNIE SCHELL!!!
Lois told me that those "comedy lunches" always included Ronnie Schell, along with Jerry and Harvey. I just couldn't recall Ronnie's name. Those three guys always cracked each other (AND Lois) up at their meetings.
there is a wonderful biography that came out last year MADELINE KAHN : BEING THE MUSIC - A LIFE which reveals some amazing details about her life.
She originally did not think of herself as "funny" per se. She was very unhappy with how she looked in WHATS UP DOC? and could not understand why audiences were laughing at her .
I love all her work especially PAPER MOON which is so funny + touching but she couldn't beat Tatum O'Neill for BSA. Actually O'Neill was a lead actress so madeline should have won!
You are so lucky, John Archibald to have seen her in ON THE 20TH CENTURY, since that was one of her greatest disappointments and it had a significant negative impact on her career.
She played Dolly in HELLO DOLLY for a short time in stock and there is a video somewhere of that performance - how I"d love to see or hear that.
Why did she leave ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY? At the time, everyone knew it would be a hit. I've heard various stories, but nothing substantial.
And, as you say, it does seem to have affected her entire career following.
(I will say that, if a performer proves unreliable, they are not hired by others. I don't know if that was the case with Ms. Kahn, but it has happened with others. Look at Marilyn Monroe. Also, after only one day on the shoot of HEARTBURN, when Mandy Patinkin kept giving director Mike Nichols and co-star Meryl Streep direction, telling them what to do, they got fed up, and he got fired. Jack Nicholson was a last-minute replacement. Mr. Patinkin has not made many movies since, and only in the last 10 years or so, has shown up in TV work.)
