1965 Television Broadcast

Rodgers & HammersteinCinderella

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1965 Television Broadcast

Music by Richard Rodgers | Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II | Teleplay by Joseph Schrank

On February 22, 1965, a second version of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella was broadcast on CBS, this time with a new book by Joseph Schrank. The new production starred a young Lesley Ann Warren opposite Stuart Damon, with a cast that included veterans Celeste Holm, Walter Pigeon and Ginger Rogers. Filmed on videotape, which allowed multiple repeat showings, the CBS special aired eight more times in the subsequent decade. Along with a script that committed more closely to the traditional fable, the 1965 broadcast also featured a new song for the titular princess-to-be: “Loneliness of Evening,” which had been cut from the score of South Pacific. The 1965 broadcast of Cinderella, executive produced by Richard Rodgers and directed by Charles S. Dubin, was the highest-rated non-sports special on CBS until 2009. It remains available on DVD.

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Under special producorial supervision of Richard Rodgers, this new television broadcast of Cinderella featured Lesley Ann Warren, Ginger Rogers, Celeste Holm and Stuart Damon. The recording featured “Loneliness of Evening,” originally written for South Pacific but cut during rehearsals. An LP recording of this album was released January 25, 1965, almost a month before Rodgers & Hammerstein’s magic swept primetime television once again on February 22.