Posted on 08/08/2017 9:15:16 AM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie
Barbara Cook, who captured Broadway with her velvety soprano and led an almost-six-decade Broadway career, died on August 8. She was 89.
Born on October 25, 1927 in Atlanta, Georgia, Cook began singing at an early age, receiving acclaim from audiences at the nearby Elks Club. In 1948, while visiting New York City with her mother, she decided to stay put and seek acting work. Cook was hired by a series of resorts, eventually landing a gig in 1950 at the Blue Angel Club. …
A year later, Cook was on Broadway, making her debut in the 1951 musical Flahooley. Shortly after, she played Ado Annie in a Broadway revival of Oklahoma! (1953), later reprising her turn on a national tour.
(Excerpt) Read more at broadway.com ...
I see clips of her a lot on Classics Arts Showcase, a free channel on DISH Network that shows clips of opera, classical music, movies and plays. I always look forward to clips of Barbara Cook. She was quite attractive and had a beautiful voice.
Sorry to see her go, but I’m sure she appreciated having a career almost to her dying day. A beautiful voice that could crack glass. My all time favorite female singer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0vggMCiJfs
With VERY few exceptions,the show-biz people in those days had such class.
These days the exceptions are the ones WITH class.
.
Superb in “Candide”
Thanks for reminding me of that channel. I don't have cable anymore but that was one channel I do miss. The history of that channel and it's founder Lloyd Rigler it an amazing tale itself.
Rigler founded Adolph's Meat Tenderizer with a recipe he bought from a chef in Santa Barbara. Before Google and the Internet, Rigler's other venture was digitizing everything, which he then showcased on his non-profit self-funded, permanently endowed Classic Arts Showcase channel. No politics, just beautiful, wholesome entertainment.
It's sad to see all the greats like Barbara Cook leaving us. As Freeper Mears pointed out, Barbara Cook was true class. I'm thankful that I was alive to experience our American culture before its ongoing decline.
Lucky you! I saw her several times in concert in NYC and once in London. She was very beautiful and although she struggled for years with her weight, still managed to look great.
For anyone who wants to listen to a soprano who could melt your heart or belt like Merman, I recommend the cd “Barbara Cook at Carnegie Hall,” her legendary 1970s comeback concert with Wally Harper. Wow!
I knew that Classic Arts Showcase was the result of an endowment from Rigler, but never know much about him. I guess the meat tenderizer made him wealthy?
I first discovered Classic Arts Showcase back when I had a C-Band dish. Once the C-band got old and in disrepair, I could no longer find anyone to fix it, so I switched to DISH. I was thrilled when a few years later DISH started offering CAS. I lost it for a couple of years when I had DirecTV before I went back to DISH. It's my go-to channel when there's nothing on. During the holidays they show some holiday clips. I have bought several DVDs and Blu-rays based on the previews I saw on CAS. I saw Barbara Cook in a clip just last night.
Another way to see it is on Nowhere TV on the Roku.
RIP.
Very sad news. She was one of the greats.
She was teh original Marian the Librarian in The Music Man (originating “Till There Was You”) and the original Amalia Balash in “She Loves Me.” In “She Loves me”, Cook originated the Harnick-Bock song “Ice Cream.” Her last meal, reportedly, was vanilla ice cream (in honor of Amalia Balash’s song.)
She was also a great promoter of young talent. She will be missed.
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