Now THIS is how it is done. She comes from an era where the stage was not miked. A performer stood square on the stage, and gave it to you full throttle filling the whole theatre with the power of their voice and personality. She was in her mid 70s here and she still had it. Wow!
As a child actor, I was always taught to PRO-JECT!!!! ….as if you're talking or singing to the person in the last row of the theatre. In fact, I once heard it said that a composer told a lyricist that he better get the words right because if Mermann's singing, the second balcony's gonna know." …..or something to that effect.
Opening song for my Dad's funeral ! Shocked my Mother but my Dad loved Broadway and could sing. All show tunes and well....she told me I was the musician in the family and should arrange things. Made everyone happy because that was the essence of my Dad. RIP. William Brown
Wow, I though I was the only person in the world who had show tunes [including Merman] at a wake/funeral. My mother was a great Broadway lover and one of my earliest memories is her and my father taking me to see the original My Fair Lady when I was 5 years old.
Oh, God . . . Her voice was perfectly preserved. I mean, I'm shocked. She never lost it. And did you see that standing ovation at the beginning? If nothing else, that made my holidays.
Hard to believe that in this show from the early 1980's Merman was already a veteran of 70 something years and yet she still had her powerful belting mezzo-soprano voice!
Don't know what took the whole crowd so long to stand up, they should have jumped up!! She always gave it everything she had. Sounded the same from her young age to her old age. What a voice!
I agree. Ethel is a classic and boy can she belt em out like no one else. Alas, we will probably not see her like again. Thank you so much for downloading this great artist and a blessing. Cheers
I come back to this video so much. She had such a commanding presence and voice. She didn’t need any props or backup dancers. It was just her and the music. ❤❤❤
Thank you God for Ethel Merman and George Gershwin and all of the fantastic actors, musicians, composers and singers, dancers and those who loved their calling in life. If there is a heaven please let me be with them.😊
Singing like that can only be the incomparable Ethel Merman. I heard two songs of hers this week while out of town on satellite radio, and I was thrilled. I always loved her!
The greatest musical star ever. This has always been and always will be Ethel Merman's theme song. No one can take it from her. Gypsy was written for Ethel and nobody else can play that role like she does.
If everyone could project like Ms Merman, we'd never have invented microphones. She defined "Belting out a tune". I am so privilidged to have lived during her heyday. She has come to characterize musical-theatre for me.
How many people can say they've had music composed by the likes of Rogers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and others? An amazing career, and THE true Diva of Broadway
Both Merman and Fred Astaire introduced numerous songs by Berlin, Porter and Gershwin. Neither introduced a Rodgers and Hammerstein or even Rodgers and Hart song.
I love to hear this woman sing I remember her so very much the times I heard her on the television or radio. My father really love to hear this woman sing she was probably his favorite lady singer. He was big in gospel music in South Carolina. My mama love to hear her sing also.
1040 likes. Back in the day it would have been millions world-wide! As a child of the era, and a young adult, I was not into this stuff - but in retrospect I'm glad to have lived through the era and to also have these classic reminders of time with my beloved parents..
When Marlo Thomas was just getting her own show started, Merman appeared twice as a guest and was so gracious in script in what she said to the budding star. She must have touched Marlo deeply. Such a class act to be gracious at the peak of her career too.
Ethel Merman Was On The Musical Call Me Madam Theres No Business Like Show Business And Its A Mad Mad Mad World Rudolph And Frostys Christmas In July Airplane And Her Other Films In The 1930s
All there is folks!! Here we have America's finest Musical Theatre STAR!! It takes your breath away! WE LOVE YOU MISS MERMAN!! The **GREAT AMERICAN REVUE** will tell your story!!
Andrea Martin did a funny Ethel Merman imitation singing "Silent Night" in SCTV's Staff Christmas Party - you can find it on RUclips around the 3 minute mark in the 1 hour show.
Ethel had such a powerful stage presence. When you think of Broadway, you automatically think of Ethel right away. I wonder how boring it would have been without the 50 years, and 14 plays Ethel starred in. The very best shows written, and musically scored just for her. What a voice. A national treasure that is so missed today
Still brassy and lively.... this is one of those rare moments when you can see the magic of an old theatre war horse. Thanks for posting this for all to see!!!
No finer singer has graced the stage.When Ethel sings it's like an extension of her personality.She personifies everything that is missing today in Hollywood and on Broadway.
I was at this performance. One L.A. Times ad and it sold out. $15 for one of the greatest nights of theatre ever. No one knew who was going to perform. The ad listed a who's who of Broadway performers and said some would appear. When Ethel Merman was announced as the first performer. you can't imagine the thrill that went through that audience.
I knew all the stage hands at this theatre, and Merman had three doctors with her throughout the show. Later, she sang "(Falling In) Love Is Wonderful." I had seen her in "Gypsy" and at the Hollywood Bowl. A few years later I saw her again at the Hollywood Bowl, where she did her repertoire. Her Final number surprised me. She sat and accompanied only a piano, sang a lovely, plaintive, "What I Did For Love." A wonderful performer who always gave her audience what they wanted.
Just watched the movie version of Gypsy with Rosalind Russell and then had to look for this video to see how the song is really supposed to be sung. She was one of a kind.
The only reason I can even think of for the five people who disliked this video is that they accidentaly hit 'dislike' when they went to his 'like.' Ethel Merman is a goddess.
Lt Herowitz is really a great singer despite the shell shock.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
War is hell!
A lot of people had dreams of being a singer before the war, like George Zipp
MiloticGardevoir [slams drink into forehead]
+hebber1961 currently watching Airplane, decided to randomly check this video for a reference, wasnt disappointed, thank you!
Now THIS is how it is done.
She comes from an era where the stage was not miked. A performer stood square on the stage, and gave it to you full throttle filling the whole theatre with the power of their voice and personality. She was in her mid 70s here and she still had it. Wow!
And that type of singing is not natural and the shows were limited to people with big voices who usually could not act. Mics were a blessing.
@@richardmayora1289 not natural for musical theater? I mean opera still has not mics currently.
Believe me, in this show, she is miced up....The music has to be mixed...
I played this part in a production of gypsy, need to have a lot of power to sing it!
As a child actor, I was always taught to PRO-JECT!!!! ….as if you're talking or singing to the person in the last row of the theatre. In fact, I once heard it said that a composer told a lyricist that he better get the words right because if Mermann's singing, the second balcony's gonna know." …..or something to that effect.
She was quoted as saying " I just holler & hope my voice holds out!" " AMEN to that.
Opening song for my Dad's funeral ! Shocked my Mother but my Dad loved Broadway and could sing. All show tunes and well....she told me I was the musician in the family and should arrange things. Made everyone happy because that was the essence of my Dad. RIP. William Brown
Wow, I though I was the only person in the world who had show tunes [including Merman] at a wake/funeral. My mother was a great Broadway lover and one of my earliest memories is her and my father taking me to see the original My Fair Lady when I was 5 years old.
Oh, God . . . Her voice was perfectly preserved. I mean, I'm shocked. She never lost it.
And did you see that standing ovation at the beginning? If nothing else, that made my holidays.
Thank God Ethel never got into cigarettes like most women of her era. Her voice maintained its power and range up till the end.
Hard to believe that in this show from the early 1980's Merman was already a veteran of 70 something years and yet she still had her powerful belting mezzo-soprano voice!
A true legend. This is how a voice survives decades of entertaining. Keep those pipes in shape!
She died in 1984...
Hey C. Scott, did you know Zimmerman was Ethel's real last name? Cool huh? 😁
@@mariebelladonna437 Oh, so that's how they came up with "Merman". :)
@@dfirth224 huh. I guess so. I never even made the connection, lol!
Don't know what took the whole crowd so long to stand up, they should have jumped up!! She always gave it everything she had. Sounded the same from her young age to her old age. What a voice!
omg...just thought the same thing!!
I agree. Ethel is a classic and boy can she belt em out like no one else. Alas, we will probably not see her like again. Thank you so much for downloading this great artist and a blessing. Cheers
I love how her voice still has all that power, even so many years later.
Now that's stage presence.
YES! I love how in the olden days performer put everything into it and it was almost always LIVE!
How the hell can she not start crying listening to her own voice? So beautiful!
This woman was a real gem.!Talented,funny great singer and boisterous loveable personality.We are poorer without her.
The greatest show biz lady of all time and is sadly missed R>I.P. Ms. Merman !!!!!
I come back to this video so much. She had such a commanding presence and voice. She didn’t need any props or backup dancers. It was just her and the music. ❤❤❤
Thank you God for Ethel Merman and George Gershwin and all of the fantastic actors, musicians, composers and singers, dancers and those who loved their calling in life. If there is a heaven please let me be with them.😊
Ethel Merman was a miracle. And she could still do it. We'll never see anyone like her again.
Singing like that can only be the incomparable Ethel Merman. I heard two songs of hers this week while out of town on satellite radio, and I was thrilled. I always loved her!
That old battleax could belt them out couldn't she........Loved her in Mad, Mad, World.....
she is still considered the best Broadway performer ever.
The greatest musical star ever. This has always been and always will be Ethel Merman's theme song. No one can take it from her. Gypsy was written for Ethel and nobody else can play that role like she does.
Ethel’s theme song was undoubtedly ‘there’s no business like show business’. This was, however, a close second
If everyone could project like Ms Merman, we'd never have invented microphones.
She defined "Belting out a tune".
I am so privilidged to have lived during her heyday. She has come to characterize musical-theatre for me.
How many people can say they've had music composed by the likes of Rogers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and others? An amazing career, and THE true Diva of Broadway
Rodgers and Hammerstein never wrote a show for her. They did produce Annie Get Your Gun.
Both Merman and Fred Astaire introduced numerous songs by Berlin, Porter and Gershwin. Neither introduced a Rodgers and Hammerstein or even Rodgers and Hart song.
Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics to this one!
Truly one-of-a-kind talent! I was fortunate to see her in Gypsy on Broadway when I was young and there is no one like her!
Every time she sang "There's no business..."
it was always like she was doing it for the first time.
I love to hear this woman sing I remember her so very much the times I heard her on the television or radio. My father really love to hear this woman sing she was probably his favorite lady singer. He was big in gospel music in South Carolina. My mama love to hear her sing also.
i love the way ethel sings this song with such enthusiam !!!
what a talent! Nobody can sell a song like that these days!
Not even Patti Lupone?
Merman ddint have themost beautiful voice but nobody sang this like her.I loved Lansbury, and Imelda too.
Lansbury had the best voice on Broadway
Julie Andrews?
Her voice is staple show tune style singing with all of that over-enunciation and accented vowels. I don’t think pretty is the point
Powerhouse of a voice. First Lady of musical stage. No more to be said.
THAT put the biggest grin on my face!!!
Bless her!!!
Last performance....so glad we have it.
After all these years I'm breathless what magnificent performance. Ethel Merman forever 💕
I teach English in Korea and I have this adorable 6 year old who sometimes sings in this style in class it's so cute and funny!
Upload a video of it! 😄
She was one of the greats on Broadway. What made her great is that her voice was a stand alone. No one before or since has come even close.
I always loved the power and gutsiness of her performances- what a voice.
Ethel Merman's 2 trademark songs never go out of fashion- they are immortal!
They don't make them like this anymore! Beyond an AMAZING talent! A gift indeed!
"Severe shell shock, thinks he's Ethel Merman."
Haha that’s what got me here
@@gotmygreens420terpgod6 😄😄😄👍👍👍 Me too!!
I just 'cast' this video on my husband's tv at 5am and he said I scared the hell out of him. Haha!
She set the bar and it has never been reached since. Iconic.
1040 likes. Back in the day it would have been millions world-wide! As a child of the era, and a young adult, I was not into this stuff - but in retrospect I'm glad to have lived through the era and to also have these classic reminders of time with my beloved parents..
More than a singer, she was a performer and an entertainer....there was pure joy in her voice.
When Marlo Thomas was just getting her own show started, Merman appeared twice as a guest and was so gracious in script in what she said to the budding star. She must have touched Marlo deeply. Such a class act to be gracious at the peak of her career too.
That Girl!
HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2023 - HAPPY NEW YEAR
What real talent looks and sounds like! There will never be another Ethel Merman. NEVER!
marvelous!! one of the very few people who will get a standing ovation BEFORE a performance!
the great Ethel Merman! She was such a wonderful stage presence. Her larger-than-life personality was still strong into her old age as we see here!
She still captured the pathos and little sadness under the bright message of this song.. after how many times...? hundreds...
Right! 702 performance on B'way, then hundreds more times at concerts, on tv guest spots, specials, etc.
When you heard her voice there was no confusion about who was singing.....she was one of a kind...and I miss her.
Ethel Merman Was On The Musical Call Me Madam Theres No Business Like Show Business And Its A Mad Mad Mad World Rudolph And Frostys Christmas In July Airplane And Her Other Films In The 1930s
This is absolutely WONDERFUL! Bless her heart! She was a true legend and a true talent! Thanks so much for sharing this.
I saw her once in person .She sang at a piano bar in Torono .She was older then.
All there is folks!! Here we have America's finest Musical Theatre STAR!! It takes your breath away!
WE LOVE YOU MISS MERMAN!! The **GREAT AMERICAN REVUE** will tell your story!!
From nunber one secrerary to number one star ! One of a kind.
Andrea Martin did a funny Ethel Merman imitation singing "Silent Night" in SCTV's Staff Christmas Party - you can find it on RUclips around the 3 minute mark in the 1 hour show.
My dad taught me this song when I was about 10. Love her!
Ethel Merman is the First Lady of the musical comedy stage.
The Merm! I love her so much. She's been gone almost 40 years, and I miss her still.
Ethel had such a powerful stage presence. When you think of Broadway, you automatically think of Ethel right away. I wonder how boring it would have been without the 50 years, and 14 plays Ethel starred in. The very best shows written, and musically scored just for her. What a voice. A national treasure that is so missed today
She was great in Airplane! She was an injured soldier who thought he was Ethel Murman.
“War is hell” was Robert Hayes response.
Show stopper with a show stopping song! The best part of musicals 👏👏👏
Still brassy and lively.... this is one of those rare moments when you can see the magic of an old theatre war horse. Thanks for posting this for all to see!!!
So natural and energetic.springlike.
Ethel is a true American classic!
Why do i wake up from sleep just to hunt this song down? Midnight toking and cereal of course. Guess i needed to hear this, now back to bed.
No matter how old Ethel was, she could only sing one way.....GREAT!!!
B R A V O !!!!!!
The Grande Dame of Broadway ,This legend really knew how to project to the audience ,the greatest voice . Ethel Merman ...forever
Wonderful. Enjoyed listening to her voice again!
Ethel was the greatest talent that Broadway has ever seen!
There would be no broadway If not for her
And Al Jolson
Best song ever
The gal COULD sing!
No finer singer has graced the stage.When Ethel sings it's like an extension of her personality.She personifies everything that is missing today in Hollywood and on Broadway.
My daughter just sang this song at a local talent showcase...it's still current and always classic!!!
Thank you. Receiving such a compliment, from one such as yourself with an equal appreciation for real talent, means a great deal to me.
Dam, I wish I could of seen her do this live!!!
Oh, I do, too! Definitely my loss.
Happy Birthday Ethel! You will ALWAYS be the Queen of Musical Comedy!
I was at this performance. One L.A. Times ad and it sold out. $15 for one of the greatest nights of theatre ever. No one knew who was going to perform. The ad listed a who's who of Broadway performers and said some would appear. When Ethel Merman was announced as the first performer. you can't imagine the thrill that went through that audience.
I knew all the stage hands at this theatre, and Merman had three doctors with her throughout the show. Later, she sang "(Falling In) Love Is Wonderful." I had seen her in "Gypsy" and at the Hollywood Bowl. A few years later I saw her again at the Hollywood Bowl, where she did her repertoire. Her Final number surprised me. She sat and accompanied only a piano, sang a lovely, plaintive, "What I Did For Love."
A wonderful performer who always gave her audience what they wanted.
ALWAYS AWESOME!!!!
I would have killed to see her perform, in anything, any time, anywhere. Thank you so much for posting this.
Even at this older age - Ethel’s voice was incredible - what a ⭐️ - 👏👏
Mark of a great artist: she gets a standing ovation just for appearing.
Amazing! What a voice and what a great performer!
One year ago this was my song for the school talent show, I will be in the talent show again tomorrow!
I just blasted this song down the hallway to get my husband up from his lazy chair. It worked.
username46100 I use songs like this to wake my sluggish teenager so I’m with you
Wonderfull, I love her.
I love this song and the way Ethel sang it.
Take a bow 🙇♂️ everyone. That’s a ⭐️
What a great song and what a great performance. Thanks for posting.
Just watched the movie version of Gypsy with Rosalind Russell and then had to look for this video to see how the song is really supposed to be sung. She was one of a kind.
Soooo Many sequins!!! I love It!!!!
The only reason I can even think of for the five people who disliked this video is that they accidentaly hit 'dislike' when they went to his 'like.' Ethel Merman is a goddess.
amazing - that voice! it's still there!
amazing and great voice.
Standing ovation, so deserved.
This song/performance should be the national anthem.
“Lt, Hurwitz...Severe Shells-Shock...He thinks he’s Ethel Merman.”-Ted Stryker (Airplane).😂😂😂😂😂
She was fabulous!!!