Funny Girl Winter Garden Footage
Monday, 15-Aug-2005 5:57 PM
Contributor: Paul Katz

For many years, something that could be considered a "holy grail" for Streisand fans (at least to me) is any film footage of her in "Funny Girl" on Broadway.

There may be other fans out there who are aware of what I saw today and have kept it quiet, but I have decided to share.

Footage does exist. I saw it today and it was fascinating.

It is essentially silent color 16mm home movies taken by one of the dancers in the show. It skips around quite a bit, and is rather washed out in terms of seeing faces but whoever put this together did an admirable job synching the stage action to the audio recording of the final show at the Winter Garden that has circulated for years.

Lasting 26 minutes, the first half is the show itself, featuring brief glimpses of the following:

• Barbra's entrance as the overture closes
• "If A Girl Isn't Pretty,"
• the finale of "I'm the Greatest Star"
• Hilarious moments with Eddie trying to help Fanny dance
• some of the interstitial moments with the chorus at Keeney's Dance Hall
• "Cornet Man"
• post "Cornet Man" dressing room sequence"
• "Who Taught Her Everything"
• "His Love Makes Me Beautiful"
• "Henry Street" (where Fanny gets lifted onto the shoulders of men in the saloon at the end)
• Nick and Fanny on the staircase before "People"

The film then segues to what appears to be two parties: one, for Barbra's birthday, where a cake reading "My Name Is Barbra" is seen. It could be assumed this was the week "My Name Is Barbra" aired, as Barbra proudly shows off teeny tiny Sadie One -- her birthday gift from the cast.

The second party bids farewell to Jean Stapleton from the cast and celebrates two cast member birthdays.

Then there are some brief, but wonderful close up movies taken from backstage during the "You Are Woman" number.

The opening of the film also showcases the exterior of the Winter Garden, where an enormous placard with the "Funny Girl" logo sits above the marquee.

Again, perhaps others have seen this; but I thought any footage was urban legend. It is not. It was FANTASTIC and emotional to see this today.

— Paul Katz