Once Upon a Mattress

I taped the audio of the June 3, 1964 on CBS TV show of OUAM and just recently edited/processed it for CD.

This required a lot of extra careful "audio filtering" and "equalizing" because the audio transmission was less than ideal. But using the "Amadeus" software I think it came out just great and am ready to "burn" a few CD's for myself and some friends !

However, I am wondering where the show originated from, NYC or Hollywood ?

Does anybody have this info ?

Thanks, Jack

Despite the cuts, this early TV adaptation of "Once Upon a Mattress" is a treasure. Many of the original cast members re-created their roles from the 1959 Broadway production, among them Jane White, Jack Gilford and Joseph Bova. But it's Carol as swampy Winnifred the Woebegone that's the center of attention, and deservedly so. Elliott Gould, then a Broadway musical comedy performer ("Irma la Douce", etc), is fine as the Jester and look closely and you'll spot Michael Bennett (years before his work on "Follies" and "A Chorus Line") in the chorus. Shani Wallis later was a lead in the Oscar-winner "Oliver!"

I wish someone would re-release this first version, even though it's in B & W. It's still, by far, the best. The cast, mostly all from the original Broadway cast, are absolutely perfect, as is the "over-the-top" pacing, acting, and comedy bits. I gave a 9 instead of 10 because of the missing number "Happily Ever After" (which COULD be cut in from the 1972 color remake--- hint- hint). One look at this version (I happen to have a very bad copy of it, full of dropouts, but none-the-less still watchable) and the '72 remake fades a bit, and the 2005 "Disney" version absolutely falls flat. This is not a children's musical. It's an adult fantasy, and that's where all the fun comes from, fun that, sadly, got "sanitized" for middle America in its latest incarnation, thus making it boring for both children and adults. See THIS version if at all possible.

I actually own all 3 versions of this fantastic musical and all I can say is that each has its high points. Also where the heck is the song "an opening for a princess"??? Is that only from the Broadway production? Carol is perfect as Winnifred - and also as the Queen. My favorite Larkin is naturally Bernadette Peters! One of my favorite songs is "Normandy" - which is missing from the '72 and used incorrectly in the 2005. I love Wally Cox as the jester and of course Jack Gilford was perfect in both the early versions! I have always wished I was old enough to have seen the original Broadway play but I remember the '72 fondly!

I saw this broadcast of "Once Upon a Mattress" at the Museum of TV and Radio in New York (as a side-note, I HIGHLY recommend visiting this Museum if you are in NYC or LA--lots more great stuff where this came from). Overall, for a one-hour TV adaptation of a musical, with all the limitations which that entails, it was well done. I was quite surprised that the pregnancy storyline was kept in--would have thought that was too racy for the time. Some of the supporting characters, namely the Minstrel and Jester, fall completely flat, and another from the stage version (Sir Harry) is gone entirely. Carol Burnett, as always, is fabulous, as is Prince Dauntless and Queen Sextimus. I was a bit disappointed to see "In a Little While" and "Happily Ever After" cut, although "Spelling Test," the duet for Dauntless and Winnifred that replaces "Happily," is pretty cute. If you are a fan of musicals and/or Carol Burnett, this is worth checking out.