Television Music is the Star at the Hollywood Bowl

By Libby Slate

A sing-along of The Brady Bunch theme led by Barry "Greg Brady" Williams himself … former Moesha star Sheryl Lee Ralph performing her big-break Dreamgirls Broadway number with backup sung by Enterprise’s Scott Bakula and The O.C.’s Peter Gallagher … a symphonic rendering of the main title from JAG, conducted by its composer Bruce Broughton … These were only some of the musical fireworks at the second-ever "Television Night at the Hollywood Bowl" concert, held July 9 to benefit the Television Academy Foundation. And oh yes — there were also aerial fireworks, a dazzling display set to Stu Phillips’ theme from Battlestar Galactica.

Tribute to Mr. Rogers and Captain Kangaroo – Featuring Greg Jbara, Karousel Kids, and David Newell (l-r) (Photos by Mathew Imaging for ATAS)

A followup to the inaugural TV Night concert three summers ago, the evening paid tribute to the composers, lyricists and performers who have created musical memories indelible to individuals and entire generations of viewers alike. The Academy joined forces with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and principal conductor John Mauceri to present the wide-ranging program, which was hosted by Joan of Arcadia star Joe Mantegna and was a year in the planning.

Joe Mantegna – Host

Returning executive producer/director Steve Binder noted that cast and production team alike felt participating in the concert was a "real treat, creatively." For his part, "I grew up in an age of variety shows with live music," he said during a rehearsal. "Television, since the age of synthesized music, has pulverized live music. The thought that this music is being played as it is intended to be played is the thrill of a lifetime. This is an eighty-piece orchestra, and every piece of music has been orchestrated for eighty pieces — no trios or quartets."

Agreed Mauceri, "Most people have only heard this music out of two-inch speakers, and in the case of the [early] westerns, out of the smallest speakers made. It’s surprising to hear how epic this music can sound. TV is now on twenty-four hours a day, with literally thousands of stations worldwide, and it deserves its proper place in the concert hall."

The western medley was one of several performed, with other medleys saluting detective shows and composers Jerry Goldsmith (The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Dr. Kildare, The Waltons) and Earle Hagen (The Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl, The Mod Squad). Hagen, celebrating his eighty-fifth birthday that night, was introduced onstage by Robert Culp, star of the Hagen-scored I Spy. Played in full were David Schwartz's Deadwood and Danny Elfman's The Simpsons, Steve Allen's "This Could Be the Start of Something Big" and Luciano Michelini's Curb Your Enthusiasm, the latter underscoring a montage of sitcom clips on the Bowl’s new video screens. A touching tribute to the late stars of Mister Rogers and Captain Kangaroo, performed by Gregory Jbara, David Newell and the Karousel Kids, was another highlight, as was a politically-pointed comic routine by TV’s ‘60s bad boys Tom and Dick Smothers.

Composer David Schwarz and Governor Ray Colcord (l-r)

Sheryl Lee Ralph’s number was part of a segment spotlighting TV stars whose roots were on Broadway, with Scott Bakula soloing on "Like a Young Man" from Milk and Honey and Peter Gallagher belting "Luck Be a Lady Tonight" from Guys and Dolls. A surprise appearance by Carol Channing, singing "Hello, Dolly," brought the audience to its feet. Another Broadway-tinged group effort was the salute to television choreographers, in which A Chorus Line star/Hullabaloo alum Donna McKechnie lead colleagues Toni Basil, Kevin Carlisle, Tony Charmoli, Don Crichton, Carl Jablonski, Alan Johnson, Anita Mann, Kenny Ortega, Travis Payne, Jaime Rogers and Deney Terrio in A Chorus Line showstopper "One."

Scott Bakula, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Peter Gallagher (l-r)

The theme song sing-along, preceded this time by a tongue-in-cheek interpretation of the Dobie Gillis theme lyrics by Hector Elizondo, proved a crowd-pleaser once again. Along with Barry Williams, leading their respective themes were Sally Struthers (All in the Family), Shelley Long (Cheers), composer-lyricist Vic Mizzy (Green Acres and The Addams Family), Morgan Fairchild (The Love Boat), The Rembrandts (Friends) and Babette Jamison-Harrison, filling in for Ja’Net DuBois (The Jeffersons; it was revealed the next week that series star Isabel Sanford had died that very day at age 86); everyone joined in for the Happy Days finale. Battlestar Galactica was the grand finale, with the I Love Lucy theme a festive encore.

Tommy and Dick Smothers (l-r)

Throughout, series clips and composer interviews, all provided by the Foundation's Archive of American Television, enhanced the evening, as did the closed circuit images of the concert, directed by Harry Kooperstein.Deserving special mention was the work of chief arrangers Joseph Curiale and Glen Roven.

Battle Star Galactica Fireworks finale

Just before the concert, performers offered some thoughts on this special evening, which Binder and Academy Foundation chairman Tom Sarnoff would like to see as an annual event. "I was honored and flattered to be asked to host," said Joe Mantegna, who had appeared in last year’s Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame presentation. "Television music is such an important part of our lives. You can forget a lot of lyrics in your life, but television lyrics won’t be any of them!"

Scott Bakula, who had performed at the Bowl some years ago with Carol Burnett, was excited to be back for its first, newly renovated season. And, he said, "I’m a musical person. I love all the music. TV theme songs have become part of Americana."

Making her Bowl debut was veteran Bowl patron Shelley Long. "I’d never thought about how it would feel to be on the other side," she said with a laugh. "What’s most impressive is being so close to that big orchestra. And the television music is real good fun. I’ve made some new friends. I didn’t hear our Cheers theme song that often, but, playing Mrs. Brady [in films], watching the old episodes and hearing that song was part of my homework."

Long’s homework has been an important part of his life, said Barry Williams. "We sang that song," he noted. "And I’m proud of it. I grew up in Los Angeles, so to be able to be at the Hollywood Bowl and lead the audience in that song is a perk."

Guest Conductor Bruce Broughton conducts his world premiere of the extended Jag theme

Tom Smothers appreciated the historical context in which the music was presented, as did Deney Terrio, who cited the decades-long span represented by his fellow choreographers. And, he said, "Dance is a part of the television fabric. We’ve spent so much time in the background, changing in the bathroom, getting the leftover deli trays. It’s about time dancers got their due. I’m humbled by these other choreographers."

The concert audience clearly gave television music its due: laughing, cheering, clapping, Addams Family finger-snapping. Three days later, an Academy staffer in line at Starbuck’s happened to overhear the patron standing behind her. "I went to the Bowl Friday night," the woman told her friend. "It was the most wonderful concert ever."

Earle Hagen and Robert Culp (l-r) during the Earle Hagen Tribute Medley

Dancer Tribute – featuring alphabetically Tony Basil, Kevin Carlisle, Tony Charmoli, Don Crichton, Carl Jablonski, Alan Johnson, Anita Mann, Donna McKechnie, Kenny Ortega, Travis Payne, Jaime Rogers, and Deney Terrio

Jayne Meadows and Steve Binder (l-r)

Tom Sarnoff, Dick Askin, and Todd Leavitt – honoring Tom for his long service to the Academy and the Foundation (l-r)