User Reviews

This is a very good documentary and I strongly believe anyone who is remotely interested in live and musical theater, and the who's who of American theatrics will lap it up with glee. Great interviews with possibly everyone you might want to see (preserved and lucid) as well as incredible footage of the relevant past. It is the old footage that for me is the riveting charm of such a doco and it is as delightful as it is startling. The roll call of those recently departed is a touching climax to what has already been a most heartfelt experience. If you have relatives or friends who know of even a few of the astonishing talented genuine human beings celebrated here it will be one of the major highlights of your shared film viewing. I saw this doco as a cinema film and it truly is captivating and astonishing. If only we can have more of this type of doco capturing those who were there in those legendary times, I believe there is a solid and appreciative audience. Don't miss this!

This is really an enjoyable film - essentially excerpts from interviews with many of the acting stars (plus Sondheim and Prince) on Broadway from 1945 to 1970.

It is gently shaped in chapters such as the actors' first feelings on arrival in New York, how they got by, how they learned of available parts, what they liked to do after the show, how Broadway has changed. Many of the interviews contain fascinating and humorous anecdotes - told well by obvious experts at the game.

To illustrate the interviews, the director has found much rare footage of screen tests, audio or video recordings of the plays, photographs of New York at different periods, playbills, posters that are shown as the audio interview proceeds. He has done a wonderful job.

About five years ago, I (finally) obtained cable television. When I saw there existed a one hour program called "Inside the Actor's Studio", I thought it would be rather like this film - hour long interviews with everyone from Uta Hagen to Celeste Holm, from Hume Cronyn to Frank Langella. To my surprise, the program instead consists of interviews with those spoken about each evening on "Entertainment Tonight" or "Access Hollywood".

I do have a question about the title. I am not at all sure that I would call the period 1945-1970 the "golden age" rather than simply the second half of a golden age that began at the end of World War I. Certainly the period 1919-1945 was as extraordinary as the later quarter century. Imagine the earlier quarter century and the premieres in the U.S. of plays and revues from Eugene O'Neill, Jerome Kern, Rodgers & Hart, George M. Cohan, Oscar Hammerstein (I), Flo Ziegfeld, Sidney Howard, George White, George Carroll, Maxwell Anderson, Robert Sherwood, Lawrence Stallings, Marc Connelly, George S. Kaufman, Clifford Odets, Marc Blitzstein, Cole Porter, Sidney Kingsley, Moss Hart.

I also have the feeling that the period 1919-1945 was a more "international" period on Broadway than the later period. I would guess that productions (often American premieres) were far more common in this period than the later quarter century: of Chekhov and Hauptmann, Schnitzler and Grillparzer, Anouilh and Claudel, Gorky and Sudermann, Hoffmansthal and Shaw, Pinero and Coward and Lonsdale and Strindberg and Ibsen and Cocteau and Genet and Pirandello.

There's something to be said for the assumption that the New York audience would delight in dramas set far away in different cultures - and that the New York directors, set designers, musicians and actors could well handle them. Imagine the first reactions of an audience in the 1920s, 1930s or 1940s to the first productions of The Weavers or Arms and the Man, Three Sisters or Enemy of the People.

Moroever, if the director does choose to make a (necessarily different form of) movie about the earlier period - we can learn far more about other legends such as Eva LeGallienne, the Lunts, the Barrymores, Helen Hayes, Katherine Cornell, Ziegfeld, Rose, Belasco, the making of Showboat, etc.

(Yet of course I understand why the director limited the film to the later period - i) the film is guided by his enthusiasm and he was born after World War II, ii) those from the earlier period are mostly dead - this is primarily an interview program, iii) the audience is more likely to remember later plays and musicals, and iv) the audience is more likely to respond to more recently written and staged plays and musicals).

I was pleased to see the plaudits to Laurette Taylor. If he were alive and interviewed, the director would have heard Lawrence Olivier echo those in this film, since he has written himself (in either "Confessions of an Actor" or "On Acting") that her performance in The Glass Menagerie was the greatest acting performance he had ever seen. (He also wrote that the best 'Hamlet' he'd ever seen was not by an Englishman, but by John Barrymore on Broadway).

Honestly, there's nothing better you could do with your time or money than buy this movie and watch it immediately.

I'd heard glowing reviews of this movie, so as soon as it hit Chicago I was first in line, bringing a friend along. The next day, I was back there again, with another friend in tow.

Myself, my friends, and everyone else I know that's seen this movie feel it is the most important documentary ever made about Broadway. They say history is made by the people who lived it, and here--from his own personal passion--Rick has amassed the largest number of living legends ever to appear in the same film. Rather than a bland collection of facts, this movie is filled with life and energy and stories--both silly and heartfelt--by the people who were actually there. You can't beat Chita Rivera talking about the original production of WEST SIDE STORY, or Angela Lansbury and MAME, or countless others.

As you watch, you're simply spellbound by the love and dedication that went into preserving these people on film and more so, by the love and dedication these legends have for Broadway stage. Your heart aches to be there, with them, in all the glory and splendor they recreate from their recollections.

Quite simply, if you care about theatre in any way shape or form, this movie is required viewing. And if you don't care about theatre, this movie will make you a convert to the magic that is live theatre. Rick McKay is a saint of the performing arts and deserves entry into the theatre hall of fame for this movie, right alongside all the legends he interviewed.

The only thing you could possibly have against this film is that it's too short. It's two hours, and when it's done, you want to sit for another two, and I imagine another two after that.

I saw this film in New York in June and loved it then and I just saw a press screener of the DVD - it is amazing what the filmmaker has done. In addition to being incredibly entertaining as a film, this is destined to be an invaluable historic reference. There are dozens of interviews with actors giving us a first person account of Broadway's Golden Age by those who were there, creating it.

The DVD has at leat 30 minutes of interviews with the cast of the upcoming (I hope soon) "Next Generation" including: Betty Buckley, Jason Alexander, Doug Sills, John Barrowman, Cady Huffman and Daisy Eagan. There are also deleted scenes, one has Marian Seldes on Katharine Cornell - I cannot imagine how this was not in the original film. The movie could have been twice as long and still held up. It's also fun to see the alternate ending on the DVD and the red carpet footage of the NY and LA openings. This is not a rental, you will want to own it and watch it when you want to be entertained, or inspired, or moved, or laugh. This film is incredible.

I just saw this movie last week on the Floating Film Festival where top critics are all on a cruise ship and as we sail they present the films that they love to the audience. Roger Ebert, Richard Corliss (Time), etc. This one was presented by Kathleen Carrol from the New York Daily News and boy was she popular after she showed this film!

The ship projectionist screwed up the film and when they first showed it they could only show 20 minutes and the projector broke. What a crazed audience! Everyone was dying to see what happened. Well, by the time they got it fixed and showed the full film later in the week the anticipation was impossibly high, what with the word of mouth and all! But, the film completely lived up to it!

It was introduced as a documentary, but it was more like time travel where you see 100 different great stars (Shirley MacLaine, Angela Lansbury, Carol Burnett, Ben Gazzara, Stephen Sondheim, Martin Landau, Kaye Ballard and Alec Baldwin and a lot more) all talk about struggling and coming to New York City to follow a dream. Well, in fiction you would never believe a movie that had 100 people whose dreams all come true - but this one - reality - it did happen. It was really inspiring to me and to the rest of the audience!

And the old footage of New York! Times Square in the 40's! It really was a trip back in time to a bygone time that I am too young to have ever lived through! And the performances! A woman I had never heard of named Loretta Taylor who almost everybody in the film said changed their lives. And then the filmmaker found footage of her that he got in the film. Just beautiful. The original stars of "West Side Story" singing live - not dubbed like in the movie. And Bob Fosse dancing - with his wife Gwen Verdon. Ohmigod. Carol Hanie in "Steam Heat" - Marlon Brando in "A STreetcar Named Desire" - on and on. I have never seen a really passionate story about following dreams, New York, time travel and great peformances all combined in one film. AS much as it made me sorry I had missed this era on Broadway (Cats?! Les Miserable?! NO thanks!) it made me really love film even more to realize that one guy (the director) could make this movie alone. The critic who introduced the film talked about him and it is amazing that he shot it and edited it and directed it all alone and if he hadn't we would never have this movie. PBS does nice documentaries (Baseball, Civil War, NYC, Jazz, etc.) but they are always scholarly and have an "educational" feel. THIS did not. It was intelligent and passionate and had a REAL PERSON narrating it, not a disembodied, stentorian voice, and you really felt like someone was guiding, or walking you through this trip back in time.

Am I going on a bit? Yes I am! The most wonderful news is that we were told that the film is opening in movie theaters around the country this summer so everyone can see it. And also exciting is that the DVD has even MORE of this same. I can't wait. Everyone on the ship was asking for it all week. Bravo. Movies like this are why I love independent film!

I don't know if it is possible to comment again about this movie, but I must try! I just noticed that some people voted "1" or "2" for this wonderful work about 100 Broadway legends telling their stories. I can only postulate: 1) The voters have the wrong film, they are thinking of something else with the word "Broadway" in it, or 2) They thought "1" was the best vote that could be given.

This excellent, exquisite movie deserves a "10"!!!!!

The subject matter is fascinating, the actors candid and captivating, and the editing puts it all together in a most enjoyable way. What would seem a daunting task turns out beautifully in the hands of accomplished interviewer and filmmaker Rick Mckay.

10! 10! 10!

Saw this film recently in a festival and thought, "Thank God for festivals, for where else would I ever see this film?!" But, the filmmaker did an interview with the audience afterwards and said that a distribution company has taken the film and it is going to open in theaters around the country this summer. What great news!

This is a movie every young person should see who likes movies, tv or theater. It is so inspiring and it truly captures the brilliance of great actors, singers, writers and composers. I always thought the world would continue to create great creative geniuses who came to places like New York and made history, but it doesn't seem to be any more. Much like the people in this film, "I thought it would go on forever."

But, this movie makes me feel optimistic again because any time you see something this powerful (and this is a powerful movie) I begin to believe again in the hope of great art, whether on stage or film or tv or maybe the next era is digital video. Who knows? But, run don't walk to see this movie if it opens anywhere near you!

I saw this movie at a theatre in NYC and was completely dumb-struck with the truth and spirit of this film! It shows that Mr. McKay has an in-depth background in the world of entertainment. Not only in film, but in the foundation of Broadway, and the soul of the entertainment business and community.

This is proven by the fact that he reached so many famous stars from all over the world and that they came to him to be part of this movie as his idea was so magnanimous in its scope.

The resulting film is a mindful and heartfelt achievement representing the truth of the golden age of Broadway. It is the story of a great passion that will connect universally with anyone who likes ANY form of entertainment - TV, Movies, Music, Stage, etc. - it is a must see!

I saw this magnificent movie over New Year's Eve at the film symposium that Judith Crist and Peter Travers do every year in Tarrytown, NY. I have been going off and on for over 30 years and was stunned by this movie. Even Peter Travers said in his closing statements that it would have won Audience Favorite without a question over Robert Altman's "The Company" and Nicole Kidman's "Cold Mountain" - not to mention "Bon Voyage," "The Japanese Story" and other fine films.

I am still stunned. In this wonderful film Ben Gazarra was talking about Laurette Taylor and said something like (and I am paraphrasing big time), "I had never seen anyone laugh and cry at the same time on stage - only people do that, not actors." Well, that sums up how I felt about this movie. I got chills up my spine at the stories and the performances, but found myself with tears running down my face at one moment and then laughing out loud moments later while the tears were still on my cheeks.

Judith Crist, who is one of the great critics as far as I am concerned, said that she had seen "Broadway: The Golden Age" twice and was moved by the editing even more the second time and how the director Rick McKay was able to make it feel that every single person in the film, over five years of filming, seemed to be talking to her personally - in one afternoon. She knows more than I ever will, but I now realize I have never seen anything like that in any film before.

I feel very lucky to have spent New Years Eve there watching that movie. Afterwards there was a q&a with the director Rick McKay, Ms. Crist and Mr. Travers (great critic from Rolling Stone)and the audience. It was very exciting. The critics were gushing, but also asking great questions of their own, clearly as involved as the audience with the film. The audience got up one after another with questions and raves. It must have lasted an hour. At the end of the weekend and ten movies from all over the world, it was "Broadway: The Golden Age" that everyone was talking about. I can't wait to take my kids to see it when it opens this year. I want them to see what Broadway was once like - and what movies CAN be like when they are great, like this one!

I saw this movie last year and loved it. It was before it had distribution and i have watched happily as it went on its way to national theatrical runs and great

reviews. I had heard that the filmmaker had changed it since then, but I

assumed it was minor. I am in Chicago for a gig and when I read the great

reviews in the Chicago papers today I ran to see it again - almost a year later. Amazingly, the filmmaker Rick McKay was at the theatre again! In a whole

different part of the country, as he lives in NYC and I saw the film AND him in LA. He must be the moist passionate filmmaker ever to have made this film with 100 stars and taken six years.

But, most important, the film is much, much different. it is absolutely brilliant. Moving and touching. There were people laughing and sobbing at the same

time around me. It is such a lost era and it seems even more profound a year

later. Not to mention that at least five of the stars have died in this last year, making it more precious.

The audience gave McKay a standing ovation and he regaled him with stories. I know I have friends who are going to kill me. They were so jealous when I saw an advance screening a year ago and it has been opening up in ciites all over the country but a lot of people still can't find it. SO , the good news is that McKay announced that the film comes out on DVD on November 9th. "Loaded with

extras," he said. I am counting days.

Nobody wanted to leave the theater. Everyone waited after in the lobby for

McKay and he told stories after to us. It was like we were trying to hang on to the last of this era and time in the film. I read a review on Ain't It Cool News that said this movie is a national treasure. They are right. And so is McKay. It would have all been gone were it not for this film. Thank you.

The idea of making a film to document the history of Broadway's golden age is a great one. An idea that deserves a great creative approach that could yield an invaluable and entertaining work.

This isn't it.

There's no denying that an impressive list of talents tell some interesting stories in this piece, but there's no avoiding the blatantly amateurish work that has gone into creating it.

Some reviewers have been so blinded by the array of stars and their stories to have missed the fact that this film is so poorly structured that it really isn't a film. It's just a very self-indulgent assemblage of rambling talking heads that rarely gets itself together enough to tell a real story. There are hardly any actual clips of real Broadway performers or performances (most of what's there is cribbed from movie trailers or sneakily used clips from public domain films), and major contributors to the story of Broadway's golden age are never even mentioned.

The kiss of death is the filmmaker singing GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADWAY over the end titles.

UGGH!

I was fortunate to view this at the NYC premiere. I was in total awe. After shaking hands with Kitty Carlisle Hart and saying Hi to the most recently departed Fay Wray, I was just amazed. It was an experience I will never ever forget. I also saw Miss Celeste Holm, Tommy Tune, Chita Rivera. It was totally wonderful! The film was excellent. I wanted to just sit there for hours and hours listening to what the actors and actresses had to say. Their stories were fascinating. Which is what a Documentary should be. Telling the story about what life was like. Giving the "Inside Scoop" I hope I will be able to see the sequel to it. Anyone who says this film is Amateurish obviously overlooks the fact that this film will be a classic and should receive an Oscar Nomination, if not the Oscar for best Documentary. Anyone guy who can go and interview over a hundred stars, has to be amazing.

Go and buy this DVD!!!! It is worth every Penny!

I saw this film at the Santa Barbara Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. We were the first audience to see the finished film on 35 mm in a theatre and the excitement was palpable. The fimmaker, Rick McKay, introduced the film and brought Eva Marie Saint (who won the Oscar for "on the Waterfront" with Brando) on stage with him afterwards for a question and answer session. I don't know when I have had a more exciting night in a movie theater. The film was brilliant and the filmmaker was wonderful in the film as he took us on a journey, but just as passionate and funny in person as he and Miss Saint warmly answered questions afterwards.

The film is something very, very special. I don't honestly think a studio could have ever made this film - or a network either. It is such a personal, passionate and magical film. It is a mixture of more stars than I have *ever* seen in a movie - all telling their own personal stories of starving and starting out in New York - and old archival footage of perfomrances that have never been seen before. Not movie clips - but real, live perforances. It was staggering. It is about a time that is so cmpletely gone, but oddly enough, it was not sad, but very inspiring. It made me believe that if this kind of history could have been made in this century, and if this kind of movie can be made today, then anything is possible. what a wonderful feeling...

The night I saw it there were people sitting on the floor in the aisles and standing room only in the back of the theater with people looking over each others shoulders. And nobody complained and nobody left. People did cry and they did laugh and they did applaud over and over during the movie though. When was the last time (if ever) that you saw that happen?

We may have been the first audience to see this movie but we won't be the last. This movie is going to win an Oscar. Mark my words.

I have had the pleasure of seeing "Broadway: The Golden Age" at two film festivals; at both it won BEST DOCUMENTARY, and rightly so! I was enraptured. Just wonderful to hear the interviews and see rare footage of these legendary stars, some of it never seen before! What a brilliant idea to capture these Broadway stars on film, truly a treasure of memories. I can see why they relaxed and confided in Rick McKay--what a charming person he is...first the film delighted the audience, and then Rick delighted the audience in the question and answer sessions afterward. He even brought the living legend Fay Wray to Palm Beach, and what an honor to meet her!!! I hope it will be distributed to theaters everywhere in the very near future, so that everyone can enjoy it, and I will go AGAIN!

I enjoyed and appreciated this film immensely. I learned a lot about Broadway actors and actress' that I never knew about. This is a wonderful documentary that I didn't want to end. Being able to see footage of shows that were before my time was great. Hearing some of the backstage stories from the performers especially there excitement about coming to NY and the struggles to get there first jobs was so sweet and endearing. Many of them are no longer with us today and unfortunately Jerry Orbach has recently joined the list. This is a precious piece of American theater history that the producers of this film totally understand and cherish. I thank them for sharing this with all of us.

Rick McKay is an invaluable source when it comes to what theater is all about. His other documentary, Elaine Stritch at Liberty, was excellent. In this new work, instead of concentrating on a single performer, he explores the best years of Broadway and the commercial theater during the era when it was at its peak.

The strength of the film is the intimacy one feels whenever the stars, being interviewed, speak directly to the camera, and thus to us. It's just as if these performers are telling us their secrets. There is an immediacy that no other documentary on the subject ever projected before.

In a way it is a world that is no longer here. The fact is that not only it's almost prohibitive to go to the Broadway theater, but it's also about the quality of what's being shown these days. When ticket prices for musicals go over $100.00, producers can only bring to the stage only those shows that might prove to be money makers. Then, of course, there is no guarantee for commercial success.

Sadly, most so called stars working in musicals these days have no voices to fill a theater. Since everything is amplified, it's as though one is listening to the cast album of the show, not to a live performance. These days producers will import a Hollywood star to do a musical for the name and possible revenue that will be generated, rather than for artistic merit.

It was delightful to hear actors talking about their peers. How a Laurette Taylor, a Marlon Brando, a Kim Stanley, were admired for their talent as well as for the integrity they brought to each performance. Since theater happens whenever actors are on a stage, most of the last century's historical performances can't be appreciated because they weren't done in front of a camera.

This film is a must see for theater enthusiasts.

Rick Mc Kay has given worldwide, movie audiences a glorious gift: "Broadway: The Golden Age". It's a Treasure of New York, The Theatre, Americana, Gypsies, Histories, and Dreams come true, by the dreamers who dreamed them, lived them, and vividly recount them, thanks to Mc Kay. "Broadway: The Golden Age" is a rich, reel legacy I wish everyone, everywhere could experience.

I first saw Rick McKay's exceptional documentary "Broadway: The Golden Age" at a film festival last year and saw it again just last week at a film retreat in upstate New York. And I can't wait to see this again in theatres this year and buy the DVD! This film is a stunning testament to an all but forgotten era in American theatre and a love letter to New York City. For my parents who remember the Golden Age fondly, this film was a bittersweet trip down memory lane, and underscored for them how they cannot enjoy the same wonderful experience now, because prices are too high and the shows are "not what we are interested in seeing" as my father puts it. But anyone like myself, who wasn't a New York theatergoers during the Golden Age, seeing this film will leave them torn -- with a wistful feeling of having missed something truly great; but also dazzled and inspired by McKay's singular achievement of breathing life into what easily could have become another dry Ken Burns documentary. In McKay's capable hands, you feel as if you're bustling down the streets of Times Square with hundreds of other eager theatergoers, paying pennies for quality theatre tickets to groundbreaking shows; or rubbing elbows and eating cheese and crackers with the "legit" stars at Sardi's. And the stories these legends had to tell -- intercut with unbelievably rare and gorgeous performance footage -- brought tears to my eyes more than once, they were told with that much passion. I can't adequately express what it is to experience this film. See it for yourself.

Fascinating documentary with the actors and actresses of Broadway's "Golden Age" (late 1940s-late 1960s) talking about their experiences on stage, who influenced them, how they got into the business etc etc. What's truly incredible is when they compare and contrast how Broadway was back then and how it is now. They were a close-knit family back then; they didn't need mikes to project their voices throughout the theatre; the incredibly low ticket prices back then as compared to now...The picture isn't perfect...it's not done chronologically and there's no historical or sociological perspective. Still there's rare live footage of some of the Broadway shows and all the stories are just incredible. It makes one feel sad to realize we'll never see a world like that again. Everybody is good but Elaine Stritch is an absolute howl! A must see for all Broadway fans. A 10 all the way.

Unlike so many quickly forgotten documentaries this sterling entry is a memorable experience, both educational and fun for anyone with whatever degree of interest/curiosity in the history of Broadway musicals and its Golden Age talent. Since so many of these celebrities are at the age where they soon might not be with us, it is a godsend to have their thoughts on their craft captured for posterity.

This is the type of film where one viewing is not sufficient to capture all the flavor and nuances of the star-studded personalities captured in interview by the filmmaker.

A very worthwhile experience!!!

I was able to see this film while visiting with friends in Tarrytown and I have to say it was the best movie I've seen all year! How refreshing to watch a film where theater legends speak so passionately about what inspired them -- it inspired me! As a young actress with plans to move to New York, I was ready to throw in the towel this year and get a "real job." But seeing how some of my idols struggled at the start of their careers has given me hope. And the way the film was edited, I felt like I was in a room with all of these stars and they were talking to me alone. This film gave me chills! I can't wait to drag my whole family along when it comes out in theaters -- they won't regret it and will finally understand what being caught by the "acting bug" really means!

This is a truly fascinating discussion on the golden age of Broadway. What makes it so is the genuine passion one senses in those who were around at that amazing time. Their regard for "the theater" has an almost religious tone to it.

It's inevitable to compare the state of Broadway then and now. The most telling comparison is made by Jerry Orbach listing the staggering quality and variety of shows that ran simultaneously in 1950. Chita Rivera makes a strong and very convincing stand against the use of "canned" music and the use of mikes. While it's often all too easy to wax nostalgic about how great things were in the old days, this documentary certainly leaves one with the distinct impression that there indeed once was a golden age, never to return.

Many of those interviewed really are legends of the theater and therein lies the difference between then and now. There are indeed many wonderfully talented performers at present on Broadway, but alas no legends as such. (The same could be said of the London stage). Perhaps the overwhelming dominance of television and the movies leave no room for the cult of the live performer. The world of cabaret has suffered the same fate with today's performers a mere shadow of the stars of cabaret's golden age.

The segment devoted to actress Laurette Taylor is terribly moving. In essence it's about art and a true artist at work. Taylor's performances seem to have left an indelible impression on those fortunate enough to have seen her on the stage (as too is the case with Kim Stanley). Taylor and Stanley earned their legendary status by honing their craft. They were not stars but artists and supreme examples of an actor's actor.

There are numerous excerpts worthy of mention, but simply stated, for anyone with even a slight interest in the theater, this documentary is compulsory.

I can't say enough wonderful things about this movie! I wish I'd seen it in theatres. Unfortunately, it somehow missed my radar. I bought it almost immediately after renting it through Netflix and can't wait for the others he's making! Some of the stars interviewed surprised me, like Douglas Sills (a personal favorite of mine), Daisy Eagan, and Marisa Jaret Winokur. There were also a lot of the standard favorites like Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach, Patti LuPone, etc.

The varying views were wonderful to hear from the theatre world. It was nice to see that not everyone thinks that the Broadway of old is totally dead. I have hope for the future and recommend this HIGHLY to anyone who loves theatre!

I just purchased the DVD. Have watched it twice already. That is my era. Many of my favorites such as Eva Marie Saint, Patricia Neal, Kim Hunter, Maureen Stapleton, Julie Harris were just a few of the on-camera people speaking about that time. I just hung on every word. Especially great, in my opinion, was the Kim Stanley tribute and seeing Barbara Bel Geddes in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Just a little bit of Geraldine Page. All of the above are New York City ladies. GREAT.

This film was put together by someone who really knows and loves theater. You can just feel it.

I am so glad he did it when he did, as a couple of years later, some more have passed away.

Dick

One test of a documentary: Would you watch it more than once? Yes -- I've watched this three times with great pleasure and expect to do so again.

Another test: Was it over too soon? Yes, emphatically; I wish the film were twice as long.

Moreover, I found it extremely moving, even though I've never particularly considered myself a Broadway-show fan.

Maybe, in part, it's because it's filled with terrific, nostalgic glimpses of old Times Square.

The various featured performers, so many of them now no longer with us, are, of course, a joy (and in these snippets they all come across as charming and articulate and blessedly gifted at telling a funny anecdote), but special praise has to go to the editors; with its lively pace and rhythm, the film amounts to something of a master class in editing.

Yeah, there are a couple of sourpusses on this site who've gone out of their way to dump on the film -- but their spleen probably has something to do with the lavish praise expressed in all the other comments, to which I suspect these contrarians are overreacting. So be it. I'm pleased, this time, to applaud along with the majority.

P.S. I don't usually enjoy documentaries, but let me recommend one that, like this film, happens to be about show business: "Visions of Light," which interviews -- and displays the work of -- some of Hollywood's great modern cinematographers. I've never looked at movies in quite the same way again.