The 1975 Tony Awards, Part 1

My Little Tonys

In this episode covering the first half of an extremely crowded season, we try to unpack the truly bizarre ceremony for the 1975 Tonys. We also gush over the many talents of Geoffrey Holder, uncover a Wikipedia conspiracy about The Wiz, and separate fact & fiction in Mack & Mabel. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@mylittletonys) for additional content about this season’s shows!

Works referenced/cited:

Hischak, Thomas S. The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television. Oxford University Press, 2008.

Filichia, Peter. Broadway Musicals: The Biggest Hit & the Biggest Flop of the Season 1959 to 2009. Applause Books, 2010.

Mordden, Ethan. One More Kiss: the Broadway Musical in the 1970s. Palgrave MacMillan, 2004.

Bloom, Ken, and Frank Vlastnik. Broadway Musicals: the 101 Greatest Shows of All Time. Black Dog & Leventhal Pubs., 2010.

Mandelbaum, Ken. Not since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops. St. Martin's Press, 1992.

Barnes, Clive. “Stage: 'The Wiz' (of Oz).” The New York Times.

Brantley, Ben. “THEATER REVIEW; Pie Fights, Keystone Kops and Pain.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 July 1999.

Dietz, Dan. The Complete Book of 1970s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.

“Ease on Down the Road.” National Museum of African American History and Culture, 30 Jan. 2019.

Gray, Tim. “'The Wiz': How TV Turned a Troubled Stage Show Into a Smash.” Variety, 3 Dec. 2015.

Harris, Hark. “'Mack & Mabel' and Silent Film Era.” The New York Times, 7 Oct. 1974.

Herman, Jerry, and Ken Bloom. Jerry Herman: the Lyrics: a Celebration. Routledge, 2003.

Hirschhorn, Clive. “Will Sondheim Succeed In Being Genuinely Japanese?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Jan. 1976.

Klein, Alvin. “THEATER; 'MACK AND MABEL' IN A REVIVAL.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 June 1985.

Klein, Alvin. “THEATER; 'Mack and Mabel' With a New Finale.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 July 1988.

Lester, Elenore. “Geoffrey Holder‐The Whiz Who Rescued 'The Wiz'.” The New York Times, 25 May 1975.

McOUISTON, JOHN T. “'The Wiz,' Best Musical, Wins 7 Tonys.” The New York Times, 21 Apr. 1975.

Rollins, Bryant. “Does 'The Wiz' Say Something Extra to Blacks?” The New York Times, 28 Dec. 1975.

Stock, Ellen. “Mack & Mabel: Getting the Show Off the Road.” New York Magazine, 7 Oct. 1974, pp. 49–52.

“'The Wiz' Misses.” The New York Times, 12 Jan. 1975.

Viertel, Jack. Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built. Sarah Crichton Books,Farrar, Straus and Grioux, 2017.

Weinstock, Matt. “Angela Lansbury on Mack & Mabel.” New York City Center, 2 Oct. 2014.

Wilson, John S. “RECORDINGS VIEW.” The New York Times, 1 June 1975.

Longworth, Karina. “Mabel Normand (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 5).” You Must Remember This, 31 July 2018.

Anger, Kenneth. Hollywood Babylon. Rogner & Bernhard Bei Zweitausendeins, 2011.

Peters, Bernadette, and Véronique Hyland. “Broadway Legend Bernadette Peters on Meditation and Italian Feasts.” The Cut, 3 Mar. 2016.