For this Sunday evening special, I thought I would bring out some old Barbra, from her early television appearances, from the early and mid 60s. Take, for example, her appearance in 1961 on The Tonight Show With Jack Parr, which went on to become the legendary show with Johnny Carson. At this point, Streisand was an unknown, playing in clubs in New York City and touring with the night club show. After the song, it is wonderful to see the interaction with famed comedian Phyllis Diller and with Mr. Parr. Enjoy A Sleepin' Bee, which appeared on her debut, The Barbra Streisand Album.
The following year, Barbra was cast in the show I Can Get It For You Wholesale, which brought her much attention. The next year, she released her debut album, which had many of the standards she had used in her night club show. Soon she was back on Broadway in a the show Funny Girl, which, of course, went on to be made a great film and won Barbra the Oscar in 1968. In 1965, she had her first television special, My Name Is Barbra. For one on the final segments, she did a medley of song from Funny Girl, and ended with a song not in the Broadway show, but that she wanted to bring in to the movie. The song was My Man, a song long identified with Fanny Brice.
An album also named My Name Is Barbra not only closed with the Fanny Brice song, but it included the beautiful and haunting song Why Did I Choose You? Barbra is beautifully photographed in this clip.
In 1966, Barbra had her second TV special, Color Me Barbra. She did a song from The Third Album. It is the amazing song It Had To Be You, and breathed new life into the old standard.
Barbra sang the lovely and enchanting He Touched Me as part of another TV special, A Happening In Central Park. It was filmed on June 17, 1967, live in front of an audience in New York's Central Park. She was already a Broadway star, as well as a TV and Recording star. Soon, with the release of Funny Girl, she would be a movie star as well. Over 135,000 people showed up to hear the girl from Brooklyn sing, a staggering number. And it was well worth it.
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