well, That's Show Biz, 03-01-2026 4-48 Women's History Month 2026

Women’s History Month 2026

“Well, That’s Show Biz!”

3-01-2026

• You are listening to [Station ID].

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• Welcome to “well, That’s Show Biz!”. I am your host, Jeremy Freedman, and each week I bring you music from Broadway, Movies, and Entertainers along with some anecdotes, information, and commentary all based on a theme.

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• Today’s show was pre-recorded.

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• March is Women’s History Month. Today we will be hearing from some of the Grand Dames of Broadway.

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• <Play Song>

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• You just heard the song that made Mary Martin a star, “My Heart Belongs to Daddy”, originally from Cole Porter’s 1938 musical, Leave It to Me!. Mary Martin won 4 Tony Awards and an Emmy Award. She began her career at a time when there were no microphones. We are going to hear from her three most famous roles, as Nelli Forbush from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, as Peter Pan, and as Maria in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. Here is a Grand Dame of musical theater, Mary Martin.

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• You just heard Mary Martin in her 3 most famous roles sing “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair” from South Pacific, “Never Never Land” from Peter Pan, and “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music.

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• March is Women’s History Month so today we are hearing from just a few of the Grand Dames of the musical stage.

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• Gwen Verdon won 4 Tony Awards and frequently collaborated with dancer/choreographer Bob Fosse, who she also married,  and originated 3 of the most famous roles in musical theater. First the siren Lola from Damn Yankees, then as taxi-dancer Charity Hope Valentine in Sweet Charity, and finally as killer Roxie Hart in Chicago.

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•  You just heard Grand Dame, Gwen Verdon, singing “Whatever Lola Wants” from Damn Yankees, “Where Am I Going” from Sweet Charity, and “Me and My Baby” from Chicago.

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• Our next musical Grand Dame was introduced to us playing Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes but will always be remembered for her Tony Award winning role of Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly!. I got to see Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly! at the Valley Forge Music Fair around 1982/’83. Although it’s not among my favorite musicals, I don’t understand the dancing waiters, she was marvelous. Here is Grand Dame, Carol Channing.

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• You just heard “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and “So Long Dearie” from Hello, Dolly!”.

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• March is Women’s History Month. Stay with us as we listen to more Grand Dames of the musical theater today on “well, That’s Show Biz!”.

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• <Station Promo>

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• You are listening to “well, That’s Show Biz!” on [Station ID].

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• March is Women’s History Month and we are honoring the month by presenting some of the Grand Dames of the musical theater. Thus far, we have covered Mary Martin, Gwen Verdon, and Carol Channing.

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• Angela Lansbury began her career in films when she was just a teenager in such films as Gaslight, National Velvet, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. But beginning in the 1960s, she began her Broadway career that resulted in a record 6 Tony Awards. She appeared in Stephen Sondheim’s short lived musical, Anyone Can Whistle, but became a phenomenon when she starred as Mame Dennis in Jerry Herman’s Mame. Here is Broadway’s Grand Dame, Angela Lansbury.

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• You just heard Grand Dame, Angela Lansbury, singing “There’s a Parade In Town” from Anyone Can Whistle and “If He Walked into My Life” from Mame.

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• I didn’t mean to slight Angela Lansbury by not mentioning her performance as Mrs. Lovett in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I just wanted to make sure that I gave proper due to the number one Grand Dame of Broadway.

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• Ethel Merman began her career at a time when there was no vocal amplification in the theater. Her voice had to reach to the upper limits of the theater. She became a star singing “I Got Rhythm” in George Gershwin’s Girl Crazy. She followed that with the role of Reno Sweeney in Cole Porter’s Anything Goes. Her next big roles included Annie Oakley in Irving Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun. She won her only Tony Award in Irving Berlin’s Call Me Madam and her last big role was as Mama Rose in Gypsy. She lost the Tony Award that year to her friend, Mary Martin, saying “How are you going to buck a nun?” Let's hear from the Grandest Grand Dame herself, Ethel Merman.

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• You just heard Ethel Merman singing “I Got Rhythm” from Girl Crazy, the title song from Anything Goes, “You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun” from Annie Get Your Gun, “The Hostess With the Mostes’ on the Ball” from Call Me Madam, and “Rose’s Turn” from Gypsy.

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• She declined the role of Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! allowing Carol Channing to originate the role. She eventually played the role in 1970 and was her last appearance on Broadway.

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• And that concludes our show on some of the Grand Dames of Broadway for Women’s History Month.

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• And that concludes this week’s edition of “well, That’s Show Biz!”. If you would like to assist with a future show, send your theme and song suggestions to me at wruushowbiz@gmail.com. And if you enjoyed today’s show, please contact the station at WRUU.org and let them know. And don’t forget to tell your friends to join us every Sunday at 1pm for more of “well, That’s Show Biz!” on WRUU-LP, Savannah, GA, 107.5FM and WRUU.org.  We are Savannah Soundings, Community Radio with Global Soul.

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• Please stay tuned for “Music At The Movies”, coming up next, hosted by Aiden Peck and I will see you next week. So long.

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