Barbra Streisand's first television special was My Name Is Barbra (April 14, 1965), shot shortly after she played in Funny Girl. Shot in black and white, it's a little different from the other variety shows of the day (e.g., The Judy Garland Show) in that there's no parade of guest stars or dancing girls. That's a good thing, as those are the numbers that get dated very ...
Barbra Streisand's fifth television special, Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments (November 2, 1973), returns to the concept-show format. Streisand takes her place among the symphony orchestra members sporting her own instrument: her voice. One medley groups a number of favorite songs but in "international" settings, such as "People" accompanied by sitar and "Don't Rain on My ...
Color Me Barbra was Barbra Streisand's second television special, broadcast on March 30, 1966 and is, naturally, filmed in color. The first sequence was shot at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with Streisand wandering among the masterworks and antiquities, even singing "Where or When" dressed as Nefertiti. Next she's among a circus of animals, singing "Try to remember" to the elephant or ...
A Man and His Music is part of a series of Sinatra DVDs assembled by Warner Music Vision. It's a fine idea, and would have been finer still if someone had roused themselves to make a bit more of an effort with the packaging. As it is, it is possible to deduce that the performances here were recorded for television in 1965, and involve the orchestras of Nelson Riddle and Gordon Jenkins, but ...