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Irving Berlin's 100th Birthday Celebration

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Irving Berlin circa 1920

Irving Berlin's 100th Birthday Celebration was a concert special held in his honor at Carnegie Hall on May 11, 1988.[1] It was aired on CBS television two weeks later, on May 27.[2] At the 40th annual Emmy Awards later that summer, on August 28, it won two Emmys for outstanding variety, music or comedy program. Berlin himself did not attend, as he had retired from public life.[3]

The gala concert was sponsored by Carnegie Hall and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), of which Berlin was a founding member.[1] A number of countries also observed Berlin's birthday, including Great Britain, and Viking Press subsequently published an unauthorized biography of Berlin by Laurence Bergreen.[4][5] The show was produced by Don Mischer, who produces the Tony Award telecasts.[5]

Performances

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Among the dozens of performers were Frank Sinatra, Isaac Stern,[6] Willie Nelson, Michael Feinstein, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Rosemary Clooney, Billy Eckstine, Marilyn Horne, Jerome Robbins, Tommy Tune, and fellow composer Morton Gould, president of ASCAP. Proceeds from the benefit went to ASCAP and Carnegie Hall.[7]

Leonard Bernstein performed "My Twelve Tone Melody", a song he wrote in tribute to Berlin.[8]

The hosts included Shirley MacLaine, Walter Cronkite,[9] Jerome Robbins, and Morton Gould,[10] with the following list including most of the artists and songs performed during the 90 + minute TV special:[11][12]

  • Finale: Entire cast performing "There's No Business Like Show Business"[25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Irving Berlin, Absent, Is Much the Star of Carnegie Tribute", New York Times, May 12, 1988
  2. ^ "IRVING BERLIN'S 100th Birthday Celebration", Library of Congress
  3. ^ "In 1988, Top Artists Celebrated Irving Berlin's 100th Birthday With an Emmy-Winning Special", Billboard, August 27, 2019
  4. ^ As Thousands Cheer: The Life Of Irving Berlin, Amazon books
  5. ^ a b "Happy 100th, Irving Berlin", UPI, May 6, 1988
  6. ^ Isaac Stern
  7. ^ "IRVING BERLIN’S 100TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION", Thomas Film Classics
  8. ^ "Works: Vocal: My Twelve-Tone Melody (1988)". LeonardBernstein.com. Archived from the original on 2018-05-05. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  9. ^ Walter Cronkite
  10. ^ Morton Gould
  11. ^ "Irving Berlin's 100th Birthday Celebration", IMDB
  12. ^ "IRVING BERLIN 100TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION - DVD", The Film Collectors Society of America
  13. ^ Shirley MacLaine
  14. ^ Shirley MacLaine
  15. ^ Willie Nelson
  16. ^ Madeline Kahn
  17. ^ Ray Charles
  18. ^ Bea Arthur
  19. ^ Rosemary Clooney
  20. ^ Tony Bennett
  21. ^ Natalie Cole
  22. ^ Frank Sinatra
  23. ^ Army chorus
  24. ^ Marilyn Horne
  25. ^ Finale