Liza with a Z

Liza with a "Z" is a 1972 concert film made for television, starring Liza Minnelli, produced by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. Fosse also directed and choreographed the concert, and Ebb wrote and arranged the music with his song-writing partner John Kander. All four had recently completed the successful film adaptation of Cabaret. According to Minnelli, Liza with a "Z" was "the first filmed concert on television".[3] Singer sponsored the production, even though producers did their best to prevent the sponsors from seeing rehearsals, fearing they would back out due to Minnelli's short skirts.[3]

Liza with a Z
Re-master poster
GenreConcert film
Written byFred Ebb
Directed byBob Fosse
StarringLiza Minnelli
Theme music composerKander and Ebb
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersFred Ebb
Bob Fosse
Michael Arick (re-master)
Craig Zadan (re-master)
Neil Meron (re-master)
CinematographyOwen Roizman
EditorAlan Heim
Running time51 min.
Release
Original networkNBC (Original)
Showtime (re-master)
Original releaseSeptember 10, 1972 (1972-09-10)[1][2]

Filmed on May 31 at the Lyceum Theatre in New York,[1][4] after only eight weeks of rehearsals,[3] the concert was shot with eight 16mm film cameras[1] at the insistence of Fosse, in contrast to other television specials of the time which were all shot on videotape.

Throughout the concert Minnelli sings and dances to a variety of popular songs, highlights from Cabaret, and material specifically written for her by Kander and Ebb—most notably the title song.[5] Minnelli is often accompanied on stage by dancers, backup singers, and musicians. Costumes were designed by Halston, who was also a friend of Minnelli's. Marvin Hamlisch was selected by Kander and Ebb to be music coordinator.[1]

First broadcast by NBC on September 10, 1972, it went on to win four Emmys and a Peabody Award. Kay Gardella of the New York Daily News reviewed the film as being "sensational with an S."[4] After the initial broadcast, NBC re-ran the concert only twice more and did not screen it again after 1973.[1][2] The film was not seen for over thirty years and was thought lost until 1999, when Michael Arick discovered that Minnelli owned the copyright and the two set about restoring the negatives.[3]

Musical numbers
Publicity photo from the production
  1. "Yes"
  2. "God Bless the Child"
  3. "Say Liza (Liza with a "Z")"
  4. "It Was a Good Time"
  5. "I Gotcha"
  6. "Son of a Preacher Man"
  7. "Ring Them Bells"
  8. "Bye Bye Blackbird"
  9. "You've Let Yourself Go"
  10. "My Mammy"
  11. Cabaret Medley

Remaster and DVD release

After the initial broadcasts in 1972 and 1973, the negatives were stored in the vaults of NBC, only occasionally being brought out for Minnelli's own personal use.[6] In the 1980s, the original negatives were lost and feared destroyed. Michael Arick and Minnelli eventually tracked down the original negatives in 1999 in Los Angeles and New York.[6] In 2005, Minnelli revealed to Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, producers and friends of hers, that she owned the rights to the film and that she had been restoring it with Arick. They introduced her to Robert Greenblatt, President of Entertainment for Showtime, who agreed to finance the restoration, broadcast the film, and release the DVD.[7]

The re-mastered film was accepted into both the Toronto International Film Festival and the Hamptons Film Festival and premiered September 9, 2005, at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres in Toronto. Showtime broadcast the restored film on April 1, 2006.[8]

As well as a restored picture, the DVD also offers the option of 5.1 surround sound audio. This was made possible due to a new mix being created from reels of sound recordings Minnelli had personally archived after the original production in 1972.[6] The DVD also includes a commentary track recorded by Minnelli, a performance of "Mein Herr" cut from the original film, an interview with Kander recorded by Minnelli, a recording of Minnelli and the restoration producers discussing the film at the Toronto Film Festival, and a separate performance by Minnelli at the GLAAD Awards in 2005.

Awards and honors
Year Award Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result
1973 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Single Program - Variety and Popular Music Bob Fosse, Fred Ebb, Liza Minnelli Won
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy-Variety or Music Special Bob Fosse Won
Outstanding Achievement in Choreography Won
Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Variety or Music Fred Ebb Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition - For a Special Program Fred Ebb, John Kander Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Music, Lyrics and Special Material Won
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Entertainment Programming - For a Special or Feature Length Program of a Series Owen Roizman Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing for Entertainment Programming - For a Special or Feature Length Program of a Series Alan Heim Nominated
Directors Guild of America Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical/Variety Bob Fosse, Kenneth Utt, Paul Ganapoler, John Neukum Won
Peabody Award For Timex All-Star Swing Festival and 'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin Won
2006 Satellite Award Best DVD Release of a TV Show Nominated

Soundtrack
Liza with a "Z"
Soundtrack album by
Liza Minnelli
ReleasedSeptember 10, 1972
March 7, 2006 (reissue)
RecordedMay 1972
GenreShowtunes
Traditional pop
Length48:42
LanguageEnglish
LabelColumbia Records
Showtime (reissue)
ProducerAndrew Kazdin
Liza Minnelli chronology
Cabaret
(1972)		 Liza with a "Z"
(1972)		 The Singer
(1973)
Soundtrack reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[9]

The original film soundtrack was recorded to 1/4" tape, and mixed down into a mono track for the 16mm film.[6] An LP of the soundtrack was released in 1972 and followed in the success of the film by becoming a best seller[2] and being certified gold.[6] In total it spent twenty-three weeks in the Top 40 charts, and has never been out of print.[6] By May 1973, the album had sold 30,000 copies in the UK, selling 1,000 copies a day.[10]

A CD of the stereo soundtrack was simultaneously released alongside the film's 2006 DVD release.

Track listing

The following is the track listing from the 2006 reissue. There are two differences between the 1972 original and the reissue — the first is that "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Ring Them Bells" were placed in the correct performance order for the reissue. The original release had the two songs in reverse order.[11] The second difference is that the original had a twelfth track, entitled "Bows".[12] For the reissue, this track was mixed into the end of the previous track.

  1. "Yes" (Kander and Ebb) — 3:15
  2. "God Bless the Child" (Herzog, Holiday) — 3:07
  3. "Say Liza (Liza with a "Z")" (Kander and Ebb) — 3:06
  4. "It Was a Good Time" (Curb, David, Jarre) — 4:58
  5. "I Gotcha" (Tex) — 3:44
  6. "Son of a Preacher Man" (Hurley, Wilkins) — 3:25
  7. "Ring Them Bells" (Kander and Ebb) — 5:41
  8. "Bye Bye Blackbird" (Dixon, Henderson) — 3:57
  9. "You've Let Yourself Go" (Aznavour) — 3:56
  10. "My Mammy" (Donaldson, Lewis, Young) — 3:03
  11. "Cabaret Medley" (Kander and Ebb) — 10:21[11] (9:52, 1972 version)[12]
  12. "Bows" (Gershwin, Gershwin, Kahn) — 0:30 (1972 version only)[12]

Charts
Chart 1972 Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] 17
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 9
Billboard 200[15] 19

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[16] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
  1. Zadan, C., "1972", Liza with a "Z" DVD inlay, 2006, Anchor Bay Entertainment
  2. Stanley, Alessandra (March 31, 2006). "Liza With a "Z" Television Review". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
  3. Shillinger, Liesl (February 26, 2006). "Suddenly Liza". New York Magazine. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
  4. "Liza with a "Z"". PBS. Archived from the original on 7 March 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
  5. The Art Of The American Musical: Conversations With The Creators, Jackson R. Bryer, Richard Allan Davison, p. 102, 2005, Rutgers University Press, ISBN 0-8135-3613-8
  6. Arick, Michael. "Notes on the Restoration". Official Liza Minnelli website. Archived from the original on 18 January 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
  7. Zadan, C., "Flash forward 34 Years", Liza with a "Z" DVD inlay, 2006, Anchor Bay Entertainment
  8. "Liza with a "Z"!". Official Liza Minnelli website. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
  9. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r850665
  10. "From the music capital of the world: London". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 85 (21): 55. 26 May 1973. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  11. Unterberger, Richie. "Liza with a "Z" reissue". Allmusic. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
  12. Unterberger, Richie. "Liza with a "Z"". Allmusic. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
  13. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 202. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. "Liza Minnelli | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  15. "Charts & Awards, Liza Minnelli" allmusic.com, accessed September 6, 2011
  16. "American album certifications – Liza Minnelli – Liza with a "Z"". Recording Industry Association of America.
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