Brigadoon (1966)
In 1954, the musical stage hit BRIGADOON found its way to the big screen as a vehicle for Gene Kelly and Syd Charisse. As such, the emphasis somehow turned from the songs to dance, several of the best songs were scrapped (a few were filmed but didn't make the final cut of the movie), and the bizarre time-traveling tale of the vanishing Scottish city that reappears once every 100 years for a sole day was shot on soundstages with hokey backdrops. While not a failure (it was nominated for several Oscars and won a Golden Globe for cinematography), the film continues to get heavy criticism and doesn't have the gleaming reputation of many similar film musicals from the era. So in 1966, there was a drastic do-over... for the small screen.
This time around, Robert Goulet, whose baritone voice was far more appropriate for the material, took over Kelly's role, and Sally Ann Howes filled the Charisse part. And as the bumbling, alcoholic, scene-stealing friend, was none other than Peter Falk, pre-Columbo. The tale was updated to 1966, several songs missing from the original film were reinstated, and the result was a high-rated, multiple Emmy winning film. A soundtrack was issued in limited release (for the low cost of $1!), available only at Armstrong stores (the sponsor of the film).
There were a few downsides. After a beautiful opening that was shot on location, the town of Brigadoon in the TV version was obviously filmed on soundstages too. Given that it was made for TV (and is an early TV movie filmed in living color!), it's forgivable. Although "My Mother's Wedding Day," which was absent from the theatrical version, was reinstated into the TV movie, it was inexplicably omitted from the album -- though a photo from the number appears on the back of the LP jacket. And if I were going to nitpick, the LP versions of many of the songs deviate a bit from those in the film, though not drastically.
But easily the biggest downside is that the film has not been seen since it last aired in 1967. It's fallen into that black hole of wonderful TV movies that seem to be lost and forgotten (along with hundreds of others of the ilk). Good thing we have the internet and collectors who share their obscurities or things like this would probably never see the light of day again. Currently the film is on You Tube.
