By Barb Pert Templeton
It’s a life story packed into a hearty hardcover book with 966 pages not counting the table of contents, the epilogue and a dozen pages devoted to photographs. Just holding the book to read it takes extra effort due to its girth.
Despite those facts, ‘My Name Is Barbra,’ released late last year and penned by the iconic actress herself, Barbra Streisand, is a refreshing look at her life minus the decades of gossip and innuendo so long spouted by the tabloid media.
I’ve only gotten as far as chapter three (there are 59 total chapters) but it reminded me of how I was first introduced to this impressive star and it was of course via the movies.
Once I started to look into her catalogue of films over the last six decades the variety, from dramas to musical to romantic comedies, means there’s certainly something for everyone.
I admit the romantic comedies are my favorites but most people gravitate to the classics like “Funny Girl” and “The Way We Were” when they think of the star. The latter film creating the frequently quoted line “Hello Gorgeous,” as stated by Barbra in her role as Fanny Brice.
Dramas, like her films “Nuts” and “The Prince of Tides,” were well done but a little too dark for my taste so I don’t rewatch them as I do her romantic comedies.
Films like “For Pete’s Sake” and “What’s Up Doc?” are silly, madcap favorites on my list but “Meet the Fockers” doesn’t make it for me. I suppose her role was tolerable but I found the leading characters, Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro, extremely annoying.
Here are my picks:
An entertaining and successful Barbra Streisand film that brought in $88 million dollars in box office receipts.
A Star is Born – 1976 Directed by Frank Pierson
Storyline: A romantic musical where successful rocker John Norman Howard (Kris Kristofferson) meets a fledging bar singer named Esther Hoffman (Barbra Streisand) and quickly recognizes her great talent. He’s determined to bring he onto the world stage and they also fall deeply in love. As her star rises his destructive behavior, including a major drinking problem, threatens to up end their happy ending.
Behind the Scenes:
- Supposedly Kris Kristofferson (who co-starred playing the role of John Norman Howard) said working with Streisand cured of any desire to do any more films.
- Barbra wanted Elvis Presley to play the role of John Norman Howard and even went to Vegas to meet with the “King”. Elvis wanted to play the role but his manager made such ridiculous demands related to money the role went to Kris Kristofferson.
- The rock concert was filmed before a crowd of 147,000 at a venue in Arizona. A few other musicians were added to the show and tickets were just $3.50.
My take on it: Loved this film and the soundtrack will forever take me back to my high school days when we listened to it endlessly and knew the words to every song. It was so well done, in my humble opinion, that the Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga redo paled in comparison.
The Mirror has Two Faces – 1996 Directed by Barbra Streisand
The film, that was directed by Barbra Streisand and also had her playing the lading lady, was a fun romp that includes lots of stars like Jeff Bridges, Lauren Bacall, Pierce Brosnan and George Segal.
Storyline: A romantic comedy that Barbra not only directs but also stars in playing alongside Jeff Bridges as a couple of seemingly incompatible college professors. The character, Rose Morgan is shy, frumpy and still living with her mother (actress Lauren Bacall) when a personal ad leads to her meeting with gorgeous but quirky Gregory Larkin (Bridges) who thinks a platonic relationship is best. It’s a fun film with appearances by George Segal and Brenda Vaccaro plus Pierce Brosnan and Mimi Rogers.
Behind the Scenes:
- Filming the movie on the campus at Columbia University caused a campus-wide blackout one day.
- Dudley Moore was supposed to play the role George Segal played in the film, a good friend of leading character Gregory Larkin, but was fired by Streisand for not remembering his lines.
- This was Lauren Bacall’s only Oscar nominated performance – she didn’t take home the trophy.
My take on it: This film is one of my Streisand favorites. It’s warm and funny and takes a close look at the fact that how you look always takes a second chair to how you feel. Admittedly, many in my circle find it to be a bit corny but from the leading characters to the impressive sidekicks I enjoy seeing it over and over.
