Columbia 5620
Producer: Goddard Lieberson
Track listing: Overture [Orchestra] / Parade [Orchestra] / I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight [Richard Burton] / The Simple Joys of Maidenhood [Julie Andrews] / Camelot [Burton, Andrews] / Follow Me [Marjorie Smith] / C’est moi [Robert Goulet] / The Lusty Month of May [Andrews, ensemble] / Then You May to the Fair [Andrews, John Cullum, James Gannon, Bruce Yarnell] / How to Handle a Woman [Burton] / The Jousts [Burton, Andrews, Ensemble] / Gaze at You Again [Andrews] / If Ever I Would Leave You [Goulet] / The Seven Deadly Virtues [Roddy McDowall] / What Do Simple Folks Do [Andrews, Burton] / The Persuasion [McDowall, M’el Dowd] / Fire on Goodness! [Knights] / I Loved in Silence [Andrews] / Guenevere [ensemble] / Camelot (Reprise) [Burton]
June 5, 1961
6 weeks mono
Nearly five years after the landmark success of My Fair Lady, the team of lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe had another hit on their hands with their next musical, Camelot. And once again Moss Hart staged the production and Julie Andrews was the leading lady. Co- star Robert Coate was another alumnus My Fair Lady, as were musical arrangers Robert Russell Bennett, Philip J. Land, and Trude Rittman, musical director Franz Allers, and album producer Goddard Lieberson.
Camelot made its Broadway debut on December 3, 1960, at the Majestic Theatre. Prior to its Broadway opening, the musical had brief runs in Boston and Toronto, where it was the first production staged at the O’Keefe Centre. “They were finishing the theater as we were trying to ready our new show for its first out-of-town performance,” recalls Andrews.
Andrews portrayed Queen Guenevere, while accomplished British actor Richard Burton made his musical debut as King Arthur. Robert Goulet was cast as Lancelot, and Roddy McDowall as the evil Mordred.
While Camelot was a hit, it wasn’t quite as successful as My Fair Lady. “Camelot may not have been as critically successful as My Fair Lady, but it did have a magic of its own and people were attracted to that,” says Andrews. “Perhaps it was because the original book by T.H. White [The Once and Future King] was so amazing, or that Richard Burton was so compelling as King Arthur.”
Musically, the show was loaded with highlights. “The title song is very beautiful and evocative,” Andrews says. “And I particularly love ‘I Loved You Once in Silence.’ “
In its 20th week on the 150 Best Selling Monaural LP’s chart, Camelot hit the summit. Its six-week reign at the top and its overall chart life of 265 weeks were no match for the legacy of My Fair Lady, yet Camelot is still the third most successful original cast album of the rock era, behind My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music. Andrews feels timing had a lot to do with the success of the musicals: “I believe that if Camelot had been produced before My Fair Lady, it would have been an even bigger hit.”
THE TOP FIVE
Week of June 5, 1961
1. Camelot, Original Broadway Cast
2. G.I. Blues, Elvis Presley
3. Calcutta, Lawrence Welk
4. Exodus, Soundtrack
5. Great Motion Picture Themes, Various artists