Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand

The Television Specials (Rhino)

The five television specials Barbra Streisand made between 1965 and 1973 are testimonials to her ascendancy as a star and TV's expanding boundaries in the tumultuous Sixties. My Name Is Barbra (1965) was her first, a black & white tour-de-force that still elicits praise. Color Me Barbra (1966) was literal, a time when television swung from black & white to color, and the companion to My Name Is Barbra. Less success though more conceptual was The Belle of 14th Street (1967), her take on turn-of-the-century favorites. Barbra Streisand: A Happening in Central Park (1967) returned her to her diva-like status on the small screen. By the time Barbra Streisand ... And Other Musical Instruments (1973) came out, she'd forgone the upswept hairdos and dramatic gowns for a mildly hippie look and a more casual approach to music (Ray Charles guests). Streisand's unyielding good taste in music is uniform, first demonstrated in My Name Is Barbra, when American viewers got their first close-up of her classic style and offbeat beauty. Gorgeous production and songs that became her trademark – "Second Hand Rose," "People," and "Happy Days Are Here Again" – work much better than the silliness of Color Me Barbra, in which five penguins are desperate to escape her nearness during the "Circus Medley." Of the five DVDs, My Name Is Barbra is only matched by Barbra Streisand: A Happening in Central Park, a legendary performance in which Streisand earned her angel wings before an audience of 150,000. She's at her zenith here, confident, composed, and bursting with glorious song.