G&S with Barbara Cook and Alfred Drake

This is a promotional EP that I first shared several years ago on my other blog. I have redone the transfer, achieving much better results this time around. Here is some of what I had to say way back when:

"Today we have a very unusual item - a promotional record made for a 1957 televised presentation of Gilbert & Sullivan's Yeomen of the Guard, with a cast that included Alfred Drake and Barbara Cook, fresh from Candide.

"The record is a 7-inch EP issued by the NBC publicity department. My copy does not have a cover, and I doubt it came in one.

"These songs are not excerpts from the televised production itself, which probably was transmitted live. These were pre-recorded with piano accompaniment in place of the Franz Allers-led orchestra that was featured on the Hallmark Hall of Fame program.

"The sound is good, and reveals fine performances by Alfred Drake and Barbara Cook, and a soggy one from Celeste Holm."

Drake, Holm, Hayes, Cook

I should also mention the good performance by Bill Hayes, and that the production has now been issued  on DVD. You can learn more about it here.

For the record:

Yeomen of the Guard - April 10, 1957

NBC

Barbara Cook - Elsie Maynard
Alfred Drake - Jack Point
Bill Hayes - Col. Fairfax
Celeste Holm - Phoebe Meryll