Carol Channing Tickets Continued
Carol Channing's first job on stage in New York was in Marc Blitzstein's No For
an Answer, which was given two special Sunday performances starting January 5, 1941 at
the Mecca Temple (later New York's City Center). She then moved to Broadway for Let's
Face It, in which she was an understudy for Eve Arden. She had a featured role in a revue,
Lend an Ear, where she was spotted by Anita Loos and cast in the role of Lorelei Lee, which
was to bring her to prominence. Her signature song from the production was "Diamonds Are
a Girl's Best Friend". Carol Channing's persona and that of the character were
strikingly alike: simultaneously smart yet scattered, naive but worldly.
Carol Channing came to national prominence as the star of Jerry Herman's
Hello, Dolly!. She never missed a performance during her run, attributing her good health to
her Christian Science faith. Her performance won her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a
Musical, in a year when her chief competition was Barbra
Streisand for Funny Girl. She was deeply disappointed when Streisand, who many
believed to be far too young for the role, successfully campaigned to play the role of Dolly
Levi in the film, which also starred Walter Matthau and Michael Crawford.
Carol Channing reprised the role of Lorelei Lee in the musical Lorelei, and
appeared in two New York revivals of Hello, Dolly!, in addition to touring with it extensively
throughout the United States. She also appeared in a number of movies, including the cult
film Skidoo and Thoroughly Modern Millie, opposite Julie Andrews and Mary Tyler Moore.
For Millie she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress,
and was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
