George Abbott
Desert Island Discs
BBC
4.3 • 14.3K Ratings
🗓️ 1 September 1984
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
George Abbott, who is 97 years old, has just directed a revival of his musical On Your Toes. He began his career as an actor, but before long he was also writing plays and staging them. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his remarkable career and some of his hit shows, including Call Me Madam, The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Favourite track: Falling In Love With Love by Ellen Hanley & Orchestra Book: Encyclopaedia Luxury: Writing paper
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello I'm Kirstie Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. |
| 0:05.0 | For Wright's reasons, we've had to shorten the music. |
| 0:08.0 | The program was originally broadcast in 1984 and the presenter was Roy Plumlee. This week are cast away as a distinguished man of the theatre, director, playwright, producer, and actor |
| 0:36.4 | George Abbott. |
| 0:38.0 | Mr Abbott, it seems general that most theatrical producers retire at the age of about 90 or 91, but here are you, you're 97 and still going strong and still at it. |
| 0:48.5 | I enjoy it, and I've always enjoyed working. That's the only reason I can give you. Now what brings you |
| 0:55.1 | to London on this occasion? On this occasion I came to direct a production of |
| 1:00.3 | on your toes which has just finished a run in New York and is on the road there. |
| 1:07.0 | I remember seeing the original London production, that was what back in about 1937? |
| 1:12.0 | 1936 was the first production of a play by this name. |
| 1:18.0 | And it's still going strong. |
| 1:20.0 | Have you ever visited a desert island? |
| 1:22.0 | No, I can't say that I have. |
| 1:24.0 | Do you think you could put up with it for a few weeks? |
| 1:27.0 | I do. |
| 1:28.0 | I think I could adjust, yes. |
| 1:29.0 | Now you have just eight discs to take with you. |
| 1:32.0 | Do you play discs a lot? No. have just |
| 1:33.0 | played discs a lot? |
| 1:34.0 | No. |
| 1:35.0 | Have you any musical skill yourself? |
| 1:36.0 | Do you play the piano? |
... |
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