Shirley MacLaine

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Society & Culture, Music Commentary, Music, Personal Journals

4.4 • 13.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 November 1983

⏱️ 35 minutes

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Summary

Shirley Maclaine began her career as a singer and dancer in the chorus of a Broadway musical. Success came quickly when, as an understudy, she had to take over a leading role in The Pajama Game, and she went on to make many successful films including The Apartment, Sweet Charity and The Turning Point. She regularly tours the world with her own song and dance show. In conversation with Roy Plomley, she talks about her life and chooses eight records she would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: If My Friends Could See Me Now by Shirley MacLaine Book: Dictionary and Hexalingual thesaurus Luxury: Blank paper

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Christy Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive.
0:05.4	For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.
0:08.4	The program was originally broadcast in 1983, and the presenter was Roy Plumley.
0:30.0	On our Desert Island this week is the actress, entertainer, writer, and traveler,
0:34.4	Shirley McClain. Could you endure loneliness and isolation?
0:38.3	Oh, what I would not be able to endure is being without isolation.
0:43.8	Really need it.
0:44.8	Do you play discs a lot?
0:46.3	Yes.
0:47.0	You have this problem of taking just eight that may have to last for a long, long time.
0:51.9	What did you have in mind when you started to choose?
0:54.5	What I could fit into an hour about choosing because I have a hard time making up my mind.
1:00.0	So this is today's choice, but...
1:02.1	Yes, it definitely if you would ask me next Thursday, I think it would be different.
1:06.0	What's the first one we're having today?
1:08.0	The first one is Fly Me to the Moon, Nat King Cole.
1:10.7	Why do you choose that?
1:12.3	Well, it's a love song that has to do with sort of the conglomeration of thinking of fantasy and
1:23.5	reality.
1:24.8	In other words, when you're really in love, you are flung to the stars.
1:30.2	Fly Me to the Moon, and let me play among the stars.
1:38.6	Let me see what spring is like.
	...

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