COLLECTING RARE BROADWAY SHOW & OTHER ORIGINAL CAST LPS
The collectible basis for Broadway Shows and other 'Original Cast' LPs (we're not including CDs or cassettes here) is to study a field that has no set rules for what is valuable and what isn't. It is really determined on a case-by-case basis. Unlike our insights in collecting Rare Film Music Original Soundtrack LPs which center around the film composers, this isn't necessarily the case with original cast LPs. First, you have to remember that original cast LPs were released in much smaller quantities than soundtrack LPs, because there were so many less people who saw the shows (unless it was something like Rodgers & Hammerstein's 'Sound Of Music', 'South Pacific', 'King and I', 'Carousel' which were made into successful feature films to create audience awareness). These shows were mainly seen on Broadway in New York City, as touring companies were mainly reserved for the biggest hits, and much less effort was given to this area in the 1940s and 1950s. Most of those touring companies limited themselves to the major cities: Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco. So, to reiterate, the potential sales of original cast LP recordings were very low, so to find a particular original cast LP is a very difficult task. If a particular Broadway show happened to 'bomb', then this really set the stage for disaster for the original cast LP release, if it was released at all. Of course, from a collector's standpoint, this made for a very interesting dilemma in later years, if, for example, you happened to want a copy of Bette Davis' appearance in 'Two's Company'. Even with two separate reissues, the original RCA release still commands upwards of $1,000 in mint condition today! They are said to be even rarer, as rumor has it that Ms. Davis tried to buy up as many copies as she could find and destroy them! Even the reissues are priced in the hundreds of dollars, such is the charismatic allure of the legendary star to collectors.
Pictured above are four other examples of rare Broadway show original cast LPs which sell for upwards of $300 today: 1950s release of Lauritz Melchior in 'Arabian Nights'; next is Butterfly McQueen (of 'Gone With The Wind' fame!) in 1964's 'Athenian Touch', starring Marion Marlowe and Robert Cosden and released on an obscure Broad Way East Records label. A novelty recording based on the appearance of a 1930s star and on a rare record label. Another 1950s novelty is 'Flahooley' which featured the singing of Yma Sumac who was said to have one of broadest singing ranges ever recorded! Then there's 1953's 'Hazel Flagg' which was composed by the legendary Jule Styne and Bob Hilliard, starring Helen Gallagher, Benny Venuta, John Howard, Jack Whiting; and released on RCA Record label. If anything appears to be a common thread for collectibility in the original cast LP category, it seems that the RCA Record company released quite a number of the 'Rare Broadway Show' original cast LPs list.
Perhaps more than anywhere else, there were a number of private issues, limited editions, non-commercial releases to various original cast LPs released. In some cases, these may have been studio recordings of the songs from the show that were presented to potential 'Angels' (investors in Broadway shows) to entice them to fund a particular show. Some may have been only presented on reel tapes for the same reason, as, over the years, we were offered hundreds of such reel tapes for shows that never had original cast LPs released. Others were 'live' audio tapes of other non-released original cast recordings, some with the complete show including dialogue. Some of these pressings are so rare that it's difficult to even evaluate them, as prices might have to be determined for some one-of-a-kind original cast LPs! On the other side, rarity doesn't necessarily make an LP valuable--if no one wants them, there is no value even for a one-of-a-kind original cast LP release! The show may have been a real stinker, and it deserved to die on the vine! Other pressings are unusual because the majority of shows would 'open out of town' in places like Boston or Chicago or Philly to test the pacing of the show, the likability of certain songs, or the appearance of various performers who brought and didn't bring charisma to the show. So these 'out of town' pressings may have someone on them or a song on them that never made it to the final version that opened on Broadway, making them real novelties and very valuable sometimes! As a dealer, we've tried for over 30 years to catalogue many of these private pressings, but it's still an ongoing project with many additions every succeeding year.
Other areas for collecting in the original cast LP market are what we term 'regional theatre', 'off-Broadway' original cast LPs which features shows that never made it to Broadway. They may have run only in Los Angeles, San Francisco, or even some very obscure locations; but which had an original cast LP released! The obscurity doesn't necessarily demote the market value of the LP, however. Of course, other locations of supreme interest would be primarily in Europe--London, Paris, Rome, etc. A good example of a valuable release is the Japanese musical based on 'Gone With The Wind' which was titled 'Scarlett' sung in Japanese one a very nice 2LP Japanese original cast release that now sells for upwards of $300 in mint condition.
To gain more insight into what original cast LPs are rare, you can check out our Ebay Store at 'RTS Rarities' for current listings or you may wish to purchase our RTS PRICE GUIDE, 11TH EDITION, which gives you market values, composers, record numbers of over 8,000 listings in the soundtrack, Broadway Show / Original Cast, television LPs & 45s market including imports. Price is $10 postpaid USA to RTS, Box 93897, Las Vegas, NV 89193. Also click on our FREE E-Mail Newsletter for special sales and informative collecting insights! |
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