Broadway.com Summer Camp, Day 8! Go On a Tour of the Great White Way of Yesteryear with Nell Carter

We’re gonna be honest: Things around the Broadway.com offices have gotten really boring the last few weeks. It’s sweltering, it’s humid, and worst of all, no new Broadway shows open until after Labor Day. But never fear, dear readers, we’ve got a great way to spice up the month of August: Broadway.com Summer Camp! Each day for 31 days, we’re highlighting the campiest, craziest, wildest—and did we mention campiest?—videos we can find. Put on your gaudy bathing suit and dive in!



WHY WE LOVE IT
Talk about #FlashbackFriday! On an episode of the 1980s sitcom Gimme a Break!, the late Nell Carter took a stroll through the theater district while belting out a beloved anthem to the Great White Way. As she struts her way down Broadway, we get a glimpse of a handful of vintage marquees and billboards, including 42nd Street at the Majestic, the original Dreamgirls at the Imperial and Cats at the Winter Garden. From the marquees present, we suspect this was filmed early 1984—right in between her starring stints in Ain’t Misbehavin’ in 1978 and the revival in 1988 (she won a Tony for the original, so she has some cred to sing about that magic in the air.)

LOOK OUT FOR...
1:15. Doonesbury: a New Musical?! Yes, the beloved comic character took center stage in a tuner by Elizabeth Swados and the strip’s creator, Garry Trudeau. The show ran from November 1983 through February 1984 with a cast that included Tony Winner Gary Beach and Kate Burton.

MOST GIF-ABLE MOMENT


OVERALL CAMP FACTOR
9 out of 10 bright neon lights. Great stuff, but such a short clip leaves us wanting more!