This week marks the 50th anniversary of “My Name Is Barbra,” Barbra Streisand’s first TV special, which cemented her status as one of the biggest rising stars in show business. The one-hour show aired April 28, 1965, on CBS (which had outbid NBC for the rights to the 22-year-old Streisand, signing her to a 10-year, $5 million deal to star in several more TV specials). Here are five things to know about “My Name Is Barbra”:
1. Streisand taped the show in segments while concurrently doing eight shows a week of “Funny Girl” at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre.
2. The special was released in conjunction with Streisand’s fifth studio album, also titled “My Name Is Barbra.”
3. It was broken up into three acts, including a fashion-themed segment taped at Bergdorf Goodman and a performance of a medley of songs from “Funny Girl” recorded in front of a small audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater (now home to “Late Show with David Letterman”).
4. It was nominated for six Emmy Awards, winning five, including Streisand for Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment — Actors and Performers.
5. The special had one sponsor (as was typical then) — Chemstrand, the company that today is known as Monsanto.
Andy Edelstein, Newsday
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