Where do I start in my discouragement of watching this live television production of Kismet? The only reasons why you should find a copy of it are if you want to hear George Chakiris sing, or if Barbara Eden is your all-time favorite and you want to see her rendition of "Not Since Nineveh". It's not awful. George has a nice voice, but choreographer Jack Regas didn't know what to do with his talent and he literally walked through the dance numbers.
I was very excited to see this musical, since I knew José Ferrer was in Man of La Mancha at around the same time. Seeing and hearing his musical talent would undoubtedly be a treat full of energy and presence, like it was in 1954's Deep in My Heart. Something must have happened to him in the past fifteen years, because it was as if he was a completely different actor. Gone were his energy, enjoyment, and desire to engross the audience with a unique rendition. He seemed bored, tired, irritable, and wishing he were anywhere else but in front of the CBS television camera. The starring role in Kismet is a fun, frisky role that an actor can completely ham up to get laughs. Alfred Drake mesmerized listeners with his Broadway recording, and Howard Keel was irresistible in the 1953 Hollywood adaptation. Joe was just lousy. I can't imagine him as Don Quixote after seeing his lackluster performance as Hajj.
He wasn't the only one, though. Director Bob Henry must have told everyone to slow the musical numbers down to stretch out the running time. He must have told his cast to walk through it as if it were a lighting rehearsal. Perhaps he hated the sponsors and wanted their sales to go down. Even Hans Conried, who put tons of energy into The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T was lackluster in his comedic song. Regas's choreography in every number, down to the most basic gestures, was terrible, and Henry's position of the cameras were hardly inspired. Believe me, I don't enjoy writing a scathing review, but sometimes there's just nothing good to say.
