For those that don’t get this sort of thing, there is fortunately for them “the housewives…”, “the expendables”, the Marvel universe, the Star Wars universe, the Yellowstone universe, the NFL and moonshine ;)))
I remember watching this when it was first broadcast back in the very early '60s. Not only did the Play of the Week stage Godot. They also staged, uncensored, The Iceman Cometh. Both of these products were very moving and they haven't aged a bit. It so happens that there was a lot of quality television those days. It wasn't all expurgated fluff. One of the best shows ever on TV was Naked City, the progenitor of all human interest type cop shows.It also aired during the early '60s. Episodes arre available on UA-cam,
With reference to the first Broadway production with E.G.Marshall and Bert Lahr, I will mention that Bert's son, John Lahr, wrote a piece in The New Yorker some years ago that told how difficult this play was for his father. Bert Lahr did not understand the play and had a lot of trouble learning his lines.
I'm amazed so few people have watched this. Not only because it's Beckett's Waiting for Godot, but because it stars the superlative Zero Mostel. (Hard to believe this genius died 40 years ago; he's such a giant that the air still echoes with his voice.)
What a thrill to find what I didn't know existed! Thank you so much for posting. I would like to recommend the original 1956 Broadway cast recording. Those who have seen this video will be able to follow the album and enjoy the ethereal performances of its stars, E.G. Marshall and Bert Lahr, along with the same Pozzo and Lucky who appear here. Came back to add that the Broadway version is complete and not edited as this one is. I cite an example that ends with Didi saying, "Where it falls, mandrakes grow." From my own experience I can confirm there were no references to a hanged man's involuntary orgasm on 1960s TV.
@@sath_b Yes. Search for: Beckett's Waiting for Godot Bert Lahr. You will find Part 1 and Part 2 in two videos that display the original album cover, which housed a double set of LPs. Enjoy!
This is the best version of Godot I've ever seen. It's hilarious, as it should be when played as a series of vaudeville routines held together by the idea of waiting for something that never comes. I bet Samuel Beckett loved this version.
@@paulwiggins183 That's your opinion and one with which few knowledgeable people would likely agree. It contains the brilliant Alvin Epstein as Lucky, the role he created in the original production and Kurt Kazner the original Pozzo; for these reasons alone it commands our attention and respect.
@@robertloader9826 "Play of the Nothing" nowadays; producers in music & theater have forcefully told their respective authors, **"WE DON'T WANT CREATIVITY ANY MORE!!** They're just in search of the quick buck. And, believe me, the authors have LISTENED!! That's why movies & TV have gone to hell, and there hasn't been a decent stage play in years & years...RIP
Richard Burton called Zero the consummate actor. When questioned about this, Mostel would invariably say "He was well-paid..." Such a tragicomic genius!
@@mrpicky1868 I was six years old when it played in NYC. Mom was watching it. I didn't understand it. But, I was fascinated by it anyway and remained glued to the set with her. BTW - In those days, only WCBS ran programming almost through the night. Channel 13 only ran about 15 hours per day, perhaps less.
It’s the darndest thing but I came here looking to see if Burgess was in the 2001 BBC version because I swore I saw him as Estragon in that one. I guess his acting just gives off similar vibes even though he’s Vladimir in this version I didn’t even know about.
This is amazing! I never knew of this casting. Now I wish someone could find a recording of the Steve Martin/Robin Williams Broadway performance and upload that...
First time I’ve seen the play. This was captivating through out. Great Acting by all. Thanks for the upload. Godot is god or death or life itself? Hmmm?
In case anyone out there is confused about what is going on in this play, remember that Samuel Beckett himself said that the only thing he was certain of was that “Vladimir and Estragon are wearing Bowler Hats”
This tv adaptation of Sam Beckett's "Waiting For Godot" features two of the original cast members from the stage production:Kurt Kasnar and Alvin Epstein as"Pozzo & Lucky"..Burgess and Zero take over the roles of"Vladimir" and "Estergon".
Alan Schneider, who directed the North American premiere of WFG, and who directed this production had high praise for working with Mostel, but said Meredith, who had been brilliant up until show day, went on a drunk, required his entire part written on cue cards, and was a nightmare during performance. And so it goes...
I figured that some of the "mature" content wouldn't make it to the air, but scrolled down to comments to confirm. Thanks! ...and Yes, it still leaves plenty of great dialogue to enjoy!
"Much Adue About Nothing" I like this kind of stuff.🇮🇪🇬🇧 Beware of supernatural "Ravens" too.🇺🇲 Where are the Zero Mostel's today? Burgess Meredith, "The Twilight Zone"-'Time enough at last'.
Lovely acting and interpretation, but I struggled with their pronunciation of Godot - sounding like Gudohhh. Lucky's speech is probably the most OTT interpretation I've seen - almost as if it were acted by Robin Williams - but it works well. Their diction is excellent, hearing every word, unlike many modern actors who mumble. It is remarkable that such a difficult play was televised, totally alien to today's trashy output.
So very often this script is played for laughs, most often by employing numerous elaborate vaudeville-like routines. To me, it often seems as if all the routines, one following the other, non-stop, wind up falling flat and they just eventually merely collect, and just lie there seeming merely to litter the landscape. Here, these two great men of the theater allow the words themselves to provide the basis for their performances, and the result, for me at least, is that the play becomes terribly moving...so very sad, painfully sad......
this is maybe the best rendering. shame the quality is so poor. great play. no wonder many didnt understand it. what a brilliant work of social criticism in a rush of tragicomedy
Two people/friends stuck in purgatory with little to no memory of what came the day before, except that they are waiting for someone they refer to as 'Godot'. Could 'Godot' represent a better tomorrow, peace, the answer to all their questions, the end of their seemingly unending suffering......will 'Godot' never come? The abstract absurdity of things wished for, yet unseen. Pined for, but unnecessary?
Haha! Indeed I do Jacmeade, indeed I do. O__O - Well John, instead of inflicting a wearysome wall of text on you, howzabout I give you a link to where (I feel) they got _Waiting for Godot_ absolutely right? (and you can be free to work out the difference in your own way) ua-cam.com/video/izX5dIzI2RE/v-deo.html This one is actually funny. Enjoy! :)
@@paulwiggins183 Oh definitely! And many unusual interpretations can enhance your enjoyment / understanding of the original work! - But for me, Godot is SO full of Irish humour and sensibility that I just feel is going right over these particular actors heads, so we (seemingly) get them simply reciting the words off the page, without comprehending the darkly comic _spirit_ of the world of the play
No. Sorry. You've missed the point. That's not my opinion that is Becket's. He always responded to this interpretation with "If I meant God, I would have written God, not Godot. The play was conceived in French so if he had intended to infer the idea of God it would have been something derived from Dieu. They are not waiting for God, they are waiting for something that doesn't come or something that doesn't happen. They are passing time. That's meaningful enough without dragging God in to it.
Godeau is a character in Honoré de Balzac's play Mercadet that much like godot doesn't appear on stage, but is awaited by the characters of the play to resolve their conflicts. It's probable that Becket used a name that, although spelled differently, sounds just like Godeau in french as a literary device to reference someone to be awaited to resolve the play.
Whether or not a playwright meant one thing or another, once it's in the hands of the patron/spectator/audience, they're going to have their own personal interpretations of it, whether they're right or wrong.
You most certainly are a load of pretentious old bollocks, davidkeeterskeeter. I'm glad that, four years down the line, I'm still in a position to tell you so. I hope you're alive to get the message. Then again, if you're not, I can live with that too. I'm sure it was a bad end.
Burgess was a true intelectual. Topanga Hauling was called to an address on the PCH in Malibu, I'm sure it was next to The Sea Lion across from the Sun Spot. Burgess was willing to stay and talk with the workers, and I could tell he was in lack of intelectual Rappartee.
This is such a classic. I can't imagine where you found it, but thank you for posting it.
For those who like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing they like.
Yes, Miss Brodie!
Literally wtf does my professor have me watching
Sherlock speaking facts😤
For those that don’t get this sort of thing, there is fortunately for them “the housewives…”, “the expendables”, the Marvel universe, the Star Wars universe, the Yellowstone universe, the NFL and moonshine ;)))
In her prime.
There could not have been two better actors to portray Vladimir and Estragon than Meredith and Mostel. This is absolutely purest genius.
I remember watching this when it was first broadcast back in the very early '60s. Not only did the Play of the Week stage Godot. They also staged, uncensored, The Iceman Cometh. Both of these products were very moving and they haven't aged a bit. It so happens that there was a lot of quality television those days. It wasn't all expurgated fluff. One of the best shows ever on TV was Naked City, the progenitor of all human interest type cop shows.It also aired during the early '60s. Episodes arre available on UA-cam,
With reference to the first Broadway production with E.G.Marshall and Bert Lahr, I will mention that Bert's son, John Lahr, wrote a piece in The New Yorker some years ago that told how difficult this play was for his father. Bert Lahr did not understand the play and had a lot of trouble learning his lines.
I'm amazed so few people have watched this. Not only because it's Beckett's Waiting for Godot, but because it stars the superlative Zero Mostel. (Hard to believe this genius died 40 years ago; he's such a giant that the air still echoes with his voice.)
15000 views (so far) and we wonder why we have the governments we have
Zero Mostel, the guy had talent coming out of his pours.⭐👍
@@craigincolorado13
Its art.
@@richardwarner3705 pores, but i get your point.
I love the sound of their voices together.
So do I .... Pure shite.
@@eppiehemsley6556😂
Beautiful painful wonderful hopeful Godot.🎉 thanks for sharing 🎉
What a thrill to find what I didn't know existed! Thank you so much for posting. I would like to recommend the original 1956 Broadway cast recording. Those who have seen this video will be able to follow the album and enjoy the ethereal performances of its stars, E.G. Marshall and Bert Lahr, along with the same Pozzo and Lucky who appear here.
Came back to add that the Broadway version is complete and not edited as this one is. I cite an example that ends with Didi saying, "Where it falls, mandrakes grow." From my own experience I can confirm there were no references to a hanged man's involuntary orgasm on 1960s TV.
Is this available anywhere on UA-cam?
@@sath_b Yes. Search for: Beckett's Waiting for Godot Bert Lahr. You will find Part 1 and Part 2 in two videos that display the original album cover, which housed a double set of LPs. Enjoy!
@@thefifthdementia5231 Thank you. Is it a video?
....But I think that Zero and burgess prove their equal. Watch the performance above and I suspect you'll agree.
@@sath_b alas, no. it was an audio recording on lp only.
This is the best version of Godot I've ever seen. It's hilarious, as it should be when played as a series of vaudeville routines held together by the idea of waiting for something that never comes. I bet Samuel Beckett loved this version.
Alex Ferguson please give me all idea about this drama
Samuel Beckett did not love this version.
what is your source for this? genuinely curious
Let me correct what I said: " I bet " Samuel Beckett did not love this version. It's just too silly. Too much screaming.
@@paulwiggins183 That's your opinion and one with which few knowledgeable people would likely agree. It contains the brilliant Alvin Epstein as Lucky, the role he created in the original production and Kurt Kazner the original Pozzo; for these reasons alone it commands our attention and respect.
Thank you this has been so helpful for me. I have read the play and never thought of it like this I am stunned
Same
From a 1961 show called Play Of The Week. This play reminds me of what UA-cam used to be like and what it is now, lol.
The only production I've seen where estragon isn't the dunce. Marvelous.
Good observation 💞
stunning brilliant!! This was shown on "Play of the Week" which ran a play every night for a week i saw this when I was young
Play of the Night then surely?
@@robertloader9826 "Play of the Nothing" nowadays; producers in music & theater have forcefully told their respective authors, **"WE DON'T WANT CREATIVITY ANY MORE!!** They're just in search of the quick buck. And, believe me, the authors have LISTENED!! That's why movies & TV have gone to hell, and there hasn't been a decent stage play in years & years...RIP
Zero is flawless, as usual.
Richard Burton called Zero the consummate actor. When questioned about this, Mostel would invariably say "He was well-paid..." Such a tragicomic genius!
At ~ 14:16, watch Zero twirling the carrot around as a "prop": sheer genius!
burgess ain't nothin to shake a stick at either
@@CLASSICALFAN100 yeah. those billy gilbert eyes.
I wish I could see in live. Thank you..
As good as it gets. I'm saving this.
Meredith is under-rated generally. I have always found him to be very convincing in any role he has taken.
Broadcast April 3, 1961, at 8:30pm on WNTA, Channel 13 in NYC (now PBS station WNET) as part of their "Play of the Week" series.
i would really want to know what percentage understood it then and now... i suspect 30 25. but in what order?)
@@mrpicky1868 I was six years old when it played in NYC. Mom was watching it. I didn't understand it. But, I was fascinated by it anyway and remained glued to the set with her.
BTW - In those days, only WCBS ran programming almost through the night. Channel 13 only ran about 15 hours per day, perhaps less.
I am stunned. This is the best Godot. Burgess Meredith and Zero Mostel???? Yes, yes, yes.
nah
much better!
ua-cam.com/video/izX5dIzI2RE/v-deo.html
It’s the darndest thing but I came here looking to see if Burgess was in the 2001 BBC version because I swore I saw him as Estragon in that one. I guess his acting just gives off similar vibes even though he’s Vladimir in this version I didn’t even know about.
This is amazing! I never knew of this casting. Now I wish someone could find a recording of the Steve Martin/Robin Williams Broadway performance and upload that...
I heard their version was not very good. Have you an opinion on it?
First time I’ve seen the play. This was captivating through out. Great Acting by all. Thanks for the upload. Godot is god or death or life itself? Hmmm?
Kurt Kaszner's characterization of Pozzo in this performance is incredible!
Burgess Meredith. Sweet yes.
The Penguin and the Producer in one play.
Of course, but there was so much more to them than those roles!
In case anyone out there is confused about what is going on in this play, remember that Samuel Beckett himself said that the only thing he was certain of was that “Vladimir and Estragon are wearing Bowler Hats”
This tv adaptation of Sam Beckett's "Waiting For Godot" features two of the original cast members from the stage production:Kurt Kasnar and Alvin Epstein as"Pozzo & Lucky"..Burgess and Zero take over the roles of"Vladimir" and "Estergon".
Gotta love UA-cam.
Thank you !
Meredith was brilliant. Especially here and in Of Mice And Men
beckett was so amused that this treadbare play had such sustainability....
Because it allows actors to act. no distractions.
Alan Schneider, who directed the North American premiere of WFG, and who directed this production had high praise for working with Mostel, but said Meredith, who had been brilliant up until show day, went on a drunk, required his entire part written on cue cards, and was a nightmare during performance. And so it goes...
I'm not questioning you but I would really be curious to read about that. Where did you read or hear it?
At least one scene, involving the tree, has been cut (as in censored). Still, some great bits.
I figured that some of the "mature" content wouldn't make it to the air, but scrolled down to comments to confirm. Thanks!
...and Yes, it still leaves plenty of great dialogue to enjoy!
The turnips bit was cut too. Went straight to the carrot.
"Much Adue About Nothing" I like this kind of stuff.🇮🇪🇬🇧
Beware of supernatural "Ravens" too.🇺🇲
Where are the Zero Mostel's today? Burgess Meredith, "The Twilight Zone"-'Time enough at last'.
The boy was Luke Halpin from the TV series "Flipper".
the penguin runs a tight ship
Wow! What a performance...
How does Lucky not collapse from hyper-ventilation? :-o
1:33:39 - "Was I sleeping..." Life is but a dream...
40:50. The genius of Alvin Epstein. "Time will tell!"
Aye yo mickey what you doin waitin here for nuthin
Lovely acting and interpretation, but I struggled with their pronunciation of Godot - sounding like Gudohhh. Lucky's speech is probably the most OTT interpretation I've seen - almost as if it were acted by Robin Williams - but it works well. Their diction is excellent, hearing every word, unlike many modern actors who mumble. It is remarkable that such a difficult play was televised, totally alien to today's trashy output.
I recognize the Penguin's gait.
Mick from Rocky.
I hope they see clearly because I can only see darkly
At least now I don't have to read the play anymore.
Absurdism. Beckett and Ionesco. Such a cool period in theatre.
Wao the guy from rocky
It should be us3d as a teaching aid. Wonderful play.
So very often this script is played for laughs, most often by employing numerous elaborate vaudeville-like routines. To me, it often seems as if all the routines, one following the other, non-stop, wind up falling flat and they just eventually merely collect, and just lie there seeming merely to litter the landscape. Here, these two great men of the theater allow the words themselves to provide the basis for their performances, and the result, for me at least, is that the play becomes terribly moving...so very sad, painfully sad......
....talk-to-text has made numerous edits to the above which make no sense whatsoever...sorry.
I like ZERO Mostel but I don't like the way he responds to, "We're waiting for godot."
Blaming on his hat the fault of his mind
this is maybe the best rendering. shame the quality is so poor. great play. no wonder many didnt understand it. what a brilliant work of social criticism in a rush of tragicomedy
You forgot to mention the magic word "underrated". You've got to put "underrated" into EVERY LAST COMMENT!!...lol
Beckett was unusual man.
Him and O'Neill.
They turn into daleks at 1:40:00
Two people/friends stuck in purgatory with little to no memory of what came the day before, except that they are waiting for someone they refer to as 'Godot'. Could 'Godot' represent a better tomorrow, peace, the answer to all their questions, the end of their seemingly unending suffering......will 'Godot' never come? The abstract absurdity of things wished for, yet unseen. Pined for, but unnecessary?
So.... The Rock is a Giant shoe.... XD
Wow, this is magnificently tone deaf! :o
I sit amazed.
Um, what is tone deaf? What are you referring to?
Haha!
Indeed I do Jacmeade, indeed I do. O__O
- Well John, instead of inflicting a wearysome wall of text on you, howzabout I give you a link to where (I feel) they got _Waiting for Godot_ absolutely right?
(and you can be free to work out the difference in your own way)
ua-cam.com/video/izX5dIzI2RE/v-deo.html This one is actually funny. Enjoy! :)
@Zetelik - But I guess you'd agree that there's room in the world for more than one interpretation of the play?
@@zetetick395 I agree completely. Hopeless and funny can sometimes run together.
@@paulwiggins183 Oh definitely! And many unusual interpretations can enhance your enjoyment / understanding of the original work!
- But for me, Godot is SO full of Irish humour and sensibility that I just feel is going right over these particular actors heads, so we (seemingly) get them simply reciting the words off the page, without comprehending the darkly comic _spirit_ of the world of the play
Such a good version/interpretation, this. A shame the quality is poor.
It is a shame. Nothing to be done.
The high quality of the **PERFORMANCES** by the cast members overwhelms that of early-TV technology...
What do you mean poor? This is what people saw on their tvs back in 1961.
@@ralphiecifaretto8961 2 years old comment, and I'm frankly not sure exactly what I meant by it.
Still, it's a good performance.
Suppose it's an outside joke
Not to take advantage of time
Laurel & Hardy at their woist!
The Two Ronnies do Beckett
a bit better sound here ua-cam.com/video/tOzQuBbBuK0/v-deo.html
Zero should have been Vladimir. Burgess is low energy and Zero high, they should have swapped.
럭키의 장광설 41:20
31:00 화장실 장면
for the love of God... help us see this uncut and better quality
Oh, shut up...
Guddo me arse!
Lucky’s speech was a bit over the top I think.
so is a charlie parker solo.
Can I not be
haha it's as campy as batman
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for God
No. Sorry. You've missed the point. That's not my opinion that is Becket's. He always responded to this interpretation with "If I meant God, I would have written God, not Godot. The play was conceived in French so if he had intended to infer the idea of God it would have been something derived from Dieu. They are not waiting for God, they are waiting for something that doesn't come or something that doesn't happen. They are passing time. That's meaningful enough without dragging God in to it.
Godeau is a character in Honoré de Balzac's play Mercadet that much like godot doesn't appear on stage, but is awaited by the characters of the play to resolve their conflicts. It's probable that Becket used a name that, although spelled differently, sounds just like Godeau in french as a literary device to reference someone to be awaited to resolve the play.
Happenstance
Whether or not a playwright meant one thing or another, once it's in the hands of the patron/spectator/audience, they're going to have their own personal interpretations of it, whether they're right or wrong.
Nicely put@@WhitfieldSinclair
What a load of pretentious old bolloks,! 🐖💩💨💨💨💨
You most certainly are a load of pretentious old bollocks, davidkeeterskeeter. I'm glad that, four years down the line, I'm still in a position to tell you so. I hope you're alive to get the message. Then again, if you're not, I can live with that too. I'm sure it was a bad end.
Burgess was a true intelectual. Topanga Hauling was called to an address on the PCH in Malibu, I'm sure it was next to The Sea Lion across from the Sun Spot. Burgess was willing to stay and talk with the workers, and I could tell he was in lack of intelectual Rappartee.