Gypsy (DVD, 2005)

I was 8 years old when I was first introduced to the Musical Gypsy. It is the story of the climb to fame of legendary strip tease artist Gypsy Rose Lee. But it really depicts the life of her mother Rose Hovick. It has been produced on Broadway with some of the greatest female broadway stars in history playing Mama Rose. Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly and recently Bernadette Peters. There was a film version in the 60's with Rosland Russle, Natelie Wood and Karl Malden. But this version with Bette Midler launched a series of broadway musicals for the small screen. It broke records when aired on TV in the late 1990's. I had been wanting this version for a few years when it was released on DVD for one simple reason. I had to hear the commentary on the making of this classic musical revivale to film. It was worth the wait and the bidding. The sorted details about how this project got off the ground, how the authors had doubts and reservations, how Bette Midler turned it down several times before accepting, and how the director was hospitalized for complications due to full blown AIDS before the project was finished. He passed way shortly after completion. It' is filled with some of the juciest tid-bits on this musical to date. If you are a musical buff and love the "behind the scenes' dirt, you have to to get a DVD copy of this classic.