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  1. #151
    I think she would've been successful had she had the right materials. From the recordings we've heard from her brief solo career, she certainly had a fantastic voice however, It sounded as though they were trying to give her a funkier Diana Ross/ Supremes or Aretha Franklin sound, but in all honesty Flo was not a soul singer. Although her voice had great power, she was not like an Aretha Franklin or any other r'n'b singer at the time.

    I often wonder how she would've sounded if she had worked with those who produced Barbara Streisand. I would've loved the hear her cover "Don't Rain On My Parade" or "My Man". She did very well singing standards or ballads. She didn't need a funk backing band because her voice had it all.

  2. #152
    She was not an activist performer. Assuming that you are referring to political music when you mentioned "new civil rights era world of popular music" , I don't believe that protest type songs were her bag. I don't believe that her intention was to bridge any racial gaps, [[not saying that she would believe that they weren't important, as they certainly were for the time. The supremes did explain this the importance in a few press conferences), she simply wanted to sing, not cause a political uproar.

  3. #153
    Quote Originally Posted by monicarivers View Post
    I simply meant that Florence didn’t have the chops to bridge the racial gap in popular music of the 1960’s. We all know this and it’s been discussed ad nauseum. It’s a shame though - she’s got a great set of pipes upon revisit!
    She was not an activist performer. Assuming that you are referring to political music when you mentioned "new civil rights era world of popular music" , I don't believe that protest type songs were her bag. I don't believe that her intention was to bridge any racial gaps, [[not saying that she would believe that they weren't important, as they certainly were for the time. The supremes did explain this the importance in a few press conferences), she simply wanted to sing, not cause a political uproar.

  4. #154
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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    just to toy with some other ideas, what about Flo on the screen? since this is a fantasy post...

    perhaps Flo could have been the wise-cracking sister to Willona on Good Times. or a role on the Jeffersons.

    the rumors have always floated around that she could have done the black version of Hello Dolly.
    I don’t believe David Merrick ever ever ever considered asking Florence to play hello Dolly. He had an incredible run with pearl Bailey who was a gifted experienced legendary performer. Florence was as green as green could be Plus she was half the age of Dolly. I don’t believe there was ever any thought whatsoever, and she certainly was free to do it…… It makes a nice little tidbit for her legend however. And personally, I would’ve loved to see her do it because I love just watching flo.

  5. #155
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    Cindy Birdsong had more acting experience -- as a nun on Tarzan -- than Florence Ballard had at this point, and I doubt that David Merrick would have asked Cindy to step into a major show with all of her experience relative to that of Florence. Broadway audiences expect a higher level of performance there than they might see in a well-meaning cast in a community theater production back in Outtatheway, Oklahoma.

  6. #156
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    Flo had a very average singing voice. How far could one go with that in the 1970’s? Not too far.

  7. #157
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    Florence had trouble learning some of the dance routines for the Supremes' nightclub act and TV show appearances. Being able to say a few funny lines in the nightclub act is not the same as having to play lead 8 shows a week on the Broadway stage.

  8. #158
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    to answer someone question earlier why Cindy allowed Mary to speak for her during the RTL negotiations.
    Cindy retired and did not have mangement so she allowed Marys team to negotiate for her,she regretted it. i think this an article in which she stated I can't believe Mary said no.

  9. #159
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    Having already retired, i wonder if Cindy would have been vocally up to scratch for such a high profile tour?.Scherrie and Lynda certainly had the chops, if not the kudos of having performed with Diana in the groups heyday.

  10. #160
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    I think Cindy was prepping for the RTL show for almost a year.butbthen the bottom fell out

  11. #161
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    Forget the fact that the story comes from TallTales Turner. Forget all the reasons why casting Flo at that point makes no sense. But this idea that Broadway was only for seasoned veterans and no "new comer" could ever find success there, is laughable. Unless of course that rule would only apply to Florence Ballard.

  12. #162
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    Quote Originally Posted by daviddh View Post
    I think Cindy was prepping for the RTL show for almost a year.butbthen the bottom fell out
    Thanks dh, I didn’t know that. It’s interesting to speculate whether her participation would have made some kind of difference to the final outcome.

  13. #163
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    Quote Originally Posted by daviddh View Post
    to answer someone question earlier why Cindy allowed Mary to speak for her during the RTL negotiations.
    Cindy retired and did not have mangement so she allowed Marys team to negotiate for her,she regretted it. i think this an article in which she stated I can't believe Mary said no.
    Cindy is the true tragedy of Mary's sinking the RTL ship, having needed the income so badly.

  14. #164
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    Quote Originally Posted by PeaceNHarmony View Post
    Cindy is the true tragedy of Mary's sinking the RTL ship, having needed the income so badly.
    And i thought it was Diana’s departing train that left Mary stranded at the station. I guess it all depends which report you read.

  15. #165
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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    Forget the fact that the story comes from TallTales Turner. Forget all the reasons why casting Flo at that point makes no sense. But this idea that Broadway was only for seasoned veterans and no "new comer" could ever find success there, is laughable. Unless of course that rule would only apply to Florence Ballard.
    true - there are absolutely new comers that explode onto the Broadway scene. but they also tend to have a talent for stage acting and performing that is stratospheric. look at what Barbra did with Funny Girl, Julie in My Fair Lady, Carol Burnette in Once Upon A Mattress.

    I think pretty much everyone on this board would agree all 3 original Supremes were very talented entertainers. but that doesn't necessarily mean they could handle each and every channel of entertainment. success in singing and in dinner club stage shows wouldn't necessarily correspond with success on the stage in musical theater even though both involve singing and performing live on a stage in front of an audience [[as opposed to tv or movies). they're still completely different genres.

    I would love to see a series of videos of the original trio on stage. imagine if we had the 65, 66 and 67 Copa shows on video - watching their growth and progression. sure we have many of the audios and those are wonderful. but it would be so very interesting to see how the 3 girls interacted visually and physically on stage. Berry and others have commented how animated and alive each girl was - we can hear them in the audio but we can't enjoy the animation.

  16. #166
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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post

    I think pretty much everyone on this board would agree all 3 original Supremes were very talented entertainers. but that doesn't necessarily mean they could handle each and every channel of entertainment.
    Agreed, but it also doesn't mean they couldn't. And that was my point regarding the talk about Flo and Broadway, as if she would have had to have started on Broadway to be considered. That was never a pre-requisite for Broadway.

    But ultimately it comes down to, once again, this was something Tall Tales made up. Flo was in no position to be considered. She was a "rock and roll" singer. Merrick wasn't gambling on that.

    Btw, welcome back Sup! I need your opposing viewpoints in order to feel good about myself when I come here. Ya know, because your points are always such bad takes. Check out the "Love Aint Love" thread when you get a chance. Would love your thoughts.

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