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S39E2: LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story | Clip

Liza Minnelli showcased her talents in “Liza with a Z”

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Liza Minnelli made “Liza with a Z,” a concert film made for television, with producer Fred Ebb and choreographer Bob Fosse in 1972. The show highlighted both Liza’s personality and her performance capabilities. “What Fred Ebb did in collaboration with her is to take anything that was unpolished and awkward about Liza … and either polish it or embrace the vulnerabilities.”

TRANSCRIPT

- This is a concert in the medium of television, the small screen, which could be dangerous, you know, in that some entertainers are not good on television because they're larger than life on stage.

(audience clapping) - It was for one night, it's one shot only!

It was amazing, it was nerve wracking!

I walked out there like I didn't have a care in the world and I don't know where I got the bravado.

I don't know anything except that I was felt safe.

I gotcha!

Uh huh!

You thought I didn't see you now, didn't you?

Uh huh huh.

You tried to sneak by me now, didn't you?

Uh huh, huh?

Now gimme what you promise to me.

Give it to me, come on!

(upbeat jazzy music) I thought it was absolutely phenomenal.

Definitely a new way of doing things.

(clapping) ♪ Black bird ♪ - So the Liza in "Liza With a Z" certainly has elements of the real Liza, but the Liza with, with the hat and with the sequins and this, this certain kind of persona is a character who is Liza but also is a different person.

♪ When somebody waits for me ♪ ♪ Sugar's sweet ♪ ♪ And so is he ♪ - What Fred Ebb did in collaboration with her is to take anything that was unpolished and awkward about Liza, Judy's daughter, trying to make it in show business and either polish it or embrace the vulnerabilities.

(light music) (snapping) (patting) (light music) And she knew exactly how to mine that for everything it's worth.

♪ Fly a little blackbird, bye ♪ - When she worked with Fred Ebb, he rehearsed her where every single speech and every single thing she said on stage was rehearsed, even though it sounded incredibly spontaneous.

- The one time that I got a little snippy, I was sitting around, I said, "Ugh, I don't wanna do that.

I don't wanna do this tonight," or something like that.

And Fred Ebb said, "Liza, just remember, you are a figment of my imagination."

And it just so happens that I told a couple of friends of mine this truly terrific, absolutely true story.

And it just so happened these friends of mine are songwriters.

Any singer knows you got to tell the story in your singing.

♪ Gather around.

♪ ♪ I got a story to tell ♪ ♪ About a Manhattan lady that I know very well ♪ ♪ She lives at five Riverside ♪ ♪ Her name is Shirley Devore ♪ ♪ And she traveled round the world ♪ ♪ To meet the guy next door ♪ - She's done up in Halston, who's not just making her look fabulous, but making her look iconic.

I mean, really capturing what will be Liza's look for the rest of her life.

♪ Ring them bells ♪ (cheering) (clapping)