If Rodgers & Hammerstein songs are your favorite things, here’s some news that will have you whistling a happy tune. The Great Performances special Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 80th Anniversary: My Favorite Things is now streaming on pbs.org/gperf and the PBS App as part of the series’ seventh annual “Broadway’s Best” line-up and The WNET Group’s Broadway and Beyond (thirteen.org/broadway) collection of theater and arts programming.
EGOT extraordinaire Rita Moreno – who played Tuptim in the film version of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I – makes a surprise appearance in the starry concert, and it isn’t her first time shining on PBS. Before you enjoy the Great Performances program, revisit some memorable highlights from Moreno’s PBS journey.
1) She was the “Hey, you guys!” gal in The Electric Company.
Moreno’s roots in public television began in the early 1970s when she was part of the celebrated ensemble cast, with Morgan Freeman, of the beloved PBS children’s series The Electric Company (1971-77). She famously belted, “Hey, you guys!” in the show’s peppy opening credits. Winning a 1972 Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children gave the soon-to-be legendary entertainer the “G” in her EGOT crown.
2) She played a glamourous movie star in the Great Performances series Tales From the Hollywood Hills.
The starry Great Performances anthology series Tales from the Hollywood Hills followed the dreams and schemes of all players great and small in and on the fringes of the film industry. In the 1988 episode The Closed Set, Moreno played fading film star Julie Forbes, who tries to revamp her career by forming her own production company. Based on a short story by Gavin Lambert, the episode also featured Harold Gould, Penelope Ann Miller, Charlotte Moore, and Gretchen Wyler. Writer Gavin Lambert was well acquainted with allure and psyche of iconic Hollywood screen goddesses, having also penned the screenplays for Inside Daisy Clover starring Natalie Wood, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone starring Vivien Leigh, and a TV adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth starring Elizabeth Taylor.
3) She was the subject of a 2021 American Masters documentary.
Over a career spanning more than 70 years, Rita Moreno defied her humble upbringing and relentless racism to become a celebrated, award-winning actor. The acclaimed American Masters documentary Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided to Go For It, executive produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda and fellow American Master Norman Lear, explores Moreno’s path to stardom, revealing her talent and resilience as she broke barriers and paved the way for new generations of artists.
Rita Moreno recalls the sexism and power abuse she experienced during her early days in Hollywood in American Masters – Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided to Go For It.
4) She is featured in a 2009 American Masters documentary about Jerome Robbins.
Moreno made film history as the first Latina to win an Academy Award when she won the 1962 Oscar for her portrayal of Anita in West Side Story, and also starred in and served as executive producer of Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning 2021 remake. In this interview conducted by director Judy Kinberg during production of the 2009 American Masters documentary Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About, Moreno talks about auditioning for West Side Story and working with the legendary choreographer and taskmaster.
5) She starred in Broadway plays by fellow American Masters Lorraine Hansberry and Terrence McNally.
In 1964, Moreno originated the role of Iris Parodus Brustein in The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window by Lorraine Hansberry, the subject of the 2018 American Masters film Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart. (The play enjoyed a successful revival in 2023, with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Rachel Brosnahan as Iris and sound design by Great Performances voiceover artist Bray Poor.) In 1975, Moreno scored a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play as wacky Googie Gomez in The Ritz by Terrence McNally, the subject of the 2019 American Masters film Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life.
Rita Moreno discusses how Terrence McNally owned his identity in American Masters – Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life.
6) She was The WNET Group’s 2024 Gala Honoree.
The WNET Group honored Rita Moreno at its 2024 Gala in May at The Edison Ballroom in New York City for her trailblazing career and ongoing support of public media – and the stars came out to sing her praises! Highlights included testimonials from Moreno’s Fast X co-star Vin Diesel and Tom Fontana, creator of HBO’s Oz; performances by Ansel Elgort (Tony in the 2021 remake of West Side Story), Dancing With the Stars champion Xochitl Gomez, and Ballet Hispánico; and video tributes from Alan Cumming, Sally Field, Morgan Freeman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and more.
“Public broadcasting teaches us, enlightens us, challenges us to expand the boundaries of our neighbors and our neighborhood, to explore disparate ideas, see from another’s perspective and even smell the fragrance from a full bouquet of the arts,” Moreno said in her moving acceptance speech. “So in this season of our American experiment, I need to remind you that our democracy more than ever now needs the presence and the voice of public broadcasting as never before.”
Honoree Rita Moreno and Vin Diesel at The WNET Group 2024 Gala. (Photo: David Nicholas)
