Miss Mitzi Gaynor? Her old network specials are now streaming on Amazon
Green Isle Productions, Inc. Mitzi Gaynor
You just can't find song-and-dance specials like Mitzi Gaynor's anymore. Fortunately, Amazon Prime Video would like to change that.
For the first time, Amazon is streaming all of Gaynor's effervescent TV specials from the '70s. With titles like Mitzi… A Tribute to the American Housewife, Mitzi & 100 Guys, and Mitzi… What's Hot, What's Not, the specials showcase Gaynor's mastery of song and dance. Her Bob Mackie costumes weren't too shabby, either — and she always wore them with 4-inch heels.
"My legs looked better in a very high heels," Gaynor tells EW.
The specials, which Gaynor taped in her 40s after a successful career in film (South Pacific, There's No Business Like Show Business), aired on NBC and CBS. They were inspired by her live shows on the road, especially from a club she routinely appeared at in Vancouver called the Cave.
Green Isle Productions, Inc. Mitzi Gaynor
"I loved it. I just loved it," recalls Gaynor, now 89. "I loved being with the people. I'm so excited that people can see the shows again."
Gaynor was routinely joined by cohosts like Carl Reiner, Suzanne Pleshette, Michael Landon, Bob Hope, and Ed Asner. She hasn't seen her specials in years, so she's looking forward to enjoying them on Amazon — that is, when somebody sets her up with a subscription. "I swear to God, I'm not a streamer," she says. "I need someone to come over and plug something in and fix it for me so I can have it on 24-7."
Along with preparing a new stage show (yes!), Gaynor likes to spend her days sharing old performance photos of herself on Instagram. She ends every post with an affectionate "Love Ya, Mitzi." Fans of Gaynor, it seems, are everywhere: One of the contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race this season wore one of her costumes.
"Fans want to know how I feel, when am I going to come back, can they see me again. Isn't that lovely?" says Gaynor. "I got lots of Mother's Day cards. I'm everybody's mama."
All Gaynor's specials, along with the PBS documentary Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years, can also be found on Pluto, Tubi, and Crackle.
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