Carol Channing: Larger Than Life

Good love stories are hard to find at the Cineplex these days. "New Year's Eve?" Please. It was gone by late December. "Twilight: Breaking Dawn?" You have got to be kidding. How about a film that contains three love stories? Three genuine, true-to-life, love stories - in a documentary. How is that possible? Easy, you make the documentary about one of the most beloved performers in American theatre – Ms. Carol Channing.

You get the story of Channing's love of performance. You get the story of audiences' love for Carol Channing. Finally, you get the story of Channing's reunion (after 65 years) with the first love of her life.

"Carol Channing: Larger than Life" is the documentary of which I speak. It opens with the ever-young Ms. Channing (who was 90 at the time of filming and still going strong) taking a stroll down Broadway and reminiscing a bit. She runs into a few members of the chorus from the Broadway musical "Memphis." Note the respect and awe they feel for her. Note the respect and awe she expresses for the theatre. She tells the boys they should feel privileged to perform for a Broadway audience – and she means it. She runs into a few fans who tell of the times they had seen her perform. Note the joy they have in meeting her. Note the joy she has in speaking with them.

This sense of joy and wonderment fills the entire film as it traces the life of Channing from her childhood in San Francisco to her life today, with stops on Broadway and (infrequently) in Hollywood. Hollywood never could figure out how to showcase her talents properly, though she did manage an Academy Award nomination for her role in "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (the vehicle through which I was introduced to Ms. Channing oh, so long ago…)

Her theatrical life, as fascinating as it is, can't hold a candle to the personal late-in-life love story the film also documents. Imagine saying goodbye to your first love, reuniting almost seventy years later, getting engaged two weeks after reuniting, and marrying. Now THAT'S a love story.

When's the last time you left the theatre feeling good about life, good about love, good about growing old, and good about the possibility of growing old with the one you love? Carol Channing makes you feel all these things. She's still glowin', she's still crowin', she's still going' strong. We all should be thankful for that.

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Here is an incisive portrait of a certifiable living legend, the great Carol Channing who is, at age 90, a sharp, funny, lovable person. Her wit shines through in many archival and contemporary interviews. She had me laughing so hard. It is truly heartwarming to realize that after so many years of what appears to be a bad marriage, that this lovely lady was reunited with her true love. He seems devoted to her and they fit together in their interviews as only true loves do. I have never had the privilege of seeing Miss Channing in person, which is one of my true regrets, but her winning persona comes across in this show bigtime. There are so few of these legends left in our transitory world. Like Betty White, here is one to cherish.

(*Note*) - At the time of this 2011 celebrity bio-documentary - Carol Channing was 90 years old.

In 2019 - Channing died of natural causes.

Through stills, archival footage, and interviews (including extensive conversations with Channing, herself) - This "Larger Than Life" presentation pays respectful tribute to this vibrant performer of both stage and screen whose career had successfully endured for 6 decades.

Wonderful, well-researched documentary on the career of Broadway baby Carol Channing, looking physically frail these days but still sharp as a tack, with great love for her public--and lucky in love personally, having been recently reunited with her childhood sweetheart. Covering her early years in San Francisco, her immediate love for the theatre, and her swift migration to New York City (and, consequently, Hollywood, where she was paired with Clint Eastwood in her film debut), Channing is never less than a charismatic film subject. Mastering various imitations and accents got her in the theatrical door, yet it's her indefatigable personality--a sprightly, somewhat slap-happy or stupefied persona--which made Carol Channing a star performer (a personality which others concede is nearly impossible to separate from her famous stage roles in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "Hello, Dolly!"). Intimate conversations with Carol at home reveal the woman under the wigs and gowns, though the film doesn't always dig so deeply (we learn very little about her son from her tumultuous first marriage). Following Channing down the streets of today's Broadway district gives us a delicious glimpse of well-earned celebrity--and how actors and passers-by respond to that celebrity. Her brilliance as a colorful talk-show guest or storyteller are not given short shrift in the interim, though more material about Ms. Channing's personal life would have been welcomed. Still, the journey she takes us on is rich and rewarding. *** from ****