Pres. Johnson Inaugural Gala 1965

Streisand / LIVE 

President Lyndon Johnson’s Inaugural Gala (1965)

D.C. Armory
Washington, D.C.

January 18, 1965
Now a star on Broadway six days a week in Funny Girl, Barbra Streisand performed for President Johnson at the National Armory in Washington, D.C. (Funny Girl closed for that evening to allow Streisand to perform for the President.)

The Inaugural show was produced and staged by Richard Adler — who co-wrote The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, and who staged and produced numerous Presidential entertainments as White House Consultant for the Arts. “This is the closest thing America has to a command performance,” Adler told the press. 

Longtime Streisand associate Phil Ramone handled the evening's sound. Colin Romoff was the musical director. The performers worked for the equity minimum pay so the seats were free to some 8,000 guests that evening.

According to reports, Sally Ann Howes opened the gala by presenting flowers to Lady Bird Johnson.  Alfred Hitchcock performed as master of ceremonies.  There was Bobby Darin singing “Mack the Knife,” a comic monologue by Woody Allen, and Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews joining together in a song medley.  Ballet was represented by Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev.  Carol Channing, whose own show, Hello, Dolly!, closed for the evening, sang “Hello, Lyndon!” for the President. And Harry Belafonte and Barbra Streisand sang solo.

Variety wrote that Barbra's set list for Johnson included “Happy Days Are Here Again,” “Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home,” and “Don't Rain On My Parade.”

Columnist Dorothy Kilgallen revealed “Barbra Streisand came on and sang flawlessly, moving her arms sinuously, using her hands with maximum effect, turning her elaborate beehive wig toward all parts of the auditorium as she made ‘People’ sound like the most important song next to the National Anthem...”

President and Mrs. Johnson and Vice President and Mrs. Humphrey met the cast after the show to thank them. That's Johnny Carson shaking the President's hand, and Mrs. Johnson greeting Streisand above.
Streisand's dress and Don Brooks' illustration of it.

Designer Donald Brooks created what he called “an Egyptian Barbra Streisand” gown for the singer to wear, although the gown went through some changes as compared to his initial sketch (above) — Streisand asked for and got more cleavage.  But Brooks’ jeweled lotus blossom creation definitely caught the lights and Streisand looked gorgeous.


Sketch courtesy of The Donald Brooks Papers; The New School Archives and Special Collection, The New School, New York, NY.

The great caricaturist, Al Hirschfeld, sketched all the stars who performed at Johnson's inauguration.
The great caricaturist, Al Hirschfeld, sketched all the stars who performed at Johnson's inauguration. From left to right, above: Elaine May and Mike Nichols, Carol Channing, Barbra Streisand, Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett, Bobby Darin, Richard Adler (Director, with phone), Alfred Hitchcock, Johnny Carson, Ann-Margret, Woody Allen, Harry Belafonte ... and dancing on stage are Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn.
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