Florence Henderson’s Musical Moments: From ‘Oklahoma’ to ‘Sound of Music’ and ‘The Muppets’

Lars Brandle
·1 min read
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Florence Henderson entertained generations as the mom in the popular sitcom The Brady Bunch, but she had another family before finding fame as TV’s Carol Brady: the stage.

Henderson’s memorable turn as the fun, unflappable and dependable Brady Bunch matriarch, came some time after she’d established herself as the star in some of the biggest musicals of the time. The entertainer, who has died at the age of 82, also had a song impact on Billboard’s charts.

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Early in her career, Henderson appeared in the title role of the musical Fanny, and Rodgers and Hammerstein made her the female lead in a 1952 tour of Oklahoma!, a role she reprised for a Broadway revival in 1954, earning critical plaudits along the way. In a career spanning six decades, Henderson’s many credits include playing Maria in a road production of The Sound of Music, Nellie Forbush in a revival of South Pacific, and Mary Morgan in The Girl Who Came to Supper.

A winner of two Gracie Awards, the stage and screen performer’s one and only hit on the Billboard charts came in 1970 with the Decca Records release “Conversations,” which reached No. 25 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Watch some of her memorable musical moments below.

“Oklahoma!”(Ed Sullivan Show)

“The Hills Are Alive” (“The Sound of Music”)

“It’s Almost Like Being in Love” (“Brigadoon”)

“So Happy Together” (“The Muppet Show”)

“When You’re Good to Mama” (“Chicago”)

 

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