I spotted the above photo on the wire services — in conjunction with the passing of Irene Worth and the weekend nuptials of Liza Minnelli — and couldn't resist usurping it for here. It's from the 1965 Tony Awards and the winners are, left to right, Walter Matthau (for The Odd Couple), Ms. Worth (for Tiny Alice), Ms. Minnelli (for Flora, the Red Menace) and Zero Mostel (for Fiddler on the Roof). Other Tony Awards that year went to Neil Simon, Jerome Robbins, Mike Nichols, Harold Prince, Jack Albertson, Alice Ghostley, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. Quite a line-up of prestigious theatrical names, wouldn't you say? I'm not sure that they still hold the records but a few years ago, The Odd Couple was the comedy that had received the most performances across America, while Fiddler on the Roof held that honor among musicals. Both debuted in the same season.
The photo also summons up a great show biz anecdote. Mostel initially turned down the lead in Fiddler and its makers began auditioning others, including Matthau, who had yet to be cast in The Odd Couple. Halfway through his reading, Matthau stopped and turned to the director and producers. "Hey, you know who you should get for this part?" he exclaimed. "Zero!"
Someone yelled back, "If we could get Zero, do you think we'd be auditioning you?"