Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall (Original cast recording)

Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall is a live cast album documenting the pre-taping performance of Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett's 1962 CBS television special. Recorded with an audience prior to the actual broadcast, the album preserves the same material as the televised version, though with minor performance variations. Released in 1962 by Columbia Records, it captures the duo's musical and comedic routines, including their signature "History of Musical Comedy" medley.^[2]

Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall
Studio album by Julie Andrews, Carol Burnett
Released	1962
Recorded	June 1962[1]
Genre	Show tune, folk
Label	Columbia Masterworks
Julie Andrews chronology
Don't Go in the Lion's Cage Tonight (1962) Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall (1962) Mary Poppins (1964)

The production team included director Joe Hamilton (Burnett's future husband), writer Mike Nichols, and musical director Irwin Kostal, known for his work on West Side Story and Mary Poppins. The album features a mix of Broadway showtunes, folk songs, and original comedy sketches. Highlights include Frank Loesser's "Big D" from The Most Happy Fella, the English folk song "Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be", and their extended "History of Musical Comedy" medley tracing Broadway hits from 1910 to 1957. A notable segment is "From Switzerland: The Pratt Family," a parody of the von Trapp family singers.^[3]

While the original album was briefly issued on CD in 1989, a remastered double-CD edition was released in 2012, combining both performances for the first time. The 2012 reissue, titled The CBS Television Specials: Live at Carnegie Hall/Live at Lincoln Center, marked the CD debut of the Lincoln Center concert and restored the original recordings. This compilation preserved the duo's legacy, offering a comprehensive look at their collaborative work.^[4][5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Billboard	Favorable[7]
Cash Box	Favorable[8]
Music Vendor	Favorable[9]
Melody Maker	Unfavorable[10]
Pop Weekly	Favorable[11]

The reviews for Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall highlight the album's broad appeal and the dynamic chemistry between Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett. Music Vendor emphasizes their contrasting personas—Andrews' ladylike charm and Burnett's playful humor—and praises the album as a captivating recreation of their memorable TV special.^[9] Similarly, Cash Box describes the album as a "double-barreled treat," noting its timely release and standout tracks like "No Mozart Tonight" and "Meantime," which showcase the duo's versatility.^[8]

Billboard offers a more detailed critique, applauding the album's mix of comedy and drama, particularly Burnett's "Meantime" and Andrews' "I Have a Love". It also credits the creative contributions of Mike Nichols and Ken Welch, underscoring the album's polished wit and charm.^[7] The critic from AllMusic rated the album four and a half out of five stars but did not include a written review for it.^[6] Melody Maker reviewer considered the album "corny, but often clever",^[10] while Peter Aldersley from Pop Weekly magazine wrote: "There is lots of comedy and much melody throughout-both extremely well done".^[11]

Commercial performance

The album managed to chart on US music charts. On September 1, 1962, it debuted at number 126 on the 150 Best-Selling Monaural LPs chart^[12] In total, it spent nine weeks on the chart.^[13] and peaked at number 85 on 6 October 1962.^[14] On Cash Box magazine's music chart, it reached number 26 on the Stereo LPs chart.^[15]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"No Mozart Tonight"	Ken Welch, Mike Nichols	Carol Burnett	1:38
2.	"You're So London"	K. Welch, M. Nichols	Carol Burnett, Julie Andrews	3:58
3.	"Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be"	Traditional	Julie Andrews	4:14
4.	"From Russia: The Nausiev Ballet — "There's No Business Like Show Business", "The Girl That I Marry", "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly""	Irving Berlin	Julie Andrews, Carol Burnett	9:12
5.	"Meantime"	Al Stillman, Robert Allen	Carol Burnett	4:34
6.	"From Switzerland: The Pratt Family — "Pratt Family Tree", "The Things We Like Best", "Ding Dong Yum Yum Yum""	K. Welch, M. Nichols	Carol Burnett, Julie Andrews	8:00
7.	"History Of Musical Comedy: "Every Little Movement" / "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" / "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp" / "Look for the Silver Lining" / "Limehouse Blues" / "Funny Face" / "Fidgety Feet" / "'S Wonderful" / "Hallelujah!" / "Why Was I Born?" / "Don't Ever Leave Me" / "Dancing in the Dark" / "I Get a Kick Out of You" / "Night and Day" / "Where or When" / "Lucky Day" / "Yesterdays" / "Get Out of Town" / "Glad to Be Unhappy" / "I've Got You Under My Skin" / "Begin the Beguine" / "I Cain't Say No" / "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" / "A Boy Like That" / "I Have a Love""	Karl Hoschna, Otto Harbach / Victor Herbert, Rida Johnson Young / V. Herbert, R. J. Young / Jerome Kern, Buddy DeSylva / Douglas Furber, Philip Braham / George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin / G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin / G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin / Vincent Youmans, Clifford Grey, Leo Robin / Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II / J. Kern, O. Hammerstein II / Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz / Cole Porter / C. Porter / Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart / B. DeSylva, L. Brown, R. Henderson / J. Kern, Otto Harbach / C. Porter / R. Rodgers, L. Hart / C. Porter / C. Porter / R. Rodgers, O. Hammerstein II / Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe / Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim / L. Bernstein, S. Sondheim	Julie Andrews, Carol Burnett	9:52
8.	"From Texas: Big D"	F. Loesser	Carol Burnett, Julie Andrews	5:39

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall record.^[16]

• Executive-produced by Bob Banner
• Produced by Jim Foglesong
• Produced and directed by Joe Hamilton
• Music directed by Irwin Kostal
• Choral music directed by George Becker
• Associate produced and choreographed by Ernest Flatt

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall

Chart (1962)	Peak position
US 150 Best-Selling Monaural LPs (Billboard)[14]	85
US (Cash Box Best Selling Albums - Stereo)[15]	26