Mr. & Mrs. Music

Variety act Steve & Eydie entertain at Caesars Palace

Mr. and Mrs. Steve Lawrence, professionally known as Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, or simply as Steve & Eydie, the best singing and comedy team of all time, will be in residence, May 18-21, in the Caesars Palace Circus Maximus. With the Circus Maximus scheduled to close in September, make this your "must-see" show this week.

Nelson Eddy and Jeannette MacDonald were the most famous--and the most successful--singing team in motion pictures. Frank Crumit and Julia Sanderson were the prime favorites in the days of radio, before television. Neither duo earned multiple awards for saluting great popular composers and neither could match Steve & Eydie in the comedy department.

Steve & Eydie stand alone in their category because of the depth and the variety of their musical repertoire, plus the impeccable comedy timing when they engage in onstage repartee, portraying all married couples; the truth observed and related with great good humor.

Talk show host No. 1, Larry King, put it succinctly, "If Steve & Eydie can't entertain you, then no one can entertain you."

The Lawrences will celebrate their 43rd wedding anniversary this December. They were married in Las Vegas at the original El Rancho on Dec. 29, 1957. Eydie was co-starring with the late comedian Joe E. Lewis and Steve was just back from a stint in the service. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married there earlier that day and served as witnesses.

Eydie was born in the Bronx section of New York City. Her parents were Sephardic Jews--her father was a Sicilian-born tailor and her mother was Turkish. Steve has described Eydie's family as "mixed up but great food." Lawrence was born Steve Leibowitz in Brooklyn, the son of a cantor, a fact included on the label of his first King Records release, Poinciana.

At age 16, Steve won a competition on the Arthur Godfrey Talent Show, which led to a spot on the Steve Allen NBC-TV "Tonight" show. A year or so later, Eydie auditioned for and was signed to do the Steve Allen show, joining Lawrence, Pat Kirby and Andy Williams, the last-named now a Branson, Mo., performer.

Steve & Eydie began their courtship on that landmark television program, which also featured comedians Bill (Jose Jiminez) Dana, Don Knotts, Louie Nye and Tom Poston. This was the forerunner of what later became the Johnny Carson Show and now, the Jay Leno Show on NBC-TV.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Lawrences would perform in Las Vegas but actually lived in Manhattan, appearing both separately and together. Lawrence won a Tony Award nomination for his role in "What Makes Sammy Run" and they co-starred for two years in the musical, "Golden Rainbow." Their television variety specials were Emmy Award winners.

The 1979 television tribute to George and Ira Gershwin earned them two Emmy Awards. "Steve & Eydie Singing Irving Berlin" earned the duo seven more Emmys. Eydie's albums, sung in Spanish, made her a popular attraction in all the Spanish-speaking countries. Frank Sinatra was a big Steve & Eydie fan. As a result, they spent a full year touring with Old Blue Eyes.

FRANK SINATRA: "Steve & Eydie represent all that is good about performers and the interpretation of a song--they're the best."

The Lawrences were also recipients of the Society of Singers prestigious "Ella" Lifetime Achievement Award. Past honorees include Ella Fitzgerald, for whom the award was named; Sinatra, Tony Martin and Peggy Lee. That same year, the duo received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. The awards still keep coming.

Steve & Eydie share a Grammy Award for their album, We've Got Us and Eydie won a second Grammy for If He Walked Into My Life. They are proud of their several series of sold-out concerts in NYC's famed Carnegie Hall.

STEVE ALLEN, their first boss: "What has been the nature of their success? The fact that they are really a couple has something to do with it. Secondly, they are damn good singers. And, thirdly, this has both hurt and helped them--they concentrate on good music, which has cost them the loss of the youngsters who prefer crap to Cole Porter."

The late Dean Martin always referred to Steve Lawrence as "Steve & Eydie," introducing him that way. When both appeared on a show with Martin, he introduced them as "Steve & Eydie & Eydie."

Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme are simply the best at whatever they do. Enjoy them for yourselves and your loved ones, May 18-21, in the Caesars Palace Circus Maximus.