From 1930 until the mid-1990s, no stars shone brighter on the Broadway musical stage than Ethel Merman, Mary Martin and Carol Channing. Combined, they gave more than 12,000 performances in hit musicals and plays. Composers like Irving Berlin and Cole Porter wrote musicals specifically for Merman because when she sang, you could understand every lyric from the top reaches of the balcony. Mary Martin brought shows like South Pacific and The Sound of Music to vivid life, while Carol Channing created immortal characters in numerous hugely successful hits. Yet, none of them achieved great fame on the silver screen, although their television appearances were many. We’ll discuss why that is and how they justly became legends while watching some of their enduring work.