Eugene McCarthy Benefit 1968

Streisand / LIVE 

Eugene McCarthy Benefit (1968)

Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
New York

June 26, 1968
Leonard Bernstein and Barbra Streisand, holding the sheet music to
Photo Above:  Dustin Hoffman, Leonard Bernstein, Streisand, and Eugene McCarthy.

After meeting Senator Eugene McCarthy at a dinner at Paul Newman's home in May, Barbra Streisand supported his Presidential campaign by singing for him at a fundraiser in June.

Introduced by composer Leonard Bernstein and accompanied by David Shire on piano, Barbra performed a short set of songs for the nearly 1,500 people in the audience. The entire evening raised $900,000 for McCarthy's presidential campaign.

Columnist Joyce Haber described the evening: “Walter Matthau emceed, Negro baritone Gilbert Price sang, Dustin Hoffman read the senator's poetry, Mike Nichols and Neil Simon fooled around ... and Leonard Bernstein conducted for Barbra Streisand ...”

“So Pretty” was her opener. A Vietnam protest song written from the point-of-view of a child, the song had lyrics by Comden & Green and music by Leonard Bernstein. (The song was actually written for another fundraiser, Broadway For Peace, and sung by Streisand five months earlier.) For this song, Bernstein played piano for Barbra, as she looked over his shoulder at the lyrics on the sheet music.

Next Barbra sang “What About Today,” “Little Tin Soldier,” and “I'd Rather Be Blue.”

Streisand even wrote a letter to the editor of Time Magazine to clear things up: “TIME lists me among the supporters of Senator Kennedy [May 31]. I support Senator McCarthy. When political figures seek our support, we have little to lend but our presence, represented by our names.”
Streisand performs at McCarthy benefit. Photos by Ron Ron Gallela.
Dustin Hoffman, Leonard Bernstein, Barbra Streisand, Eugene McCarthy, Paul O'Dwyer [ex-city official in NYC], and Mike Nichols.
Streisand at piano with Bernstein singing
Industry ad with list of celebrities supporting Eugene Mccarthy for president.
Cover of the sheet music to the song

End / McCarthy Benefit 1968 / MORE LIVE

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