Angela Lansbury sang the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ song in just one take
From underwater dancing in Bedknobs and Broomsticks to starring alongside Elvis in Blue Hawaii, Angela Lansbury was responsible for countless unforgettable on-screen moments. But perhaps her finest hour was during the making of Disney’s Beauty & The Beast. Her role? Why a singing teapot, of course.
25 years after the film’s release, the cast and crew were invited to sit down for a very special conversation about the making of the beloved animation. Discussing her favourite memory from the production, Paige O’Hara, who played Belle, recalled witnessing Lansbury record ‘Tale as Old As Time’ in just a single take. “I remember the day we were in the recording studio with the amazing Broadway singers in the background chorus and the amazing [New York Philarmonic] orchestra,” O’Hara began.
“And then Ms. Lansbury — who I have admired my whole life — came in after being up all night […] and was a trooper. We were all worried she would be too exhausted and then she comes out and sings ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in one take,” O’Hara added.
As Lansbury went on to reveal, the one-take wonder was the result of leftover adrenaline from a bomb scare. “The plane had turned course for a new landing — there was a bomb call,” Lansbury remembered, picking up the story. “And here we are, I’m on my way to New York, and we couldn’t take off again [at first].
Lansbury waited nervously as the scare was investigated. Eventually, it became apparent that the whole thing had been a hoax, and the plane resumed its passage to New York City, where Lansbury had been booked in to record her songs for Disney: “We made it just in time,” Lansbury said, recalling how the drama of the day’s events influenced her performance: “I think it was the excitement of it all, the sense of ‘do it now!'”
You can revisit Lansbury’s stunning performance below.
