Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Cinderella,
"Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?"
Ricardo José Rivera, baritone; Craig Terry, piano
During the first half of the 1950s, several Broadway musicals were adapted splendidly for television, most notably Peter Pan, in which Mary Martin sang and flew her way into Americans' hearts. Cinderella, however, was actually created for television. In 1957 Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960), whose string of successes had ended with the less-than-triumphant Pipe Dream in 1955, needed to renew audiences' confidence in them. When NBC approached though, had the same idea and had a special advantage: Julie Andrews had already been contracted to star in their yet-to-be-written show. The chance to write for the exquisite young star of My Fair Lady was all that Rodgers and Hammerstein needed to commit themselves to CBS.
With Andrews giving a perfect performance in the title role, surrounded by a stellar supporting cast, Cinderella was telecast live to an audience of 100 million in March 1957. The show—which finally made it to the Broadway stage in 2013—has been seen in two other television productions, with the heroine played by Lesley Ann Warren (1965) and Brandy Norwood (1997).
Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted the familiar fairytale charmingly, with aptly comic songs as well as several captivating ballads. Among the latter is "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?," which the prince sings toward the end of the ball scene. He's been totally enraptured by Cinderella, whose identity at this point is still a mystery to him. He now expresses his delight and disbelief that the girl before him could really be as beautiful as she seems.
