Barbra Streisand Makes Her First TV Appearance (April 5, 1961)
19-year-old Barbra Streisand made her first TV appearance on April 5, 1961 on Jack Paar's Tonight Show. However, Paar wasn't hosting that night. Filling in for him was actor and humorist Orson Bean, who was responsible for inviting Streisand on the show. She performed two songs composed by Harold Arlen, Sleepin' Bee (co-written with Truman Capote) and When the Sun Comes Out. Two other guests on the show that night were Phyllis Diller and Gore Vidal. (Later that month another big event in gay circles would be Judy Garland's acclaimed concert at Carnegie Hall.)
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