When she was a newly independent teen living in a tiny New York apartment, Barbra Streisand never made her bed.
Determined to pursue her dream as a Broadway actress, she regarded her unkempt covers and thought, “I have to make it.”
For the record:
10:40 a.m. March 20, 2018An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that a 1961 interview with Mike Wallace and Barbra Streisand was on “60 Minutes.” Streisand did an interview with Wallace in 1961 on a different program and on “60 Minutes” in 1991.
Make it in her career, that is. How else would she get enough money to pay someone else to tidy up?
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That bed(time) story was just one of the misty, water-colored memories the legendary singer shared with a sold-out audience that packed Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on Friday for a tribute to her TV work.
The event was the opening night for this year’s annual PaleyFest, which honors current and veteran TV favorites. The festival, which will host evenings devoted to “Stranger Things,” “The Handmaid’s Tale” and other shows, continues through March 25.
Friday’s salute kicked off with a generous montage of clips from Streisand’s 1960s specials “My Name Is Barbra” and “Color Me Barbra,” and her recent Netflix special, “Barbra: The Music … The Mem’ries … The Magic!”
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When the lights came up, Streisand, wearing a dark dress with knee-high black boots, walked on stage alone and started waving to the audience, which greeted her with a thunderous ovation. She was joined a few moments later by Ryan Murphy (“Glee,” “American Horror Story”), the evening’s moderator.
The writer-producer-director made no effort to mask his excitement about his emcee duties, recounting his thrill as a young boy seeing Streisand for the first time in 1968’s “Funny Girl.” Murphy dismissed those who merely want to label Streisand as the greatest female star in entertainment.
“No, that’s not enough,” he proclaimed. “Barbra Streisand is the greatest star, male or female, period.” The crowd roared in agreement.
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As Murphy listed her achievements, which include two Academy Awards, 10 Grammy awards, five Emmy awards and a slew of lifetime achievement awards. Streisand craned her neck in mock bewilderment.
“What? I don’t remember that,” she quipped, indicating she often remembered more about the menu at the ceremonies than the actual honors: “I usually remember things by the food.”
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David Harbour, from the Netflix show “Stranger Things,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 25, 2018.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Winona Ryder, from the Netflix show “Stranger Things,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 25, 2018.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Sadie Sink, from the Netflix show “Stranger Things,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 25, 2018.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIF. -- SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2018: Sean Astin, actor from the Netflix television show, “Stranger Things,” poses for a portrait at Paley Fest in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 25, 2018. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Natalia Dyer, from the Netflix show “Stranger Things,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 25, 2018.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Executive Producer Shawn Levy, from the Netflix show “Stranger Things,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 25, 2018.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Sean Astin, from the Netflix show “Stranger Things,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 25, 2018.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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O.T. Fagbenle, from Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 18, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Max Minghella, from Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 18, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Amanda Brugel, from Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 18, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Samira Wiley, from Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 18, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Yvonne Strahovski, from Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 18, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Madeline Brewer, from Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 18, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Thomas Middleditch, from HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 18, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Creator of “Must See TV” and former president of entertainment at NBC, Warren Littlefield is photographed before participating with Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre, in Hollywood on March 18, 2018. Littlefield has become a successful producer, with FX’s “Fargo” and Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Amanda Crew, from HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 18, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Martin Starr, from HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 18, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Kumail Nanjiani, from HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 18, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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From HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” writer and producer Alec Berg, left and writer-creator, Mike Judge, photographed before the show’s panel during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 18, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Zach Woods, from HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” photographed during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 18, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Halston Sage, from Fox’s “The Orville,” is photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio, during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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J. Lee, from Fox’s “The Orville,” is photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio, during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Chad Coleman, from Fox’s “The Orville,” is photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio, during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Mark Jackson, from Fox’s “The Orville,” is photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio, during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Penny Johnson Jerald, from Fox’s “The Orville,” is photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio, during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Adrianne Palicki, from Fox’s “The Orville,” is photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio, during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Peter Macon, from Fox’s “The Orville,” is photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio, during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Scott Grimes, from Fox’s “The Orville,” is photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio, during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Dan Bucatinsky, who reprises his guest role on NBC’s “Will and Grace,” is photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Sean Hayes, from NBC’s “Will and Grace,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio, during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Eric McCormack, from NBC’s “Will and Grace,” is photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio, during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Megan Mullally, from NBC’s “Will and Grace,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio, during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Debra Messing, from NBC’s “Will and Grace,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio, during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Legendary TV comedy director, James Burrows, from NBC’s “Will and Grace,” is photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio, during PaleyFest, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 17, 2018.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Referencing the current focus on sexual harassment in Hollywood, Murphy asked Streisand if she had ever experienced a #MeToo moment.
“Never,” she responded, adding, “I wasn’t like those pretty girls with those nice little noses. Maybe that’s why. I have no idea.”
She also addressed her reputation for being “difficult” and controlling due to her insistence on approving quotes and photographs in stories about her. Over the years, she said, she has grown comfortable with supervising her image, letting go of anxieties she felt as a young actress.
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“I didn’t want people to call me controlling, which I am,” she said. “Everyone who is talented … wants to control their work.
“Yeah I want … picture approval,” she declared, prompting another hearty audience response. “I love the truth, what can I say?”
At one point, Murphy read excerpts from articles about Streisand. She was quick to note that she gets upset when she feels that the press twists her words.
Streisand also singled out Mike Wallace, who called her self-absorbed in one interview. Streisand called to complain and fans called him mean, but Streisand said Wallace lied and told viewers she loved the show.
“He made me cry,” she said. “He would say, ‘Why are you self-obsessed?’ Who else should I be obsessed with? I’m 19 years old!”
The tribute also included clips from some of the factual, politically oriented TV movies she produced, including 1995’s “Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story,” starring Glenn Close as a lesbian colonel struggling for her right to serve in the military, and 1998’s “The Long Island Incident,” starring Laurie Metcalf as Carolyn McCarthy, a homemaker who became a outspoken gun control advocate after her husband was killed and her son seriously wounded when a deranged man opened fire on unsuspecting passengers on a New York commuter train.
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A scene from that 1998 film drew particularly loud applause.
After a brief audience question-and-answer session, Streisand was presented with the Paley Center for Media’s Icon award, the first to honor her TV work. The evening came to a close, and the audience again gave a standing ovation. Some fans tried to rush the stage, but Streisand was quickly ushered away.
As the crowd exited, one Streisand devotee, Marguerita Drew of Glendale, said Streisand was everything she hoped she would be.
“All you read about her is negative stuff,” said the 51-year-old teacher who has a Streisand Barbie doll on her desk. “They call her demanding or they call her the B-word. But listening to her talk, she’s like any of us.”
Alejandra Reyes-Velarde is a Metro reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Previously she wrote for the San Francisco Business Times and the Sacramento Bee. A UCLA graduate, she is originally from Duarte, Calif., and is a native Spanish speaker.
