Really Rosie

Rosie and the Nutshell Kids (Johnny, Alligator, Pierre, and Kathy) live on the same block on Avenue P in Brooklyn, New York. On a hot July day, the children are bored and need something to do. Rosie imagines herself as a talented star, and decides to produce an imaginary musical about her life and in particular the demise of her boyfriend Chicken Soup, called Did You Hear What Happened to Chicken Soup? She gets her friends to audition for a role in the film, but they begin to fight over casting. A thunderstorm forces them to move into the cellar for shelter. To keep the kids' attention, Rosie decides that they need to show the producer the movie's big finale number. She gets them all to close their eyes and imagine the producer inviting them to make her movie. Afterward, when the children go home, Rosie remains to dream of stardom in her big number. ==Voice cast==

• Carole King as Rosie • Dale Soules as Pierre/Chicken Soup • Alice Playten as Alligator • Baillie Gerstein as Kathy • Mark Hampton as Johnny • Maurice Sendak as Jenny's bark • Bingo Wyer as Buttermilk's meow • Andrew Riss as Special Whistle ==Reception==

Really Rosie was named to the ALA Notable Children's Videos list in 1976. ==Home media==

• The special was released uncut on VHS by Children's Circle in 1993. • Though the special has never been released in its entirety on DVD, the Carole King song adaptations of The Nutshell Library, set to the 1999 remastered CD version of the soundtrack, were made available on the very first Scholastic Video Collection/Storybook Treasures DVD "Where The Wild Things Are and more Maurice Sendak Stories" released on September 24, 2002. Only one song, "The Ballad of Chicken Soup", was omitted from the release due to concerning children of self-strangulation imitating the characters. ==Soundtrack==

Really Rosie the soundtrack album was released by Ode Records in February 1975. The album peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200. AllMusic called it "that rare children's album with the wit and intelligence to capture the imaginations of adult listeners as well." Track listing Lyrics by Maurice Sendak, music by Carole King. ;Side 1 • "Really Rosie" – 1:51 • "One Was Johnny" – 2:08 • "Alligators All Around" – 1:54 • "Pierre" – 5:38 • "Screaming and Yelling" – 1:16 • "The Ballad of Chicken Soup" – 2:15 • "Chicken Soup with Rice" – 4:20 ;Side 2 • "Avenue P" – 3:03 • "My Simple Humble Neighborhood" – 3:07 • "The Awful Truth" – 3:11 • "Such Sufferin'" – 2:55 • "Really Rosie" (Reprise) – 1:40 ;Bonus track (1999 remaster) • "Really Rosie" (Original piano demo) On cassette versions, "Chicken Soup with Rice" is repeated on Side 2 to even out the playing times of each side. Personnel • Carole King – vocals, piano • Charles Larkey – bass • Andy Newmark – drums • Louise Goffin, Sherry Goffin – background vocals • Hank Cicalo, Milt Calice – engineers • Maurice Sendak – lyrics, story, artwork • Ronald Fritz, Dan Hunn – animation producers/animation directors Chart position ==Stage play==

The stage version of Really Rosie follows a similar plot to the animated special, with a few key changes: • The cut songs have been reinstated, scattered in between the original track list. • Chicken Soup is now Rosie's younger brother, whom her mother forces her to watch over. Rosie's annoyance and anger toward this scares Chicken Soup into hiding, leading to the plot of her movie. • Alligator is no longer a real alligator, but rather a human child obsessed with reptiles (to the point of dressing as one). The other kids tease him for this and try to force him to eat Rosie. • The Nutshell Kids are expanded to include every child in the neighborhood. This is done to give the show a larger ensemble. • Kathy is given a larger role, her own musical number ("The Awful Truth") and the full name of Kathy Grossman. ==Notes==