Newsweek
July 6, 1964
*This article courtesy Rich Kleinberg
Money Girl
Over at Barbra Streisand's duplex pad on New York's Central Park West, the motto these days is "think big." When a troop of friends drop by for a bite, they may end up at The Forum of the Twelve Caesars. When her press agents talk about coverage, it's usually in terms of cover stories only. And when she deals with TV executives, it's not just for one shots or guest appearances: last week CBS announced gleefully that after strenuous bidding with rival NBC it had signed the souped-up 22-year-old star of "Funny Girl" to an "unprecedented" contract "in excess of ten years."
For doing no more than three specials in the first two years, the Brooklyn-born singer will receive a guarantee of more than $1 million (minimum over ten years: $5 million). And according to Michael Dann, vice president of programming for CBS-TV, the network "hopes to induce her to do a weekly series."
It seemed an ideal match of colossi. The girl who has been described as "rolling, rather than fighting, uphill to success" from a small part in "I Can Get It For You Wholesale" to instant stardom, was "no available" except to say she is "truly excited" at the deal. Dann called it "the most important thing that has happened to CBS in many years." Funny girl or no, at 22 Barbra Streisand is obviously playing it strictly for cash.