Free to Be... You and Me

Free to Be... You and Me was a record album for children, and later a 1974 television special featuring celebrities (Marlo Thomas and Friends). Using poetry, songs, and sketches, the basic concept was to salute being oneself; the thematic message was: you, whether you are a boy or a girl, can achieve anything you want. The album has largely become a cult classic amongst many children raised in the 1970s. The idea to create the album was purely Thomas's idea; she wanted to teach her then-young niece Dionne about life.

Related Topics:
Record album - Marlo Thomas - 1970s

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The album has been published by Arista Records since 1983 (it was first published by Bell Records), and is still in print today.

Related Topics:
Arista Records - Bell Records

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The TV cast included:

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• Alan Alda
• Harry Belafonte
• Mel Brooks
• Rita Coolidge
• Billy De Wolfe
• Roberta Flack
• Rosey Grier
• Michael Jackson
• Kris Kristofferson
• Shel Silverstein
• Tom Smothers
• Marlo Thomas
• Dionne Warwick
• The New Seekers
• The Voices of East Harlem

Songs included "It's Allright to Cry," sung by football hero Rosey Grier, the title track by the New Seekers, "Help" by Tom Smothers, "Sisters and Brothers" by The Voices of East Harlem, and "When We Grow Up" by Michael Jackson and Roberta Flack.

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Other sketches included "Atalanta," narrated by Alan Alda, "Boy Meets Girl" with Marlo Thomas and Mel Brooks as puppets resembling human babies, and "Dudley Pippin" with Billy De Wolfe. The special was often seen ocasionally on HBO in the 1980's.

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