in 1958, kollmar produced "the body beautiful", a musical about prize fighters starring steve forrest, singers lonnie sattin and barbara mcnair (in their broadway debuts), mindy carson and jack warden. he hired two newcomers, lyricist sheldon harnick and composer jerry bock, the team who would go on to write the lyrics and music for the hit shows "fiddler on the roof", "she loves me", and "fiorello!". "the body beautiful" made its debut on january 23, 1958, and reviews were generally mixed. however, more influential critics panned the show and the music (though two songs, "all of these and more" and "summer is", became standards) with one critic from "the new yorker" calling the show "vulgar and feeble minded in equal degrees." "the body beautiful" failed to attract an audience and closed in march 1958, after 60 performances. it was the last show kollmar would produce.