Alan Jay Lerner: A Lyricist's Letters (36 page)

        
It’s a strange world in which to be writing these days. The critics seem to be trying to articulate what they think the kids want. The big hope is that one day they’ll do it so well, the kids will rebel against
them
, and they’ll all go away and leave us alone.

        
I heard you were in Paris. I hope you had a good time, and I do look forward to seeing you.

        
Thank you again. I feel proud and honoured to be on your “mailing list,” and belatedly, a happy, happy new year.

Faithfully,

Alan

Berlin’s reply was similarly cordial:

    
From Irving Berlin

    
January 9, 1970

    
Dear Alan:

    
What a nice letter.

        
I knew how occupied you have been the past year so really didn’t expect you to rush into any thank you letters. Besides, I still have some unanswered mail in my desk drawer that dates back to the Ed Sullivan Show.

        
Seriously, I was delighted with your letter and thank you for all the generous things you say.

        
I do want to see
Coco
. Sometime soon I will call your office to get a couple of house seats.

        
I read some of the reviews. However, I’ve talked to several people in our business who have seen the show and they raved about it. Only last night I heard Barry Farber
⁵⁶
—one of the better night talk shows—speak about
Coco
. He loved it and couldn’t understand the critics. Besides, with over $130,000 a week business, who needs critics.

        
I would really like to see you sometime. I’ve been an admirer of yours for many years. Not alone for your great talent, but for your energy, drive and guts to keep working at it so successfully.

        
With my best to you for the new year.

As always,

Irving

    
Berlin’s entrance into Lerner’s life at this moment nicely underlines the changes in the Broadway and Hollywood musical the lyricist had witnessed during the 1960s. Gone was the “dream factory” atmosphere of Freed’s MGM unit, which had facilitated the creative freedom of
An American in Paris
and
Gigi
. In its place were overblown “road show” screen versions of established Broadway shows like
Paint Your Wagon, Camelot
, and
My Fair Lady
(whatever their undoubted virtues). Lerner’s stage productions were few in number, and after the end of the relationship with Loewe, his collaborations with Lane and Previn were unhappy and uneven. Neither
Clear Day
nor
Coco
was quite right.
Regardless of Lerner’s excellent contributions to both of these, his wit and suavity were of a world that was different from the decade’s major musicals by a new generation of writers, from Kander and Ebb’s dark
Cabaret
(1966) to Jerry Herman’s big and brash
Hello, Dolly!
(1964). In particular, the nudity, open sexuality, and drugs in
Hair
(Off-Broadway, 1967; Broadway, 1968) were matched by a rock score that took musicals in a more rebellious direction. Lerner made his feelings clear a few years later:

    
Since the mid-sixties, the musical theatre has been fumbling, stumbling and groping for the right direction, not certain whether rock is genuine nourishment or merely intravenous feeding. In or out of theatre, rock is primitive stuff, extremely limited dramatically, popularized by the young for the young. Although youth has many glories, it has never been a period distinguished for judgment and that is no less true today. What has misled many who should know better is the vastness of the young population and the vastness of their attendant purchasing power, the two together creating an impression of an important new sound instead of just a loud one. Increasing the volume will never turn a belch into an aria. …

        
I am convinced that the audience for genuine theatre is still there waiting and wanting to be seduced again, in spite of inflation, apathy and all other sociological ills. Because I believe that and believe it deeply, I cannot be pessimistic about the future.

        
Besides, if musicals disappeared, what would I do with myself? Eh?
⁵⁷

Reflecting this reactionary position, two of Lerner’s next projects would reunite him with his favorite composer on old-fashioned projects. But the new wave of writers had caused him to ponder: the turn of the decade saw him form a new collaboration with an edgy young film composer to write a musical version of one of the most controversial novels of the twentieth century.

    
1
Untitled draft (14 pp.) signed and dated March 9, 1966.

    
2
Sam Zolotow, “$610,000 Invested in ‘Baker Street,’”
New York Times
, February 18, 1965, 18.

    
3
Bob Fosse (1927–87) was the most important Broadway choreographer of his era, winning eight Tony Awards for choreography and one for direction. He was also an agile and sensuous dancer who appeared in a number of films, including
Kiss Me, Kate
and
Give a Girl a Break
(1953), as well as directing his wife Gwen Verdon in several musicals.

    
4
Sam Zolotow, “New Lerner Show Scheduled October 16,”
New York Times
, July 27, 1965, 24
.

    
5
“Lerner Musical Delayed,”
New York Times
, October 12, 1965, 56.

    
6
Milton Esterow, “On Opening Night: Refined Torture,”
New York Times
, October 18, 1965, 44
.

    
7
“Year-old ‘Fair Lady’ Film Tops Gross of $46 Million,”
New York Times
, October 21, 1965, 58
.

    
8
Lewis Funke, “New Musical for Lerner?,”
New York Times
, November 7, 1965, X1
.

    
9
Lewis Funke, “They Hope It’s Magic,”
New York Times
, December 19, 1965, X3
.

    
10
André Previn (1929–) is a prolific conductor, composer, and arranger, well known for his Hollywood work as the musical director of movies such as
Gigi
(1958) and the composer of
It’s Always Fair Weather
(1955).

    
11
Lyricist Dory Previn (1925–2012) was married to André Previn from 1959 to 1970. Together they wrote several Academy Award–nominated songs, and in the 1970s she recorded widely as a singer-songwriter.

    
12
Lewis Funke, “Lerner Picks a Partner,”
New York Times
, January 23, 1966, 93
. “Real Nurse Quits ‘Doctors’ Serial,”
New York Times
, January 24, 1966, 43.

    
13
Joshua Logan (1908–88) was one of the most respected directors and writers of his generation, with screen credits including
Picnic
(1955),
Bus Stop
(1956), and
South Pacific
(1958), and Broadway work including
Annie Get Your Gun
(1946), among many others.

    
14
“Joshua Logan to Direct Film,”
New York Times
, March 10, 1966, 29.

    
15
Letter from Leland Hayward to Lerner, February 28, 1966.

    
16
Barbra Streisand (1942–) is among the most successful singers of all time, as well as a multi-award-winning actress, director, and producer. Her musicals include
Funny Girl
(Broadway, 1964; movie, 1968),
Hello, Dolly!
(movie, 1969), and
Yentl
(1983).

    
17
Howard W. Koch (1916–2001) was an American director and producer, whose movies included
The Manchurian Candidate
(1962),
The Odd Couple
(1968), and
Ghost
(1990).
Sam Zolotow, “Derwent Awards Announced,”
New York Times
, April 22, 1966, 35
.

    
18
Lewis Funke, “On the Rialto: Into the Sunrise,”
New York Times
, June 5, 1966, 123
. “‘Clear Day’ to Close Saturday,”
New York Times
, June 8, 1966, 81.

    
19
Peter Bart, “Lerner and Previn Completing a Musical about Coco Chanel,”
New York Times
, November 9, 1966, 42
.

    
20
Richard Harris (1930–2002) starred in dozens of films between 1959 and his death, ranging from
The Guns of Navarone
(1961) to the first two
Harry Potter
movies (2001–2).

    
21
Vanessa Redgrave (1937–) is a beloved actress and political activist. She is the only British actress ever to win the Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Cannes, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards. Her many credits include
Isadora
(1968),
Julia
(1977), and
Atonement
(2007).

    
22
“‘Camelot’ Filming to Start,”
New York Times
, December 2, 1966, 41.

    
23
A. H. Weiler, “‘Little Prince’ Among Men,”
New York Times
, March 19, 1967, D17.
On October 4, it was suggested that Previn would be the composer of
The Little Prince
.
Robert Windeler, “Previn Conducts In Houston Debut,”
New York Times
, October 4, 1967, 42
.

    
24
“Logan to Direct Film Musical,”
New York Times
, April 6, 1967, 42.

    
25
Paddy Chayefsky (1923–81) was a playwright, novelist, and screenwriter, winning Academy Awards for
Marty
(1955),
The Hospital
(1971), and
Network
(1976).

    
26
“Chayevsky to Adapt Musical,”
New York Times
, June 21, 1967, 40.

    
27
That is, Rosalind Russell.

    
28
Rachel Roberts (1927–80) was the fourth wife of Rex Harrison. She was a prolific screen actress, with celebrated appearances in
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
(1960) and
This Sporting Life
(1963).

    
29
Robert Mitchum (1917–97) was well known for his appearances in the film noir genre, including
The Night of the Hunter
(1955).

    
30
“My Man” is a popular song, originally written in French (as “Mon Homme”), by Jacques Charles, Channing Pollock, Albert Willemetz, and Maurice Yvain. It was made famous in America by Fanny Brice of the Ziegfeld Follies, who recorded it in 1921. Barbra Streisand performed it on her TV special and album
My Name Is Barbra
in 1965, and later sang it as the finale of the film version of
Funny Girl
(in which she portrayed Brice) in 1968.

    
31
Anatole Litvak (1902–74) was the Academy Award–winning director of
The Snake Pit
(1948). He was also famous for his French movie
Mayerling
(1936), the 1968 remake of which is mentioned later in Lerner’s letter.

    
32
Peter O’Toole (1932–2013) was an Irish actor who achieved stardom with
Lawrence of Arabia
(1962) and went on to be nominated for eight Academy Awards.

    
33
Possibly based on the novel of the same name by Romain Gary, which had appeared in 1965.

    
34
The Lion in Winter
(1968) is a celebrated film adaptation of the 1966 Broadway play of the same name. The movie won three Academy Awards, including one for Katharine Hepburn (who tied for Best Actress with Barbra Streisand in
Funny Girl
).

    
35
Terence Young (1915–94) was a British screenwriter and director, prominent in the 1960s for directing three of the early James Bond films.

    
36
Sam Spiegel (1901–85) was a prolific Hollywood producer, with movies including
The African Queen
(1951) and
On the Waterfront
(1954).

    
37
Garson Kanin (1912–99) was a successful director and writer for both stage and screen. His movies include
My Favorite Wife
(director, 1940) and
Adam’s Rib
(writer, 1949).

    
38
Ruth Gordon (1896–1985) was an actress and writer. With her husband, Garson Kanin, she wrote
Adam’s Rib
, while her movie roles included Maude in
Harold and Maude
(1971).

    
39
Sam Zolotow, “Rosalind Russell to Star in ‘Coco,’”
New York Times
, September 27, 1967, 43
.

    
40
Enid Nemy, “One Long, Shining Night: Camelot,”
New York Times
, October 26, 1967, 51
.

    
41
Bosley Crowther, “Screen: ‘Camelot’ Arrives at Warner,”
New York Times
, October 26, 1967, 53
.

    
42
A. H. Weiler, “From San Francisco to France,”
New York Times
, November 5, 1967, D17
.

    
43
Julie Christie (1941–) won an Academy Award for
Darling
(1965), but is perhaps best known for her appearance in the blockbuster
Doctor Zhivago
(1965).

    
44
“Katharine Hepburn to Star in a Musical on Broadway,”
New York Times
, December 16, 1967, 48.