Ethel Merman: A Life (42 page)

BROADWAY APPEARANCES

Girl Crazy

Alvin Theatre

O
PENED
: October 14, 1930

C
LOSED
: June 6, 1931, after 272 performances

P
RODUCERS
: Alex A. Aarons and Vinton Freedley

D
IRECTOR
: Alexander Leftwich

M
USIC
: George Gershwin

L
YRICS
: Ira Gershwin

B
OOK
: Guy Bolton and John McGowan

S
ET DESIGNER
: Donald Oenslager

C
OSTUME DESIGNER
: Kiviette

C
HOREOGRAPHER
: George Hale

C
ONDUCTOR
: Earl Busby

C
AST
: Allen Kearns, Ginger Rogers, Willie Howard, Ethel Merman (as Kate Fothergill), William Kent, Peggy O’Connor, Eunice Healy, Lew Parker, Carlton Macy, Clyde Veaux, Olive Brady, Chief Rivers, Donald Foster

E
THEL
M
ERMAN’S SONGS
: “Sam and Delilah,” “I Got Rhythm,” “Boy! What Love Has Done to Me”

N
OTES
: George Gershwin conducted the opening-night performance of
Girl Crazy.
Ethel’s pianist, Al Siegel, was taken ill on opening night and replaced by Roger Edens.

George White’s Scandals
(Eleventh Edition)

Apollo Theatre

O
PENED
: September 14, 1931

C
LOSED
: March 1932, after 202 performances

P
RODUCER AND DIRECTOR
: George White

M
USIC
: Ray Henderson

L
YRICS
: Lew Brown

S
KETCHES
: George White, Lew Brown, Irving Caesar

S
ET DESIGNER
: Joseph Urban

C
OSTUME DESIGNER
: Charles LeMaire

C
ONDUCTOR
: Al Goodman

C
AST
: Rudy Vallee, Willie and Eugene Howard, Ethel Merman, Everett Marshall, Ethel Barrymore Colt, Ray Bolger

E
THEL
M
ERMAN’S SONGS
: “Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries,” “Ladies and Gentlemen, That’s Love,” “My Song,” “The Good Old Days”

Take a Chance

Apollo Theatre

O
PENED
: November 26, 1932

C
LOSED
: July 1, 1933, after 243 performances

P
RODUCERS
: Laurence Schwab, B. G. (Buddy) DeSylva

D
IRECTOR
: Edgar MacGregor

S
ONGS
: Nacio Herb Brown, Richard Whiting, Vincent Youmans

B
OOK
: B. G. (Buddy) DeSylva and Laurence Schwab (additional dialogue by Sid Silvers)

S
ET DESIGNER
: Cleon Throckmorton

C
OSTUME DESIGNER
: Kiviette and Charles LeMaire

C
HOREOGRAPHER
: Bobby Connolly

C
ONDUCTOR
: Max Meth

C
AST
: Jack Haley, Jack Whiting, Sid Silvers, Ethel Merman (as Wanda Brill), June Knight, Douglas Wood, Mitzi Mayfair, Robert Gleckler

E
THEL
M
ERMAN’S SONGS
: “I Got Religion,” “Rise and Shine,” “You’re an Old Smoothie,” “Eadie Was a Lady”

N
OTE
:
Take a Chance
began life as
Humpty Dumpty,
which opened at Pittsburgh’s Nixon Theatre on September 26, 1932, and closed shortly thereafter. Following extensive revisions, it reopened with the new title.

Anything Goes

Alvin Theatre

O
PENED
: November 21, 1934

C
LOSED
: November 16, 1935, after 420 performances

P
RODUCER
: Vinton Freedley, Inc.

D
IRECTOR
: Howard Lindsay

M
USIC AND LYRICS
: Cole Porter

B
OOK
: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse (based on a an original by P. G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton)

S
ET DESIGNER
: Donald Oenslager

G
OWNS
: Jenkins

C
HOREOGRAPHER
: Robert Alton

M
USICAL DIRECTOR
: Earl Busby

C
AST
: William Gaxton, Victor Moore, Ethel Merman (as Reno Sweeney), Leslie Barrie, Bettina Hall, Vera Dunn, Helen Raymond

E
THEL
M
ERMAN’S SONGS
: “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” “Anything Goes,” “Blow, Gabriel, Blow,” “Buddy, Beware”

N
OTES
: Ethel Merman re-created the role of Reno Sweeney in Paramount’s 1936 film version of
Anything Goes
, although “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” was lost in the transfer.
Featured in a small part was future television star Vivian Vance.
Although Ethel usually stayed with a show until it closed, she left
Anything Goes
in the summer of 1935. Benay Venuta succeeded her as Reno.

Red, Hot and Blue!

Alvin Theatre

O
PENED
: October 29, 1936

C
LOSED
: April 10, 1937, after 183 performances

P
RODUCER
: Vinton Freedley

D
IRECTOR
: Howard Lindsay

M
USIC AND LYRICS
: Cole Porter

B
OOK
: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse

S
ET DESIGNER
: Donald Oenslager

C
OSTUME DESIGNER
: Constance Ripley

C
HOREOGRAPHER
: George Hale

C
ONDUCTOR
: Frank Tours

C
AST
: Jimmy Durante, Ethel Merman (as “Nails” O’Reilly Duquesne), Bob Hope, Paul Hartman, Grace Hartman, Polly Walters, Prentiss Davis, Leo Shippers, Bernard Jannsen, Bill Benner

E
THEL
M
ERMAN’S SONGS
: “Down in the Depths,” “You’ve Got Something,” “It’s De-Lovely,” “Ridin’ High,” “You’re a Bad Influence on Me,” “Red, Hot and Blue”

N
OTES
: For the second Merman show in a row, Vivian Vance had a bit part.
Ethel took
Red, Hot and Blue!
on tour to Chicago, where it did not find an audience. This experience seems to have soured her on touring in general.

Stars in Your Eyes

Majestic Theatre

O
PENED
: February 9, 1939

C
LOSED
: May 27, 1939, after 127 performances

P
RODUCER
: Dwight Deere Wiman

D
IRECTOR
: Joshua Logan

M
USIC
: Arthur Schwartz

L
YRICS
: Dorothy Fields

B
OOK
: J. P. McEvoy

S
ET DESIGNER
: Jo Mielziner

C
OSTUME DESIGNER
: John Hambleton

C
HOREOGRAPHER
: Carl Randall

C
AST
: Ethel Merman (as Jeanette Adair), Jimmy Durante, Richard Carlson, Mildred Natwick, Tamara Toumanova, Mary Wickes

E
THEL
M
ERMAN’S SONGS
: “This Is It,” “A Lady Needs a Change,” “Just a Little Bit More,” “I’ll Pay the Check,” “It’s All Yours”

N
OTES
: Appearing in small parts were Dan Dailey, who would become a major movie star at 20th Century Fox, and Walter Cassel, who would have a distinguished opera career highlighted by the world premiere of Douglas Moore’s
The Ballad of Baby Doe.

Appearing in the corps de ballet were Maria Karniloff (Karnilova) and future dance greats Alicia Alonso and Nora Kaye, as well as Jerome Robbins, who would go on to choreograph
Call Me Madam
and choreograph and direct
Gypsy.

 

Du Barry Was a Lady

 

46th Street Theatre

O
PENED
: December 6, 1939

C
LOSED
: December 12, 1940, after 408 performances

P
RODUCER
: B. G. (Buddy) DeSylva

D
IRECTOR
: Edgar MacGregor

M
USIC AND LYRICS
: Cole Porter

B
OOK
: Herbert Fields and B. G. DeSylva

S
ETS AND COSTUME DESIGNER
: Raoul Pène DuBois

C
HOREOGRAPHER
: Robert Alton

C
ONDUCTOR
: Gene Salzer

C
AST
: Ethel Merman (as May Daly), Bert Lahr, Betty Grable, Ronald Graham, Charles Walters, Benny Baker, Jean Moorehead

E
THEL
M
ERMAN’S SONGS
: “When Love Beckoned,” “Come On In,” “But in the Morning, No!,” “Do I Love You,” “Du Barry Was a Lady,” “Give Him the Oo-La-La,” “Katie Went to Haiti,” “Friendship”

N
OTES
: Future Hollywood successes in the cast included Betty Grable, who became 20th Century Fox’s number-one star, and Charles Walters, who became a fixture at MGM, first as choreographer and later as director.
Also achieving a measure of Hollywood fame were chorus girls Janis (here Janice) Carter and Adele Jergens.

 

Panama Hattie

 

46th Street Theatre

O
PENED
: October 30, 1940

C
LOSED
: January 3, 1942, after 501 performances

P
RODUCER
: B. G. (Buddy) DeSylva

D
IRECTOR
: Edgar MacGregor

M
USIC AND LYRICS
: Cole Porter

B
OOK
: Herbert Fields, B. G. DeSylva

S
ET AND COSTUME DESIGNER
: Raoul Pène DuBois

C
HOREOGRAPHER
: Robert Alton

C
ONDUCTOR
: Gene Salzer

C
AST
: Ethel Merman (as Hattie Maloney), James Dunn, Joan Carroll, Betty Hutton, Arthur Treacher, Pat Harrington, Frank Hyers, Rags Ragland, Phyllis Brooks

E
THEL
M
ERMAN’S SONGS
: “Visit Panama,” “My Mother Would Love You,” “I’ve Still Got My Health,” “Let’s Be Buddies,” “I’m Throwin’ a Ball Tonight,” “Conga,” “Make It Another Old-Fashioned, Please,” “You Said It”

N
OTES
: Following the success of
Panama Hattie
, B. G. DeSylva went to Hollywood to work for Paramount Pictures, taking with him Betty Hutton, who became one of the studio’s top stars.
Hollywood success was also achieved by chorus girls June Allyson, Vera-Ellen, Lucille Bremer, Betsy Blair, and Doris Dowling.

 

Something for the Boys

 

Alvin Theatre

O
PENED
: January 7, 1943

C
LOSED
: January 8, 1944, after 422 performances

P
RODUCER
: Michael Todd

D
IRECTOR
: Hassard Short

M
USIC AND LYRICS
: Cole Porter

B
OOK
: Herbert and Dorothy Fields

S
ET DESIGNER
: Howard Bay

C
OSTUME DESIGNER
: Billy Livingston

C
HOREOGRAPHER
: Jack Cole

C
ONDUCTOR
: William Parson

C
AST
: Ethel Merman (as Blossom Hart), Bill Johnson, Allen Jenkins, Paula Laurence, Jed Prouty, Betty Garrett, Betty Bruce, Stuart Langley

E
THEL
M
ERMAN’S SONGS
: “Something for the Boys,” “When We’re at Home on the Range,” “Hey, Good-Lookin’,” “He’s a Right Guy,” “The Leader of a Big Time Band,” “There’s a Happy Land in the Sky,” “By the Miss-iss-inewah”

N
OTES
: After Paula Laurence left the cast, the part of Chiquita Hart was assumed by Betty Bruce, who became a lifelong friend of Ethel’s.
When Ethel briefly fell ill during the run, Betty Garrett took over for her and later went on to Broadway and Hollywood fame.

 

Annie Get Your Gun

 

Imperial Theatre

O
PENED
: May 16, 1946

C
LOSED
: February 12, 1949, after 1,147 performances

P
RODUCERS
: Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein

D
IRECTOR
: Joshua Logan

M
USIC AND LYRICS
: Irving Berlin

B
OOK
: Herbert and Dorothy Fields

S
ET DESIGNER
: Jo Mielziner

C
OSTUME DESIGNER
: Lucinda Ballard

C
HOREOGRAPHER
: Helen Tamiris

C
ONDUCTOR
: Jay Blackton

C
AST
: Ethel Merman (as Annie Oakley), Ray Middleton, William O’Neal, Marty May, Harry Bellaver, Lea Penman, George Lipton, Betty Anne Nyman

E
THEL
M
ERMAN’S SONGS
: “Doin’ What Comes Naturally,” “You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “They Say It’s Wonderful,” “Moonshine Lullaby,” “I’m an Indian Too,” “I Got Lost in His Arms,” “I Got the Sun in the Morning,” “Anything You Can Do”

N
OTES
: Warren Berlinger, in a bit part, became a popular face in young adult parts on Broadway, in films, and on television.
With a nearly three-year run on Broadway,
Annie Get Your Gun
was the longest-running success of Ethel’s career, but it was not enough to secure her the film version, which went to Betty Hutton.

 

Call Me Madam

 

Imperial Theatre

O
PENED
: October 12, 1950

C
LOSED
: May 3, 1952, after 644 performances

P
RODUCER
: Leland Hayward

D
IRECTOR
: George Abbott

M
USIC AND LYRICS
: Irving Berlin

B
OOK
: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse

S
ET AND COSTUME DESIGNER
: Raoul Pène DuBois

C
HOREOGRAPHER
: Jerome Robbins

C
ONDUCTOR
: Jay Blackton

C
AST
: Ethel Merman (as Sally Adams), Paul Lukas, Russell Nype, Galina Talva, Alan Hewitt, Owen Coll, Lilia Skala

E
THEL
M
ERMAN’S SONGS
: “The Hostess with the Mostes’ on the Ball,” “Washington Square Dance,” “Can You Use Any Money Today?,” “Marrying for Love,” “The Best Thing for You Would Be Me,” “Something to Dance About,” “You’re Just in Love”

N
OTES
: Two of Ethel’s songs, “Free” and “Mr. Monotony,” were dropped while
Call Me Madam
was in its pre-Broadway tryout. “Mr. Monotony” finally made it to Broadway in the 1989 retrospective
Jerome Robbins’ Broadway.
In 1953, Ethel starred in the film version of
Call Me Madam
, making it the first time since
Anything Goes
that she had re-created her stage role on-screen.

 

Happy Hunting

 

Majestic Theatre

O
PENED
: December 6, 1956

C
LOSED
: November 30, 1957, after 412 performances

P
RODUCER
: Jo Mielziner

D
IRECTOR
: Abe Burrows

M
USIC
: Harold Karr

L
YRICS
: Matt Dubey

B
OOK
: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse

S
ET DESIGNER
: Jo Mielziner

C
OSTUME DESIGNER
: Irene Sharaff

C
HOREOGRAPHERS
: Alex Romero and Bob Herget

C
ONDUCTOR
: Jay Blackton

C
AST
: Ethel Merman (as Liz Livingstone), Fernando Lamas, Virginia Gibson, Gordon Polk, Olive Templeton

E
THEL
M
ERMAN’S SONGS
: “Gee, But It’s Good to Be Here,” “Mutual Admiration Society,” “Mr. Livingstone,” “This Is What I Call Love,” “A New-Fangled Tango,” “The Game of Love,” “Happy Hunting,” “I’m a Funny Dame,” “Just Another Guy”

N
OTES
: “The Game of Love” and “This Is What I Call Love” were eventually dropped because of Ethel’s dissatisfaction with them. They were replaced, respectively, by two new songs, “I’m Old Enough to Know Better” and “Just a Moment Ago.” They were written by Roger Edens, although because of his contractual commitment to MGM, he chose not to take credit for them. Kay Thompson was listed as the composer of both numbers.
Cast as one of the newspaper reporters was future Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons.