Tunes in GERSHWIN, by GEORGE: The 1936 Radio Show

This original show, written by playwright Greer Firestone, incorporates all 3 of the Master's genius: Broadway tunes, symphonic and opera. It is available for licensing through BestofBroadwayProductions.com

GERSHWIN, By George!
The 1936 Radio Show
Sponsored by


TUNES

ACT I

1 Strike up the Band - Ethel and Ensemble
2 Lady Be Good - Fred & Adele (Short dance only)
3 My Man’s Gone Now - Anne
4 Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off – Fred & Adele and Ensemble
5 Liza - Al
6 Somebody Loves Me / Embraceable You / Our Love is Here to Stay - Ensemble
7 But Not For Me - Ethel
8 Bess You Is - Anne and Paul
9 Fascinatin’ Rhythm - Fred & Adele and Ensemble
10)Stairway to Paradise - Paul and Ensemble
11Gershwin Medley - Ensemble

ACT II

1Rhapsody in Blue - George
2Medley - Love is Sweeping the Country / ‘ S wonderful / Of Thee I Sing - Ensemble
3The Man I Love - Ethel
4They All Laughed - Ensemble
5Can’t Take That Away From Me – Ensemble
6Someone To Watch Over Me - Paul
7Summertime - Anne
8Swanee - Al
9Clap Yo Hands - Ensemble
10I Got Rhythm - Ethel & Ensemble

Judy Garland as child star

Hollywood, this “City of Oz” manufactured dreams the way Detroit crafted cars and DuPont synthesized nylon. And yet, Judy, to you, through your travails, Hollywood may have become an evil parody of the land of Oz.
MGM had absolute control over employees. The ‘system’ was something quite different from the ‘glamour’. The system…

Judy: Call it by its right name….indentured servitude. I was personal property with a stamp on my head.

Emcee: Judy, you have talent as substantial as Mt. Rushmore but an ego as fragile as butterfly wings.

Liza: First call was 5AM and Mama was lucky to get home 14 hours later. I never saw her.

Judy: Most of the time we were shooting one movie in the morning and rehearsing for the next one in the afternoon! It was breathtaking in its stress…

Ralph: …tyrannical directors…

Judy: …Busby Berkeley, that bastard! (alt: B-word!)

Liza: …the constant stress of looking like a ‘pin up’.

Judy: (wistfully) I was always too fat. The stage crew guys would always whistle and hoot at Lana Turner and Rita Hayworth. All I got was a “Hi, Judy”. How could I compete with their beauty?

Liza: Mama was given her first amphetamine to ‘pep’ her up - by my grandmother… when she was 9! Do you believe it??

Judy: Mother called them “my vitamins. If someone criticized her, she would quickly put them in their place….. “I’ve got to keep my girl going”.

Emcee: And the irony, Judy, is that throughout your life you did not have to be prodded to perform anymore than you had to be prodded to eat.
In the early 1940’s you, along with Bette Davis, were two of the few stars the studio could take to the bank in the unsettling financial times after the Depression. Your musicals made Leo the Lion purr. In 1943 you starred in a musical set around the World’s Fair in St. Louis, directed by soon-to-be Liza’s dad. In that movie you canonized two songs.

Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin

The classic trio by 3 of the World's greatest entertainers:

Judy: ( to Frank) You do something to me
Something that simply mystifies me
Tell me, why should it be?
You have the power to hypnotize me.

Let me live ‘neath your spell
You do that, voodoo that, you do so well.

J & F: Cuz you do something to me
That nobody else can do.

J: You look marvelous.
F: I feel marvelous
J: I’m glad you’re here.
F: Well, I’m delighted to be here.
J: (starts to leave) Well, I have to..
F: You’re not leaving me?
J: I was just going to get my pants.
F: I forbid you.
J: Oh, how marvelous.
F: You’ll be listening?
J: Every word!
F: You’re irresistible
J: I try to be.
F: You won’t be long?
J: No. I’ll be very close.
F: Promise?
J: I swear it.

Frank sings TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS

J: (Kisses Frank, hands him a rose). Thanks for being so good, oh you’re so good, you’re so good.
F: You enjoyed it/
J: Why yes.
F: You liked it?
J: I loved it.
F: Good.
(sing)
J: You do something to me
Something that simply mystifies me.
Tell me, why can it be?
You have the power to hypnotize me.

(Judy walks to Dean)
J: Let me live under your spell.
Do do that, voodoo that, you do so well.
D & J: But you do something to me
That nobody else can do.

J: You look marvelous.
F: I think he looks terrible.
D: I feel marvelous.
J: I’m glad you’re here.
D: I’m glad I’m here too, Judy.
(Judy starts to leave)
D: Where ya goin’?
J: Well, I thought I’d just go and get my fan.
D: No, no, you come here.
J: Oh, how marvelous.
D: There’s something I want you to hear – and, uh…you’ll be listening?
J: Every word.
D: Promise?
J: Mmmmm
D: Promise?
J: I swear.

(Dean sings Kick in the Head)

J: (kisses Dean) That’s for being so good, oh you’re so good, you’re so good.
D: I was good, I was good. Oh, I was good, yea. You enjoyed it?
J: Yes.
D: Every bit/
J: I loved it.
D: How come I got no flower? (takes Dean’s hand and walks to Frank, who is still holding the rose) Come with me.
(Judy takes flower from Frank)
J: Thank you Frank.
D: Frank you, thank.
(Judy hands flower to Dean. Frank is stunned.)

(all sing)
J: Let me
D: Let me.
F: Let me
ALL: Live under your spell
Keep doin’ that, voodoo that, you do so well.
Cause you do something to me
That nobody else can do
That nobody else can do.
(Judy exits)

(F and D kiss Judy on opposite cheeks. Frank pulls rose from breast pocket. The men clink the roses as a toast and mock drink.)

D: (sniffing rose). Did you see the way she looked at me when she gave me that flower?
F: Gave you the flower? She gave me the…she opened with me!
D: But she took the flower and gave it to me. Ah, Judy, Judy..
F: It’s obvious that you don’t comprehend the beautiful relationship that can be established between a man and a woman pal.
D: (sniffing flower) Forsooth. Oh, Judy, Judy, Judy!
F: You go sniffin’ forsooth, and I’m gonna woo the lady with a song (waves ta ta and exits)

Judy Garland opening night at Carnegie Hall 1961

Emcee: Last week on the evening of April 23, 1961, 3165 privileged people packed the world famous Carnegie Hall in NYC beyond its capacity; primed to witness what was to be probably the greatest night in show business history. The audience filed in with an almost religious anticipation, described as a musical parallel to a Billy Graham revival. It was as if she was a great faith healer endowed with magical powers. By the time the conductor raised his baton for the overture, the wildly applauding crowd was in a transport of ecstasy.
Miss Garland, tonight we will tell your life story through song…(presents Judy the Sinatra-style hat)…do you mind?

George Gershwin

The characters of GERSHWIN, by GEORGE: The 1936 Radio show were contemporaries of the great man and who made his tunes their signature songs:


CHARCTERS

GEORGE GERSHWIN – Major requirement is the ability to play well. Polished hair and personality. Loves all his guests. Tuxedo.

ETHEL MERMAN – Booming voice and presence. Takes no guff from anyone. Belt voice, of course. Reflective side comes out in “But Not For Me”. Glamorous period attire

AL JOLSON – Self centered. Egotistic. Does not comprehend or chooses to ignore sarcasm of colleagues. Pin striped double breasted suit.

PAUL "POPS" WHITEMAN – Larger-than-life sophisticate. Large man with slick hair and pencil thin moustache. Natty dresser. In BoB’s two productions, teamed with Anne Brown for "Bess You Is". Generally carried baton as prop. Tux.

ADELE ASTAIRE – Ditzy blonde Gracie Allen- Lucille Ball type. Must be played with that characterization or dialogue makes no sense. High pitched speaking voice would be appropriate.

FRED ASTAIRE – Suave. Debonair. Slick hair. Tails?

JIMMY DURANTE – Comedic icon. The King of Malapropisms. Speaks in ‘dems’ and ‘dose’. Highly energetic. Double breasted suit in bright colors with brown/white or black/white shoes.

NNE WIGGINS BROWN – The first Bess in "Porgy & Bess". Major requirement is operatic voice. Should be African-American. A little out of her element but trying to stay composed. Revered by Gershwin. Cocktail dress.

DON WILSON – Must have professional speaking voice. Tux.

A BIT MORE TALK OF CHARACTERS

Paul Whiteman, Adele Astaire and announcer Don Wilson have faded from memory.

Whiteman was called "The King of Jazz" and conducted a world-renowned orchestra. (In reality, he did little to further jazz. Look to Harlem’s Eubie Blake and his colleague at the Cotton Club for that.) Whiteman was a major influence on Gershwin, provoking him to write "Rhapsody in Blue"

Adele Astaire was Fred’s sister and first dancing partner. I had no idea of her personality. However, to add some ‘30’s zaniness, I made her a real ditz – and a gullible one at that. I assure you her character and the dialogue worked in both of our productions – even the Marconi sequence.

Don Wilson was omnipresent on radio in the ’30’s and ‘40’s. I recall him on tv in the ‘50’s.

Porgy & Bess - Gullah Negroes

In the summer of 1933 Gershwin went to Folly Island in So. Carolina to live with the very primitive Gullah Negroes. This was the setting for DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy. Gershwin wanted to get a hands on experience of their existence, most especially their form of 'rhythmic shouting' during church services.
He attended their services religiously and became a first class shouter himself. There was no running water on Folly Island, no electricity - a far cry from his Manhattan mansion. Later he was asked why he did not use existing Negro spirtuals in Porgy & Bess. He commented that he wished the entire body of work to be of one fabric, therefore he wrote the spirtuals himself. He called the music an American 'folk opera'.

Judy Garland - From Babe Gumm to Judy Garland

When Babe (Judy) was 11, Ethel Gumm packed the three sisters and moved lock stock and barrel to LA - without the blessing of Frank Gumm. That began an even more relentless succession of auditions and one night gigs in vaudeville houses.

An opportunity for a weeklong contract was signed for a top vaudeville house in Chicago. Ethel Gumm thought nothing driving half way across the country. Comedian George Jessel was the headliner and emcee and saw their act. “There’s only one thing wrong with the Gumm Sisters,” he commented. “It’s their name”, he grumbled. When I introduce them, the audience snickers because the name rhymes with bum, crumb, dumb…or worse yet, Glum….deadly for a singing group…?
Jessel suggested to Ethel Gumm that they change their performing name to Garland, after a friend of his.
The singing Gumm sisters went to the singing Garland sisters overnight. I liked the name Judy, so we changed that too.
Jessel went on to say that, as singers, the older sisters, were fine. But Babe, well, “she sang like a woman carrying a torch for Valentino.”