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  • 5 months later...
7 hours ago, Luvsbway said:

I'll try to post the passage here later, but I found an excerpt from his memoirs with a Lucy Wildcat story. Turns out he was the recipient of the vicuna coat Lucy bought for Desi but decided not to give him after things looked they would not be spending the winter together in NYC. 

Did he write a book?

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New York City Center's Encores original production "Hey, Look Me Over!," which will feature excerpts from Wildcat, will star Carolee Carmello as Wildy. I am so disappointed. Lucie said in an interview a couple years ago that Encores had asked her play Wildcat and she wanted to do it. I was convinced she would play the role. 

http://www.playbill.com/article/judy-kuhn-bebe-neuwirth-vanessa-williams-and-carolee-carmello-to-star-in-encores-hey-look-me-over

 

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  • 1 year later...
  • 4 weeks later...

"Speaking of spitfire!"

This weekend the "Lakewood Community Players" is staging Wildcat for a 2-night run!  In Lake Oswego, a suburb of Portland.   I'll be there.  I doubt "Do you know a fella named Fred Mertz?" made it into the final script.  2 performances: hmmm....I don't have my hopes up for a full orchestra. 

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I've concluded from last night's "stage reading" of Wildcat that it IS a salvageable show!

The director made some wise cuts: OUT were the dark moments (Joe actually HIT Wildcat at one point...and Hank too).    In 1960, one reviewer who, like the bulk  of them, loved Lucy but was mild about the show, called N. Richard Nash's book "an unsmiling libretto" a very apt description.   What "N" didn't seem to understand was this was a musical COMEDY and you had  the greatest comedienne of all time willing to risk it with your project.  In Nash's book, there was not enough that was clever or witty about the lines or plot twists, such as they were.   Which put a huge burden on the show's star, who out of necessity  resorted to inserting crowd-pleasing Lucy-isms to win them over---much to N's chagrin and the audience's delight.   It's a testament to Lucy's tremendous appeal and stage presence that she was able to turn this tepid material (book, not score) into an SRO hit.

 I was impressed with this production because the wise cuts moved the show along breezily.   I noted a couple of lyric changes:  in "You're a Liar" they changed "Giving you a BELT I wouldn't mind.  If I knew that you would learn a lesson from the WELT, I wouldn't mind" to something else more in keeping with the PC times.   In "El Sombrero" they changed "how in the world in a Mexican hat, can a MEXICAN stay that way" to "....can ANYONE stay that way..".   Much like the word "Jew", the word "Mexican" has developed a negative connotation.   I'm not sure why.    I've seen one other production of Wildcat and concluded from that one that it really was the dull show the 1960 critics complained about.  But last night's version: I've changed my mind.  And say to Broadway (who have collectively ignored me  to-date)  "BRING BACK WILDCAT".. (If they can "Bring Back Birdie", why not?).  The book needs another revision, but the bare bones for a satisfying evening of musical theater are there: mainly the wonderful Coleman-Leigh score.   Including the melodious "Tall Hope".  I have one minor bone to pick with Carolyn though:  Does anyone PEEL PEAS?

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Without having a great foreknowledge of Broadway actors currently working, I think Sutton Foster would make an ideal Wildie- although she’ll probably be “checked out” at the Madison Public Library for a while. However, I feel like a major remounting of Wildcat would take a lot of revising to turn it into a 21st Century hit. Is it even that well known among the Broadway community? 

Compare Wildcat’s run to a couple of shows in similar situations- Applause and Woman of The Year. All three were flawed showcases for big stars that became hits pretty much solely because they had  a huge name in the lead. Both Lucy and Bacall were never exactly praised for their singing, but comparing the two of them makes Lucy sound like Joan Sutherland! (How can we forget Carole Cook’s recent anecdote on that podcast where she recounts accompanying Ethel Merman to see Woman of The Year?) Strangely, despite critical raves for Lucy’s performance, she failed to get a Tony nomination. She had very tough competition: winner Mary Martin in Sound of Music, plus Merman in Gypsy, Burnett in Mattress, and Dolores Gray and Eileen Herlie. Bacall won the Best Actress Tony for both of her shows- pretty much the only major competitive awards of her career. 

As a side note, Neil- I’ve also noticed that “Mexican” has become a touchy term regardless of intent. When getting the script for my high school’s Oscars show approved, our football coach made me change “Mexican” to “Latino” in one line:lucydaze: Mira que tiene cosa etc, etc, etc... Even the “Latino” kids in question thought it was an odd requirement!

 

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Neil what a fantastic review and analysis. I don’t listen to the cast album as much as I should. Did not know about the part where people get hit. I think those lyrics went past me.

It’s not so much a forgotten show, I think than it is a show that just never gets done anymore. Kudos for that group for trying it and trying to make it work. As for Sutton, I can see her doing that part.

About those peas. I don’t know how or why you would want to peel peas but hey, Lucy Ricardo peeled her lima beans. Maybe it’s referring to taking them out of the pods. But never heard it called peeling. Shucking I think is the term.

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When I saw a production in 2010, I was surprised at how dark the show was at times. Joe slapped Wildy and there were two moments where he grabbed ahold of her and she cried, “You’re hurting me!” I was also surprised at how much time it seemed like Wildy was off stage. It sounds like this production made some cuts for the better. 

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4 hours ago, Luvsbway said:

Neil what a fantastic review and analysis. I don’t listen to the cast album as much as I should. Did not know about the part where people get hit. I think those lyrics went past me.

About those peas. I don’t know how or why you would want to peel peas but hey, Lucy Ricardo peeled her lima beans. Maybe it’s referring to taking them out of the pods. But never heard it called peeling. Shucking I think is the term.

Remember Mae West's "Beulah, peel me a grape" line and given Hank's obsession with grapes, maybe that would have worked......

Carolyn used "peas" so it would fit in to her rhyme scheme.  (along with "dimple-y knees" :fabrary:???) 

Heaven knows what un-PC rhyme she would have come up with for "grapes" .......or "SHUCKING", for that matter. 

This Wildcat did the Lucy cry at the end of "You're a Liar" which got knowing laughter from the audience. 

17 hours ago, Freddie2 said:

she failed to get a Tony nomination. She had very tough competition: winner Mary Martin in Sound of Music, plus Merman in Gypsy, Burnett in Mattress, and Dolores Gray and Eileen Herlie. Bacall won the Best Actress Tony for both of her shows- pretty much the only major competitive awards of her career. 

Tony nominations: you're referring to the previous season.  Lucy's competition was (winner) Elizabeth Seal in "Irma La Douse", Julie Andrews "Camelot",  Nancy Walker "Do Re Mi" and Carol Channing in "Show Girl".  I don't know when the Tony nominations were announced in 1961 but maybe the show had already closed (as had "Show Girl").  This was the year bona fide STARS of other musicals were put into the "featured" category simply because their names were not above the title.  So yes, I think Lucy deserved one as did Don Tomkins.    The score (and book) were rolled up into the Best Musical category, not an individual award.  But Wildcat did get a Grammy nom for best Original Cast Album--which is impressive since there were a lot of them that year, and Wildcat made the top 5.  OBC albums were still topping the album charts in 1961.   Wildcat appeared on the charts through August.   I'll have to go back to my research but I think Wildcat peaked at #12 and spent many weeks in the top 20 albums sold.

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28 minutes ago, Will said:

Can someone give a list of awards and nominations this play "won"?

Wildcat was nominated for the Grammy for Best Musical Theatre album. How to Succeed in Business... won. 

Lucy won the Aegis Theatre Club Award.

Don Tompkins won the Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical Performance.

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  • 2 months later...
2 hours ago, HarryCarter said:

OH....damn.  Another one whose work I idolized that I never got a chance to tell.   (I just recently "appropriated" his work for the theme to "Those Hudson Girls").  Musical aficionados  don't always share my enthusiasm for "Wildcat" but everyone (who knows ANYTHING) admires those great orchestrations.  The Wildcat album was one of the first released in high-fidelity stereo....and they haven't improve on that technology in the almost 60 years since  (in fact IMO the technology has DEvolved. Recording on separate tracks and mixing to perfection saps the spontaneity out of what is supposed to be a replication of a theater experience.  Unlike the old days when musicians, singers and chorus all gathered in one room at Webster Hall to record the entire album in one Sunday with little time for retakes---hence leaving in Lucy's cough during "Tippy Tippy Toes". I love it. ).   The process of orchestrating songs in those days fascinates me.  Sometimes they had to do it very quickly---say, if a new song was composed and put in out of town.   Orchestrators had to hear all the instruments in their head and, I assume, write it down by hand.    There were actually very few Broadway orchestrators so they were in great demand.  Truly the unsung heroes of musicals.  A good orchestration could make or break the initial appeal of a song. 

Sid was one of the greatest.  Also responsible for what is considered the greatest overture of all time "Gypsy".   But he will be forever remembered for what some say in the best TV theme song (among those with lyrics): "The Patty Duke Show".  Immediately catchy and captures the tone of the show perfectly.    I loved your work Sid!!  I only wish I'd made the effort to somehow let you know. 

Re: Harry's April 15th post.  Considering how many Broadway Cast albums were released in 1961, the fact that Wildcat made the Grammy top 5 is very impressive.  Besides the winner "How to Succeed", the other nominees were Carnival, Do Re Mi and Milk & Honey. 

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  • 7 months later...

When the idea of Wildcat was first announced, Lucy was excited because the score was going to be written by "Cahn & Van Heusen" (Sammy&Jimmy) who had written a number of popular songs.   C&VH dropped out, mercifully, but 5 years later wrote the songs for "Skyscraper" with Julie Harris, possibly the worst score ever produced on Broadway IMO.   Had the Skyscraper project gotten off the ground a few years earlier, Lucy might have easily been cast since it's the musical version of her "Dream Girl" done on tour in the late 40s to great acclaim.   Skyscraper might have had a better book than Wildcat but I'm sure glad she didn't do it.  With those composers anyway.  It starred another non-singer Julie Harris, whose unsure vocals make Lucy in Wildcat sound like Mary Martin.   Julie's male lead was (our own?) Peter Marshall, who aims for a Dean Martin-style, and misses.  His vocals sound lounge-singer smarmy to me.  Peter would bring up his Broadway show accomplishment on Hollywood Squares at any conceivable opportunity.  

Julie and Peter's "You're a Liar" equivalent (when the couple who are obviously going to fall in love claim to hate each other) is called "Opposites".   Peter wants to take Julie to DINNER.   Julie says NO, not "even if you... 1) happen to a Pulitzer prize WINNER 2) promise to bring along Yul BRYNNER 3) are as charming as Cornelia Otis SKINNER 4)make a bishop seem a SINNER....on and on, then on to the Opposites song, the most inanely witless "list song" I've ever heard.   "You and I are as opposite as ...."  wet/dry, December/July, low/high, window/door, ceiling/floor, charming/bore, sugar/salt, virtue/fault and many more.  You get the idea.  "Skyscraper" did better than "Wildcat", even got a Tony nomination as Best Musical and ran a year.   Had Lucy not exited Wildcat abruptly after 6 months, who knows how long she could have kept it running?

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Haven’t heard Skyscraper before but those lyrics- oy!:lucydaze: They sound like something from Tim Rice! (Don’t shoot, Mot! Only joking.) It does make me wonder yet again why Wildcat couldn’t pull a single nomination. Was there a lack of campaigning? From what I’ve heard, Broadway isn’t as fierce as Hollywood- just look at what happened when Harvey “Walker” Weinstein tried to pull his shtick with that Peter Pan musical. If someone like Vivien Leigh could win a Tony for a musical, why couldn’t Lucy at least have been nominated? Perhaps the show closed at an odd time in relation to voting? Maybe one of our Broadway-minded friends could lend some clarity.

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