America's Sweetheart

Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
Book by Herbert Fields

August 4, 1995 - August 20, 1995

Program Notes

America's Sweetheart has proven to be the most fascinating--and frustrating--"archeological dig" that 42nd Street Moon has been on to date.

The musical, which opened in February, 1931, at New York's Broadhurst Theatre, was the last of the "early" Rodgers and Hart musicals, and the team's final stage collaboration with Herbert Fields, with whom they had created such smash hits of the twenties as Peggy-Ann, A Connecticut Yankee, and Dearest Enemy. Among the stars were Jack Whiting as Michael Perry, Rodgers and Hart regular Inez Courtney as Madge, popular French star Jeanne Aubert as popular French star Denise Torel, and newcomer Harriette Lake (who would later change her name to Ann Sothern) as Geraldine March.

The reviews were mixed-to-excellent, with some critics waxing rhapsodic over the Fields/Rodgers/Hart skewering of movieland, while others (notably Dorothy Parker) found the songs pleasant and the book less so. (Ms. Parker also commented on the fact that Jeanne Aubert's husband had gone to court to prevent his wife's stage career. "Say what you will, the man is obviously a drama critic" she noted in true Parker fashion.)

After a modest but successful run on 135 performances, America's Sweetheart virtually vanished. For that matter, so did Rodgers and Hart. In spite of their great glee in tweaking tinsel town, it appeared that work was more plentiful for them in Hollywood, and they headed west to write a series of screen musicals (the most noteworthy of which was the gloriously innovative Love Me Tonight with Jeannette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier). They stayed away from Broadway for almost five years. When they returned to in November 1935, with Jumbo, their style had grown noticeably more sophisticated.

As interest in shows from Broadway's Golden Age developed in the 80's, researchers such as Tommy Krasker and John McGlinn noted that much of America's Sweetheart was curiously missing. Except for a handful of published songs, most of the score was nowhere to be found, and only an early draft of the script (entitled Came the Dawn after the original name for the Geraldine March character, Dawn Marlowe) could be located.

Dale Kugel of the Tams-Whitmark Music Library stumbled upon a box of old music one day, and there lay much of America's Sweetheart. The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization gave 42nd Street Moon permission to put the show back together--no easy task, for much of the score existed only in "sketches." The characters of the Lee sisters were not accompanied by the pit orchestra on Broadway, so their songs were still missing. Scarcely a week ago a vocal chart for the number "Sweet Geraldine" was finally located, but two other numbers have proved un-traceable.

No script other than Came the Dawn has ever been found, and so it had to be revised to match the final line-up of songs (only one of which "I've Got Five Dollars," was in the original version.) In the process, while noting the show was as sublimely silly as the other early R&H musicals, I began to appreciate a certain darkness and hard-edge to some of the wit. What happens to Geraldine March would never have happened to sweet little Peggy-Ann back in 1926.

The sage of America's Sweetheart will continue in December with another concert production by Theatre-Off-Park in New York. We hope you enjoy this look (for the first time in 64 years!) at one of Rodgers and Hart's quirkiest musical comedies!

---Greg MacKellan

Synopsis

Michael and Geraldine, came to Hollywood from St. Paul, Minnesota, determined to be silent-movie stars Geraldine becomes a success, Michael doesn't. Then come the talkies, and the situation reversed: Geraldine has a lisp (remember Marion Davies?), and now Michael is the hot property. Needless to say, love wins out in the end. First mooted as Came the Dawn, then Come Across, it finally appropriated Mary Pickford's nickname to become America's Sweetheart.

Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO (11 July 1995) -- A fateful conk on an unsuspecting noggin brought Rodgers and Hart's long lost musical America's Sweetheart to light seven years ago and the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization has chosen San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon to premiere this rediscovered treasure in a staged concert reading.

A pre-rehearsal script of America's Sweetheart lay completely forgotten in the Tams-Witmark music library until, in perfect 1930's screwball comedy fashion, it toppled onto the head of a surprised warehouse worker. When the script and score for this delightful 1931 Hollywood spoof were discovered, the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization assumed possession and gladly gave the rights to 42nd Street Moon. The show was originally titled Came the Dawn, after its title character, glamorous movie star Dawn Monroe, whose name was later inexplicably changed to the decidedly unglamorous moniker of Geraldine March. (Somehow "Came the Geraldine" didn't have the same ring, hence the title change.)

The show was written by Rodgers and Hart upon returning to New York from their first venture into Hollywood, a town at which they seemed eager to poke a little fun. The book, by Herbert Fields, (who referred to Hollywood as a place where good plays are turned into bad movies) revolves around a small town girl and her beau who come out West for fame and fortune in the movies. She makes it big in silent films, only to discover that her nasal voice won't make the leap to "talkies." Careers alternately skyrocket or plummet depending upon the fickle whims of show business moguls, but true love is found among the glitter. Trivia note: Portraying the original America's Sweetheart was the unknown Harriet Lake, who later gained fame in film as Ann Sothern. America's Sweetheart opened February 10, 1931 at the Broadhurst Theatre and ran for 17 weeks. East Coast critics ate up this skewering of the West Coast: John Mason Brown of the New York Post hailed the show as "a gay, giddy, riotous affair", while the New York World's Robert Littell praised it as "Rough, tough and very funny" and Gilbert Gabriel at the New York American called it "insinuatingly clever." Polishing up the pre-rehearsal script is 42nd Street Moon co-producer Greg MacKellan, while music director Scrumbly Koldwyn (of the Jesters) is tracking down missing songs: music is missing for "Sweet Geraldine," a number that explains a great deal about the title character, and lyrics are nowhere to be found for a song entitled "Tennessee Dan." Other songs from America's Sweetheart include "I've Got Five Dollars," "How About It?" and "A Lady Must Live." Roy Casstevens will direct.

Portraying America's Sweetheart will be Juliette Morgan, recently seen as "Evelyn" in 42nd Street Moon's A Connecticut Yankee. She was also seen in the title role of 42nd Street Moon's Peggy-Ann and as Phebe in TheatreWorks' production of As You Like It. Clay Crosby, an actor who has performed with 42nd Street Moon, as well as in Los Angeles as an actor and cabaret singer, appears as the Sweetheart's love interest. Michael Farbstein and Susan Johnson portray a sidekick comedy team. Farbstein received a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle award for his performance as "Bill Snibson" in Me and My Girl with Peninsula Civic Light Opera where he also portrayed "Cosmo Brown" in Singing in the Rain. He was also a hit as "Mike" in A Chorus Line with San Jose Civic Light Opera. Johnson, who recently made her first 42nd Street Moon appearance in A Connecticut Yankee, is an award-winning comedienne and actress who has guest-starred on NBC's Seinfeld and can be seen in the upcoming film "Nine Months." Frank Widman portrays movie studio boss S.A. Dolan and is familiar to TheatreWorks audiences for roles in The Tempest, You Can’t Take it With You and the original production of Into the Woods. Chanelle Schaeffer, who was recently featured in CitiArts production of Back to Bacharach and David, portrays a French movie star. The cast is rounded out by Kristen Iuppenlatz, Lori Gieleghem, Roberta Sengstack, Sean Sharp and Tom Cassell.