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Walk A Little Faster
''Walk a Little Faster'' is a musical revue with sketches by S. J. Perelman and Robert MacGunigle, music by Vernon Duke, and lyrics by E. Y. Harburg. Production The Broadway production opened on December 7, 1932 at the St. James Theatre and then moved to the Selwyn Theatre, closing on March 18, 1933 for a total of 119 performances. Staged by Monty Woolley, the cast starred Beatrice Lillie, the comedy team of Bobby Clark and Paul McCullough, and Evelyn Hoey. The production design, by Boris Aronson, featured an innovative use of stage curtains; for example, one was shaped like an iris lens. April in Paris The show was only a moderate success but contained the famous song '' April in Paris.'' It was introduced by Evelyn Hoey. According to an account by Stanley Green, the idea for this song title came about as Duke and friends were talking about Paris in a restaurant. When someone said 'Oh, to be in Paris now that April's here', Duke started composing on the spot. According to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vernon Duke
Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer/songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for "Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can't Get Started," with lyrics by Ira Gershwin (1936), " April in Paris," with lyrics by E. Y. ("Yip") Harburg (1932), and "What Is There To Say," for the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' of 1934, also with Harburg. He wrote the words and music for " Autumn in New York" (1934) for the revue '' Thumbs Up!'' In his book, ''American Popular Song, The Great Innovators 1900-1950'', composer Alec Wilder praises this song, writing, “The verse may be the most ambitious I’ve ever seen." Duke also collaborated with lyricists Johnny Mercer, Ogden Nash, and Sammy Cahn. Early life Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dukelsky (Russian: Владимир Александрович Дукельский) was born in 1903 into a Belarusian noble family in the village of Parfyan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boris Aronson
Boris Aronson (October 15, 1898 – November 16, 1980) was an American scenic designer for Broadway and Yiddish theatre. He won the Tony Award for Scenic Design six times in his career. Biography The son of a Rabbi, Aronson was born in Kiev, in the Russian Empire (in present-day Ukraine), and enrolled in art school during his youth. Aronson became an apprentice to the designer Aleksandra Ekster, who introduced him to the directors Vsevolod Meyerhold and Alexander Tairov, who influenced him. These three theatre and art veterans were advocates of the Constructivist school in Russia, as opposed to Stanislavski's form of Realism, and they convinced Aronson to embrace the Constructivist style. Aronson worked for some years in Moscow and Germany. In Berlin he exhibited at the seminal Van Diemen Gallery "First Exhibition of Russian Art", alongside the Constructivists El Lissitzky and Naum Gabo, which introduced Constructivism to the West. He wrote two books in Berlin, on Marc Cha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1932 Musicals
Year 193 ( CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 193 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * January 1 – Year of the Five Emperors: The Roman Senate chooses Publius Helvius Pertinax, against his will, to succeed the late Commodus as Emperor. Pertinax is forced to reorganize the handling of finances, which were wrecked under Commodus, to reestablish discipline in the Roman army, and to suspend the food programs established by Trajan, provoking the ire of the Praetorian Guard. * March 28 – Pertinax is assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard, who storm the imperial palace. The Empire is auctioned off ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Musicals By Vernon Duke
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole. Although musical theatre overlaps with other theatrical forms like opera and dance, it may be distinguished by the equal importance given to the music as compared with the dialogue, movement and other elements. Since the early 20th century, musical theatre stage works have generally been called, simply, musicals. Although music has been a part of dramatic presentations since ancient times, modern Western musical theatre emerged during the 19th century, with many structural elements established by the works of Gilbert and Sullivan in Britain and those of Harrigan and Hart in America. These were followed by the numerous Edwardian musical comedies and the musical theatre work ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamara Geva
Tamara Geva (russian: Тамара Жева, born Tamara Levkievna Zheverzheeva, russian: Тамара Левкиевна Жевержеева; 17 March 1906 – 9 December 1997) was a Soviet and later an American actress, ballet dancer, and choreographer. She was the daughter of art patron and collector and she was the first wife of the well-known ballet dancer/choreographer George Balanchine. Throughout her life she danced with Diaghilev's Ballet Russes, performed with husband George Balanchine, and performed in and choreographed many notable Broadway shows. Geva also wrote an autobiographical book entitled ''Split Seconds''. Family and early life Tamara Geva was born in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire on March 17, 1906. Geva's mother was well-known actress Tamara Urtahl and her father was passionate collector and art enthusiast (or Zheverzheyev). Her father was known as a freethinker. He sponsored Russian avant-garde artists and their projects through his enthusiasm for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clifton Webb
Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck (November 19, 1889 – October 13, 1966), known professionally as Clifton Webb, was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He worked extensively and was known for his stage appearances in the plays of Noël Coward, including '' Blithe Spirit'', as well as appearances on Broadway in a number of successful musical revues. As a film actor, he was nominated for three Academy Awards - Best Supporting Actor for '' Laura'' (1944) and ''The Razor's Edge'' (1946), and Best Actor in a Leading Role for '' Sitting Pretty'' (1948). Early life Webb was born Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was the only child of Jacob Grant Hollenbeck (1867 – May 2, 1939), the ticket-clerk son of a grocer from an Indiana farming family, and his wife, the former Mabel A. Parmelee (Parmalee or Parmallee; March 24, 1869 – October 17, 1960), the daughter of David Parmelee, a railroad conductor. The couple married in Kankakee, Illinois, on January 18, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flying Colors (musical)
''Flying Colors'' is a musical revue with a book, lyrics, and music by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz and sketch contributions by George S. Kaufman, Corey Ford, and Charles Sherman. The Broadway production opened on September 15, 1932 at the Imperial Theatre, closing on January 25, 1933, after 188 performances. Directed by Dietz and choreographed by Albertina Rasch, the cast included Clifton Webb, Patsy Kelly, Imogene Coca, Larry Adler, Charles Butterworth, Tamara Geva, Buddy and Vilma Ebsen, and Billie Yarbo. Songs ;Act 1 *"Lost in a Crowd" (written in collaboration with Charles Sherman) *"Sister Act" *"Service" *"Fatal Fascination" *"All's Well" *"Two-Faced Woman" *" Alone Together" - Clifton Webb and Tamara Geva *"Louisiana Hayride" - Monette Moore, Clifton Webb and Tamara Geva ;Act 2 *"On the American Plan" (written in collaboration with George S. Kaufman) *"A Rainy Day" *"My Heart Is Part of You" *"Butlers" - Billie Yarbo *"Day After Day" *"A Shine on Your Shoes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theatrical Property
A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct from the actors, scenery, costumes, and electrical equipment. Term The earliest known use of the term "properties" in English to refer to stage accessories is in the 1425 CE morality play, ''The Castle of Perseverance ''The Castle of Perseverance'' is a c. 15th-century morality play and the earliest known full-length (3,649 lines) vernacular play in existence. Along with ''Mankind'' and ''Wisdom'', ''The Castle of Perseverance'' is preserved in the Macro Manus ...''. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' finds the first usage of "props" in 1841, while the singular form of "prop" appeared in 1911. During the Renaissance in Europe, small acting troupes functioned as cooperatives, pooling resources and dividing any income. Many performers p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
April In Paris (song)
"April in Paris" is a popular song composed by Vernon Duke with lyrics by Yip Harburg in 1932 for the Broadway musical '' Walk a Little Faster''. The original 1933 hit was performed by Freddy Martin, and the 1952 remake (inspired by the movie of the same name) was by the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, whose version made the Cashbox Top 50. Composer Alec Wilder writes, "There are no two ways about it: this is a perfect theater song. If that sounds too reverent, then I'll reduce the praise to 'perfectly wonderful,' or else say that if it's not perfect, show me why it isn't." Recordings Count Basie version Count Basie's 1955 recording on the album of the same name is the most famous, and that particular performance was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The arrangement was by Wild Bill Davis. On this recording, trumpeter Thad Jones played his famous "Pop Goes the Weasel" solo, trombonist Benny Powell performed his much noted bridge, and Basie directs the band to play the shout ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evelyn Hoey
Evelyn Hoey (December 15, 1910 – September 11, 1935) was a Broadway theatre torch singer and actress. Life and career Hoey was noted for her performances in ''Fifty Million Frenchmen'' and '' Good News''. She began performing at the age of 10 in Minneapolis. As an adult she appeared in London, England and Paris, France. She had one movie credit with a role in the 1930 comedy ''Leave It To Lester''. The film was directed by Frank Cambria and co-starred Lester Allen and Hal Thompson. Mysterious death Hoey was found shot to death in an upstairs bedroom of oil heir Henry H. Rogers III's Indian Run Farm house, Wallace Township near Downingtown, Pennsylvania in 1935. A bullet was discharged in her brain on the night of September 11. She had been a guest at the home for a week. Others present there during this time were Rogers, photographer William J. Kelley, a Japanese cook, George Yamada, a butler, and Rogers' chauffeur, Frank Catalano. Hoey's body was removed to a morgue in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert MacGunigle
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honour, praise, renown" and ''berht'' "bright, light, shining"). It is the second most frequently used given name of ancient Germanic origin. It is also in use as a surname. Another commonly used form of the name is Rupert. After becoming widely used in Continental Europe it entered England in its Old French form ''Robert'', where an Old English cognate form (''Hrēodbēorht'', ''Hrodberht'', ''Hrēodbēorð'', ''Hrœdbœrð'', ''Hrœdberð'', ''Hrōðberχtŕ'') had existed before the Norman Conquest. The feminine version is Roberta. The Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish form is Roberto. Robert is also a common name in many Germanic languages, including English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Scots, Danish, and Icelandic. It can be use ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul McCullough
Paul Johnston McCullough (March 27, 1883 – March 25, 1936) was an American actor and comedian who was one half of the comedy duo Clark and McCullough, along with fellow comedian Bobby Clark. Early life and career Born in Springfield, Ohio, McCullough met his future partner Bobby Clark in elementary school. The two became friends and attended tumbling classes at a local YMCA together. Their childhood friendship grew into an adult partnership when they decided to pursue a career as a comedic duo. Billing themselves as "Clark and McCullough", they began their career performing in minstrel shows in the early 1900s. From 1906 to 1912, the pair performed in circuses before entering vaudeville in 1912. Due to the White Rats strike of 1916, Clark and McCullough were forced to enter into the burlesque circuit to continue working. During their time in burlesque, the duo would create some of their most well known sketches. In their act, Clark was the dominant, motor-mouthed joke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
