"Ace in the Hole" is a

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

song composed by Cole Porter. The song was written expressly for Porter's musical '' Let's Face It!'' which debuted at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Imperial Theatre The Imperial Theatre is a Broadway theater at 249 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1923, the Imperial Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was constructed ...

on 29 October 1941. In the original production, "Ace in the Hole" was performed by Mary Jane Walsh (as Winnie Potter) and

Nanette Fabray Nanette Fabray (born Ruby Bernadette Nanette Theresa Fabares; October 27, 1920 – February 22, 2018) was an American actress, singer, and dancer. She began her career performing in vaudeville as a child and became a musical-theatre actress dur ...

(as Jean Blanchard). The song was one of the hits of the show throughout its 547 performances on

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and its 1943 movie adaptation.

Copyright status

The song was copyrighted in 1941 by the music publisher Chappell & Co. which transferred the renewed copyright to John F. Wharton, Trustee of the Cole Porter Musical & Literary Property Trusts.Kimball & Porter, p. 475.

Notable recordings

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

- ''

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook ''Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book'' is a 1956 studio double album by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by a studio orchestra conducted and arranged by Buddy Bregman, focusing on the songs of Cole Porter. Background ...

'' (1956) *

Mabel Mercer Mabel Mercer (3 February 1900 – 20 April 1984) was an English-born cabaret singer who performed in the United States, Britain, and Europe with the greats in jazz and cabaret. She was a featured performer at Chez Bricktop in Paris, owned ...

- ''Sings Cole Porter'' (1955) * Johnny Mathis - '' Live It Up!'' (1961) *

Joel Grey Joel Grey (born Joel David Katz; April 11, 1932) is an American actor, singer, dancer, photographer and theatre director. He is best known for portraying the Master of Ceremonies in the musical '' Cabaret'' on Broadway as well as in the 1972 fi ...

- ''Only the Beginning'' (1967)/''Black Sheep Boy'' (1969)

References

* * * *

Notes

Songs from Let's Face It! Songs written by Cole Porter 1941 songs {{Show-tune-stub