''Bloomer Girl'' is a 1944

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

with music by

Harold Arlen Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ...

, lyrics by

E.Y. Harburg Edgar Yipsel Harburg (born Isidore Hochberg; April 8, 1896 – March 5, 1981) was an American popular song lyricist and librettist who worked with many well-known composers. He wrote the lyrics to the standards "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" ( ...

, and a book by

Sig Herzig Sig Herzig (July 25, 1897 – March 12, 1985) was an American screenwriter and playwright. Biography Born Siegfried Maurice Herzig in New York City, Herzig began his career as the director of the comedy short ''Husband and Strife'' (1922), ...

and

Fred Saidy Fred Saidy (February 11, 1907 – May 14, 1982) was an American playwright and screenwriter. Biography Born in Los Angeles, California, Saidy began his writing career in 1943 with the screenplay for the Red Skelton comedy '' I Dood It''. The ...

, based on an unpublished play by writer

Daniel Lewis James Daniel Lewis James, (January 14, 1911 – May 18, 1988), was an American writer, best known for his novel, ''Famous All Over Town,'' about Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles. He published the novel under his pseudonym, Danny Santiago, and during mos ...

and his wife Lilith.Suskin, 89 The plot concerns independent Evelina Applegate, a

hoop skirt A hoop skirt or hoopskirt is a women's undergarment worn in various periods to hold the skirt extended into a fashionable shape. It originated as a modest-sized mechanism for holding long skirts away from one's legs, to stay cooler in hot climat ...

manufacturer's daughter who defies her father by rejecting hoopskirts and embracing comfortable

bloomers Bloomers, also called the bloomer, the Turkish dress, the American dress, or simply reform dress, are divided women's garments for the lower body. They were developed in the 19th century as a healthful and comfortable alternative to the heavy, ...

advocated by her aunt "Dolly" Bloomer, who was inspired by the women's rights advocate

Amelia Bloomer Amelia Jenks Bloomer (May 27, 1818 – December 30, 1894) was an American newspaper editor, women's rights and temperance advocate. Even though she did not create the women's clothing reform style known as bloomers, her name became associate ...

. The

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

is looming, and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

Evelina refuses to marry suitor Jeff Calhoun until he frees his slave, Pompey. A television version of the musical was shown in 1956.

Productions

The original Broadway production opened at the Shubert Theatre on October 5, 1944, directed by William Schorr and produced by

John C. Wilson John C. Wilson (August 19, 1899 – October 29, 1961) was an American theatre director and producer. Early life Born in Trenton, New Jersey Wilson started out his working life as a stockbroker. He married Natalia Pavlovna Paley on September 8, 193 ...

in association with Nat Goldstone. The production's scenic designer and lighting designer was

Lemuel Ayers Lemuel Ayers (January 22, 1915, New York City, New York - August 14, 1955, New York City) was an American costume designer, scenic designer, lighting designer, and producer who had a prolific career on Broadway from 1939 until his death from cance ...

Agnes de Mille Agnes George de Mille (September 18, 1905 – October 7, 1993) was an American dancer and choreographer. Early years Agnes de Mille was born in New York City into a well-connected family of theater professionals. Her father William C. deMill ...

was the choreographer, and her contributions included a Civil War ballet. The production starred

Celeste Holm Celeste Holm (April 29, 1917 – July 15, 2012) was an American stage, film and television actress. Holm won an Academy Award for her performance in Elia Kazan's ''Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947), and was nominated for her roles in ''Come to th ...

as Evelina, David Brooks as Jeff Calhoun,

Dooley Wilson Arthur "Dooley" Wilson (April 3, 1886 – May 30, 1953) was an American actor, singer and musician who is best remembered for his portrayal of Sam in the 1942 film ''Casablanca (film), Casablanca''. In that romantic drama, he performs its theme ...

as the slave Pompey, and

Joan McCracken Joan Hume McCracken (December 31, 1917 – November 1, 1961) was an American dancer and actress who became famous for her role as Sylvie ("The Girl Who Falls Down") in the original 1943 production of ''Oklahoma!'' She also was noted for her per ...

in the featured dancing role as Daisy. While successful—it closed on April 27, 1946 after 657 performances on Broadway—it has seldom been revived. Alisa Roost directed an

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

revival, which recreated Agnes deMille's original dream ballet, at the Theatre at St. Clements in 2000 and New York City Center's

Encores! Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Ha ...

staged concert series performed it for a week in 2001. ''Bloomer Girl'' caused a temporary rift between de Mille and

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

when, about a year into the show's run, Robbins appropriated several dancers then in the chorus, including James Mitchell and Arthur Partington, for ''

Billion Dollar Baby ''Billion Dollar Baby'' is a musical with the book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and the score by Morton Gould. Comden and Green were fresh from their success with '' On the Town'', and the production team was something of an ''On ...

'' (1945).Lawrence, Greg
deMille and Robbins
''Dance with Demons: The Life of Jerome Robbins'', Penguin, May 7, 2001,

Musical numbers

;Act 1 *When the Boys Come Home - Serena, Octavia, Lydia, Julia, Phoebe and Delia *Evelina - Jeff Calhoun and Evalina *Welcome Hinges - Serena, Horatio, Lydia, Julia, Phoebe, Delia, Joshua Dingle, Herman Brasher, Ebenezer Mimms, Wilfred Thrush, Hiram Crump, Evalina and Jeff Calhoun *Farmer's Daughter - Joshua Dingle, Herman Brasher, Ebenezer Mimms, Wilfred Thrush and Hiram Crump *It Was Good Enough for Grandma - Evalina and the Bloomer Girls *The Eagle and Me - Pompey *Right As the Rain - Jeff Calhoun and Evalina *T'Morra', T'Morra' - Daisy *Rakish Young Man With the Whiskers - Evalina and Jeff Calhoun *Pretty As a Picture - Male Ensemble ;Act 2 *Sunday in Cicero Falls - Principals and Company *I Got a Song - Alexander, Augustus and Pompey *Lullaby - Evalina *Simon Legree - Second Deputy *Liza Crossing the Ice - Ensemble * I Never Was Born - Daisy *Man For Sale - Soloist *The Eagle and Me (Reprise) - Ensemble *When the Boys Come Home (Reprise) - Entire Company

Recording

An original cast album was released on American Decca 78 RPM set DA 381Album cover for Decca set DA 381, 8 10" 78 RPM disks, copyright 1944 Decca Records, Inc. during the original Broadway run of ''Bloomer Girl''. The recording was re-released on LP in the 1950s. It then remained out of print until the same recording became available on CD in the early 1990s.

Television production

An abridged version of the musical, which eliminated most of Agnes de Mille's choreography, except for the dance after "It Was Good Enough For Grandma" and the Civil War ballet, aired on ''

Producers' Showcase ''Producers' Showcase'' is an American anthology television series that was telecast live during the 1950s in compatible color by NBC. With top talent, the 90-minute episodes, covering a wide variety of genres, aired under the title every fourth M ...

'' in 1956; it starred

Barbara Cook Barbara Cook (October 25, 1927 – August 8, 2017) was an American actress and singer who first came to prominence in the 1950s as the lead in the original Broadway musicals ''Plain and Fancy'' (1955), ''Candide'' (1956) and ''The Music Man'' (19 ...

and

Keith Andes Keith Andes (born John Charles Andes, July 12, 1920 – November 11, 2005) was an American film, radio, musical theater, stage and television actor. Early life The son of Mr. and Mrs. William G. Andes, Andes was born in Ocean City, New Jersey ...

and featured many of the original dancers, including James Mitchell,

Lidija Franklin Lidija Franklin (née Kocers; May 17, 1917 – December 5, 2019) was an American dancer and teacher of Latvian descent, originally from the Moscow area. In the United States, she was known primarily for her association with Agnes de Mille. Perform ...

, Betty Low, and Emy St. Just.

Notes

References

*Bordman, Gerald (2001). ''American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle''. Third ed. New York: Oxford University Press. *Easton, Carol (1996). ''No Intermissions: The Life of Agnes de Mille''. New York: Little, Brown. . *Stempel, Larry (2010). ''Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater''. New York: W. W. Norton. *Suskin, Stephen (1990). ''Opening Night on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Theatre''. New York: Schirmer Books. .

External links

* *{{ibdb title, 473558, 1947 revival
''Bloomer Girl''
Guide to Musical Theatre Broadway musicals Musicals by Harold Arlen 1944 musicals Musicals based on plays