''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

s produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...

''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. Fields, the Three Stooges, Ray Bolger, Helen Morgan,

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann; January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American singer and actress. Known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and her leading roles in musical theatre, musical theater,Obituary ''Variety Obitua ...

, Ann Miller, Eleanor Powell,

Bert Lahr Irving Lahrheim (August 13, 1895 – December 4, 1967), known professionally as Bert Lahr, was an American stage and screen actor and comedian. He was best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion, as well as his counterpart Kansas farmworker "Z ...

and

Rudy Vallée Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, saxophonist, bandleader, actor, and entertainer. He was the first male singer to rise from local radio broadcasts in New York Ci ...

. Louise Brooks, Dolores Costello,

Barbara Pepper Barbara Pepper (born Marion Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first Doris Ziffel on the sitcom '' Green Acres''. Early life and career Marion Pepper ...

, and Alice Faye got their show business start as lavishly (or scantily) dressed chorus girls strutting to the "Scandal Walk". Much of

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...

's early work appeared in the 1920–24 editions of ''Scandals.'' The Black Bottom, danced by ''Ziegfeld Follies'' star Ann Pennington and Tom Patricola, touched off a national dance craze. ''George White's Scandals'' is also the name of several movies set within the ''Scandals'', all of which focus primarily on the show's acts, with a thin backstage plot stringing them all together. The best known of these was 1934's '' George White's Scandals'', with music and additional dialogue by Jack Yellen, which marked the film debut of Alice Faye.

Flapper Flappers were a subculture of young Western women prominent after the First World War and through the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee length was considered short during that period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their ...

-era

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...

and designer Russell Patterson worked on Broadway in various capacities; for ''George White's Scandals of 1936,'' he served as scenic designer. ''George White's Scandals of 1920'' was featured in a film-length episode in the television series ''

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' (sometimes referred to as ''Young Indy'') is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 4, 1992, to July 24, 1993. Filming took place in various locations around the world, with "Old Indy" ...

.Young Indiana Jones and the Scandal of 1920'' is the 8th episode in the second season.

George White

White was an American theatrical producer and director who also was an actor, choreographer, composer, dancer, dramatist, lyricist and screenwriter, as well as a Broadway theater-owner. Appearing in the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' of 1915, he popularized the Turkey Trot dance.

The ''Scandals'' casts

1919

* Lester Allen * La Sylphe * Peggy Dolan * Ann Pennington * Ona Munson *

Yvette Rugel Yvette Rugel (1890s – September 20, 1975) was an American singer and vaudeville performer, sometimes billed as the "Miniature Prima Donna". Early life Yvette Rugel was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and raised in Philadelphia, the daugh ...

*The George White Girls (including Christine Welford)Christine Welford
at IBDB

1920

* Lester Allen * Peggy Dolan * Lou Holtz * La Sylphe * Ann Pennington *The George White Girls (including Christine Welford)

1921

* Lester Allen * Lou Holtz * Tess Gardella * Charles King * Ann Pennington *The George White Girls (including Christine Welford)

1922

* Lester Allen * Peggy Dolan * W. C. Fields * Winnie Lightner * Sally Long *

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American Jazz bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 193 ...

& His Orchestra *The George White Girls (including Dolores Costello)

1923

* Lester Allen * Winnie Lightner * Tom Patricola *The George White Girls (including Dolores Costello and Helene Costello)

1924

* Lester Allen * Tony DeMarco * Peggy Dolan * Winnie Lightner * Tom Patricola * The Williams Sisters *The George White Girls (including Louise Brooks, Dolores Costello, Helene Costello, Dorothy Sebastian and Sally Starr)

1925

* Helen Morgan *Elm City Four * Tom Patricola *The George White Girls (including Louise Brooks) * Patricia Bowman

1926

* The Fairbanks Twins * Portland Hoffa * Willie and Eugene Howard * Tom Patricola * Ann Pennington *

Harry Richman Harry Richman (born Henry Reichman Jr.; August 10, 1895 – November 3, 1972) was an American singer, actor, dancer, comedian, pianist, songwriter, bandleader, and nightclub performer, at his most popular in the 1920s and 1930s. In his peak yea ...

* Fowler & Tamara *Frances Williams *The George White Girls * Patricia Bowman

1928

* Tom Patricola * Willie and Eugene Howard * Ann Pennington *

* The Russell Markert Dancers * June MacCloy *Frances Williams *Elm City Four (including Thomas W. Ross) *The George White Girls (including Boots Mallory)

1929

* Willie and Eugene Howard *Frances Williams * Marietta Canty *Elm City Four (including Thomas W. Ross) *The George White Girls

1931

* Ray Bolger * Ethel Barrymore Colt * Willie and Eugene Howard, including " Pay the Two Dollars" * Everett Marshall, introducing " That's Why Darkies Were Born" *

, introducing “ Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries” *

* Alice Faye *The George White Girls

1932 (''Music Hall Varieties'')

* Lili Damita *

* Eleanor Powell *The Dancing Beauties (including

)

1934 (film)

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side New York accent, accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced son ...

* Ketti Gallian * Alice Faye *

Cliff Edwards Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American pop singer, musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop sta ...

* Dixie Dunbar * Gertrude Michael

1935 (film)

* Alice Faye * James Dunn *

* Eleanor Powell *

Lyda Roberti Lyda Roberti (née Pecjak; May 20, 1906 – March 13, 1938) was an American singer and stage and film actress. (According to the opening credits of "The Big Broadcast of 1936," Lyda is pronounced LEE-duh.) Early years Born in Warsaw, then p ...

* Ned Sparks * Dixie Dunbar

1936

* Willie and Eugene Howard *The George White Girls

1939

* Ben Blue * Ella Logan * The Kim Loo SistersLi, Leslie
''Just Us Girls''
Four Seasons Press (2015), p. 1067, Kindle * Ann Miller * Harry Stockwell *

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

*The George White Girls (including Marie McDonald) Source: IBDb

References

External links

* * * * {{Gershwins Broadway musicals Revues 1919 musicals