''Hitchy-Koo of 1919'' is a

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 ...

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

with music and lyrics by

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

and a book by George V. Hobart. This revue was third in a series of four ''Hitchy-Koo'' Broadway revues from 1917 to 1920 produced by, and starring, Raymond Hitchcock. The revues were named after the 1912 popular song "

Hitchy-Koo ''Hitchy-Koo'' is a 1912 American popular song and a series of musical revues, inspired by the song, staged on Broadway each year from 1917 through 1920 and on tour in 1922. Described by ''Variety'' magazine as a "hit song of 1912", the song was c ...

" by composers

Lewis F. Muir Lewis F. Muir, born Louis Meuer (May 30, 1883 – December 3, 1915) was an American composer and ragtime pianist. Biography Originally a Hatmaking, millinery peddler, Muir started as a pianist in St. Louis cafes and played in the St. Louis World' ...

and

Maurice Abrahams Maurice Abrahams (March 18, 1883 – April 13, 1931) was an American songwriter and music publisher, who was successful in the early years of the 20th century. Biography Abrahams was born in Odessa, Russia, and emigrated to the US as a child in ...

with lyrics by

L. Wolfe Gilbert Louis Wolfe Gilbert (August 31, 1886 – July 12, 1970) was a Russian Empire–born American songwriter of Tin Pan Alley. He is best remembered as the lyricist for "Ramona" (1928), the first movie theme song ever written. Biography Born i ...

; the only song which was featured in all of the ''Hitchy-Koo'' revues. The original

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 ...

production of this version played in 1919. The revue received favourable reviews.

Production history

The show had tryouts in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

, New Jersey in August 1919 and the Colonial Theatre, Boston in September 1919 prior to its

premiere."''Hitchy-Koo of 1919''"
sondheimguide.com, accessed 20 December 2013 The revue debuted on Broadway at the

Liberty Theatre The Liberty Theatre is a former Broadway theater at 234 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1904, the theater was designed by Herts & Tallant and built for Klaw and Erlanger, the partnership ...

on October 6, 1919 and closed on November 22, 1919, running for a total of 56 performances. The show later toured the United States.Schwartz, p. 54 It starred, and was produced by, Raymond Hitchcock, who also produced and starred in versions of ''Hitchy-Koo'' in 1917, 1918, and 1920. Some of the songs were written while Porter was in Paris, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. As Porter was returning to the United States by ship, he met Hitchcock. After hearing some of Porter's songs, Hitchcock engaged Porter for the 1919 show. The song "When I Had a Uniform On", helped launch the stage career of the Broadway comic, Joe Cook."COLE PORTER: THE GREAT SOPHISTICATE,"
theatrehistory.com (originally published in ''The Story of America's Musical Theater''. David Ewen.1961. pp. 134-139.), accessed August 1, 2009 One of the songs, "Old-Fashioned Garden" became Porter's first hit. (The song used the surplus flower costumes the producers had bought from

Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

.) Besides Hitchcock, the large cast included Lucille Ager,

Maurice Black Maurice Black (January 14, 1891 – January 18, 1938) was an American character actor known for his portrayal of mobsters. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1928 to 1938, when he died of pneumonia, four days after his 47th birthday. ...

, Dan Brennan, Chief Eagle Horse, Sylvia Clark, Joe Cook,

Lillian Kemble-Cooper Lillian Kemble-Cooper (March 21, 1892 – May 4, 1977) was an English-American actress who had a successful career on Broadway and in Hollywood film. Biography Early life Lillian Kemble-Cooper was a member of the Kemble family, a family of ...

, James J. Doherty, Charles Howard, Waneta Means, Ruth Mitchell,

Florence O'Denishawn Florence O'Denishawn (born Florence Andrews, July 21, 1897 – March 15, 1991), was an American actress and model, and one of the first group of dancers associated with the Denishawn school. Early life Florence Andrews was born in Shreveport, ...

, Ursula O'Hare, Elaine Palmer, Eleanor Sinclair, Mark Sullivan, and Charles Witzell.

Songs

*"Pagliacci" - Lillian Kemble Cooper, Elaine Palmer, Ursula O'Hare and Ensemble *"When Black Sallie Sings Pagliacci" - Ruth Mitchell and Ensemble *"I Introduced" ( "I Presented") - Raymond Hitchcock and Ensemble *"Hitchy's Garden of Roses" (a.k.a. "In Hitchy's Garden") - Lillian Kemble Cooper and Ensemble *"When I Had a Uniform On" (a.k.a. "Demobilization Song") - Joe Cook, Eleanor Sinclair and Ensemble *"I've Got Somebody Waiting" - Ruth Mitchell and Ensemble *"Peter Piper" - Raymond Hitchcock and Ensemble *"The Sea is Calling" ung in counterpoint with "Peter Piper"- Ruth Mitchell and Ensemble *"I'm an Anesthetic Dancer" - Sylvia Clark *"My Cozy Little Corner in the Ritz" - Raymond Hitchcock and Ensemble *"Old-Fashioned Garden" - Lillian Kemble Cooper and Ensemble *"Bring Me Back My Butterfly" - Lillian Kemble Cooper and Ensemble "Old-Fashioned Garden" and "Peter Piper" were recorded in 1919 by

Prince's Band Charles Adams Prince (1869 – October 10, 1937) was an American conductor, bandleader, pianist and organist known for conducting the Columbia Orchestra and, later, Prince's Band and Orchestra.''Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound'', p. 860. He m ...

/ Orchestra (Columbia A-2874). "Old-Fashioned Garden" was recorded again the same year by

Olive Kline Olive Kline (sometimes given as Olive Kline Hulihan or the pseudonym Alice Green) (July 7, 1887 – July 29, 1976) was an American soprano who is chiefly remembered for her recordings for Victor Records from 1912 to 1935. She recorded a wide rang ...

(Victor 45201). The following year, "Old-Fashioned Garden" was recorded by Joseph M. Knecht (Emerson 10319), Yerkes Jazarimba Band (Paramount 200043) and Palace Trio (Victor 35696).

Critical reception

The revue was well received. The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' critic wrote: "The music and lyrics are the work of Cole Porter, who has made a particularly clever job of the lyrics and a good tinkling one of the music.

Notes

References

*McBrien, William. ''Cole Porter'', p. 92, Alfred A. Knopf Inc. (1998) *Schwartz, Charles. ''Cole Porter'', p. 54, Da Capo Press (1979) *Suskin, Steven. ''Show Tunes'', 3rd edition (2000), Oxford University Press

External links

* * *
''Hitchy-Koo'' listing, North American Theatre Online
{{Cole Porter Musicals by Cole Porter Broadway musicals 1919 musicals Original musicals Revues