''Let's Face It!'' 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 Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

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 Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

. The book by Herbert and

Dorothy Fields Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote more than 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include " The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (193 ...

is based on the 1925 play ''The Cradle Snatchers'' by Russell Medcraft and Norma Mitchell. The 1941 Broadway and 1942 West End productions were successful, and a film version was released in 1943.

Plot

Three suspicious wives, Maggie Watson, Nancy Collister and Cornelia Pigeon, invite three

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

inductees to Maggie's summer house in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

in order to make their husbands jealous. Jerry Walker is engaged to Winnie Potter, and, because he needs the money, agrees to the plot. The wives' philandering husbands leave on yet another camping trip. Winnie, hearing of Jerry's involvement, brings in two friends (who are actually girlfriends of the other two soldiers) to pretend to be interested in the older men. The husbands actually do go fishing. Winnie and her friends crash Maggie's party and the husbands unexpectedly return home.

Song list

;Act I * "Milk, Milk, Milk" – Ensemble * "A Lady Needs a Rest" – Maggie, Nancy, Cornelia * "Jerry, My Soldier Boy" – Winnie * "Let's Face It" – The Royal Guards * "Farming" – Jerry, Frankie, Eddie, Muriel, Jean, Ensemble * "Ev'rything I Love" – Jerry and Winnie * " Ace in the Hole" – Winnie, Muriel, Jean, Ensemble * "You Irritate Me So" – Jean and Eddie * "Baby Games" – Jerry, Maggie, Frankie, Cornelia, Nancy, Eddie * "A Fairy Tale" – Jerry * "Rub Your Lamp" – Winnie ;Act II * "I've Got Some Unfinished Business with You" – Winnie, Jean, Muriel, Dorothy, Gloria, Julian, Judge Pigeon * "Let's Not Talk About Love" – Jerry * "Let's Talk About Love" – Maggie * "A Little Rumba Numba" – The Royal Guards, Madge, Mary, Billy * "I Hate You, Darling" – Nancy, George, Jerry, Maggie * "Melody in Four F" – Jerry * "Get Yourself a Girl" – The Royal Guards "A Fairy Tale" and "Melody in Four F" were written by Sylvia Fine and Max Liebman. Both were dropped later in the run, and "Melody in Four F" was replaced by "It Ain't Etiquette" from '' Du Barry Was a Lady''.

Productions

The original production was directed by Edgar MacGregor and choreographed by

Charles Walters Charles Powell Walters (November 17, 1911 – August 13, 1982) was an American Cinema of the United States, Hollywood director and choreographer most noted for his work in MGM musicals and comedies from the 1940s to the 1960s. Early years Char ...

. After a tryout at the Colonial Theatre in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, the musical opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on October 29, 1941, and closed on March 20, 1943, after 547 performances. The cast included

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; ; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer, and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire novelty songs. Kaye starred ...

as Jerry Walker,

Eve Arden Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades. Beginning her film career in 1929 an ...

as Maggie Watson, Edith Meiser as Cornelia Abigail Pigeon,

Vivian Vance Vivian Vance (born Vivian Roberta Jones; July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979) was an American actress best known for playing landlady Ethel Mertz on the sitcom ''I Love Lucy'' (1951–1957), for which she won the 1953 Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...

as Nancy Collister, Benny Baker, Mary Jane Walsh as Winnie Potter, and Nanette Fabray. The cast also featured a then unknown Carol Channing as Eve Arden's understudy. Danny Kaye had made his successful debut earlier in the year in '' Lady in the Dark'', and Porter allowed the actor's wife, Sylvia Fine, to add two comedy numbers into the score for him to sing. Later in the run, Carol Goodner replaced Eve Arden and

José Ferrer José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hi ...

replaced Kaye. Tryouts in the UK began on June 23, 1942, at the Palace Theatre in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England. The West End production opened on November 19, 1942, at the Hippodrome Theatre and ran for 348 performances. It was directed by Bobby Howell and choreographed by Joan Davis. The cast included Bobby Howes as Jerry Walker and Pat Kirkwood as Winnie Potter. An Australian production played from November 1943 to January 1944 at His Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne. 42nd Street Moon in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California, presented a staged concert version of the show in October 1999. Musicals Tonight!, New York City, presented a staged concert version in May 2006.

Film and television versions

A 1943 screen adaptation featured

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

and

Betty Hutton Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 12, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. She rose to fame in the 1940s as a contract player for Paramount Pictures, appea ...

. Although the plot remained the same, most of the Porter score was replaced by songs by other composers. A made-for-television live broadcast of the show was presented on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

television network on November 21, 1954 on ''

The Colgate Comedy Hour ''The Colgate Comedy Hour'' is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show featured many notable comedians and entertainers of the era as guest stars. Many of the scripts of the serie ...

'', with

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 ...

as Frankie Burns / Aunt Pamela Burns, Vivian Blaine as Winnie Potter, Gene Nelson as Jerry Walker, and Betty Furness as Maggie Watson.

Response

Stephen Citron wrote in 2005: "No one ever has ever called ''Let's Face It'' a great musical. Nor did anyone expect it to be the smash hit that it was, least of all its producer. Freedley was not deceived into complacency when in ''The New Yorker'' Wolcott Gibbs called it 'brilliant foolishness', or ''Life Magazine'' dubbed it the season's 'smash' and declared, 'Porter has come out of his slump.' He knew it was the stars, especially Danny Kaye's brilliant double-talk routines, and the wartime escape atmosphere that filled the theatre nightly."Citron, Stephen. ''Noel & Cole: the Sophisticates''. Hal Leonard Corporation (2005). , p. 189

References

External links

*
''Let's Face It'' at sondheimguide.com
* {{Dorothy Fields Musicals by Cole Porter 1941 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals by Herbert Fields Musicals set in New York