''Little Jessie James'' was a musical

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

that was the biggest hit of the 1923-24 Broadway season.

Production

''Little Jessie James'' was written by

Harlan Thompson Harlan Thompson (24 September 1890 – 29 October 1966) was an American theatre director, screenwriter, lyricist, film director, and film and television producer. He wrote the Broadway hit '' Little Jessie James'' (1923–24), and several oth ...

, the author of the book and the lyrics. The music was by Harry Archer. It was staged by Walter Brooks and produced by

L. Lawrence Weber L. Lawrence Weber (c. 1872 – 22 February 1940) was an American sports promoter, stage show producer and theater manager. He was active in arranging Vaudville, vaudeville shows, legitimate theater and films. He once tried to bypass laws against im ...

. Scenery was designed by P. Dodd Ackerman and costumes by Mabel E. Johnston. Nan Halperin played Jessie Jamieson, in pursuit of Jay Velie as Paul Revere. Supporting roles were played by

Miriam Hopkins Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an American actress known for her versatility. She first signed with Paramount Pictures in 1930. Her best-known roles included a pickpocket in Ernst Lubitsch's romantic comedy '' T ...

and

Allen Kearns Allen Kearns (14 August 1894 – 20 April 1956) was a Canadian-born singer and actor. He was born in Brockville, Ontario, Canada and died in Albany, New York. He played the romantic lead role in several Broadway musicals and is especially rememb ...

. This was Halperin's best known role outside of vaudeville. The show was low-cost, with a single set and only eight chorus girls. The James Boys, who were billed as the "Paul Whiteman Orchestra", played a specialty during the entr'acte. The musical director Ernest Cutting had eleven men in the pit at the Longacre. including strings, brass, piano and percussion. Halperin and Jay Velie introduced the song ''I Love You'' by Thompson and Archer. The musical played at the

Longacre Theatre The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 220 West 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. Opened in 1913, it was desi ...

on Broadway from August 15, 1923 to January 27, 1924, then moved to the Little Theatre where it played until July 19, 1924. The show played for a total of 385 performances. After New York, L. Lawrence Weber took the show on the road with four touring companies in the USA. It played for one night in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, on March 18, 1925. The show played in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

for eight months, and under the name ''Lucky Break'' played in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

for 198 performances in 1934–35.

Plot synopsis

''Little Jessie James'' is a musical farce in two acts. Despite its name, it was not a western but was set in an apartment looking over

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

. Jessie Jamieson (Halperin) is out to get Paul Revere (Velie) and will not let the usual bedroom farce complications distract her from winning her man.

Reception

The New York critics did not pan the show, but did not give it much attention. It only received passing mention from

Burns Mantle Robert Burns Mantle (December 23, 1873February 9, 1948) was an American theater critic. He founded the ''Best Plays'' annual publication in 1920.Chansky, Dorothy (2011)"Burns Mantle and the American Theatregoing Public" in ''Theatre History Stu ...

in his review of the year's shows. However, ''Little Jessie James'' was the biggest hit of the season. ''I Love You'' contributed to the show's success. The song was the biggest hit of all the songs from that season's musicals.

Cast

The full cast was: Stars * Nan Halperin (Jessie Jamieson) * Jay Velie (Paul Revere) *

(Juliet) *

(Tommy Tinker) Others *Carl Anderson (Clarence) *Herbert Bostwick (Harold) *James B. Carson (S. Block) *Roger Gray (William J. Pierce) *

Winifred Harris Winifred Vera Emily Harris (17 March 1880 – 18 April 1972) was a British actress with a substantial career in America. She appeared in New York plays beginning in 1914 and acted in numerous plays up to 1934. She left Broadway plays for films tho ...

(Mrs. Flower) *Ann Sands (Geraldine Flower) *Clara Thropp (Mrs. Jamieson) As themselves *Bobbie Breslau (Bobbie) *Loretta Flushing (Loretta) *Edna Howard (Edna) *Iris Loraine (Iris) *

Claire Luce Claire Luce (October 15, 1903 – August 31, 1989) was an American stage and screen actress, dancer and singer. Among her few films were ''Up the River'' (1930), directed by John Ford and starring Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart in their ...

(Claire) *Dorothy Martin (Dorothy) *Lucila Mendez (Lucila) *Agnes Morrisey (Agnes) *Blanche O'Brien (Blanche) *Bonnie Shaw (Bonnie) *Emily Stead (Emily) *Frances Upton (Frances)

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * *

External links

* *{{cite web, url=https://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/9627, author=Archer and Thompson , others=Sung by Charles H. Hart, date=November 23, 1923, title=I love you, publisher=Library of Congress, location=Camden, New Jersey, access-date=May 29, 2014 *Archer, Harry and Thompson, Harlan (1923
"I love you: Je T'aime!" sheet music.
DigitalCommons@UMaine, Vocal Popular Sheet Music Collection, Score 4440. Retrieved September 30, 2020. Broadway musicals 1923 musicals Plays set in New York City