''Top Banana'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Johnny Mercer and book by

Hy Kraft Hyman Solomon Kraft (April 30, 1899 – July 29, 1975), aka Hy Kraft, H.S. Kraft, or Harold Kent (pseudonym due to Hollywood Blacklist), was an American screenwriter, playwright, and theatrical producer. Among the notable comedy plays that he ...

which premiered on

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 ...

in 1951. The show was written as a star vehicle for comedian

Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly sixty years. Silvers achieved major popu ...

, who played the host of a television

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...

program. Silvers won the

Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is awarded to the actor who was voted as the best actor in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival. The award has been given since 1948, but the nominees who did no ...

in 1952.

Production

The musical opened on Broadway at the

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...

on November 1, 1951, and closed on October 4, 1952, after 350 performances. The original cast co-starred

Rose Marie Rose Marie (born Rose Marie Mazzetta; August 15, 1923 – December 28, 2017) was an American actress, singer, comedian, and vaudeville performer with a career ultimately spanning nine decades, which included film, radio, records, theater, night ...

, Lindy Doherty,

Jack Albertson Harold Albertson (June 16, 1907 – November 25, 1981), known professionally as Jack Albertson, was an American actor, comedian, dancer and singer who also performed in variety. Albertson was a Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winning actor. For his perfo ...

, Bob Scheerer and Ted "Sport" Morgan. Produced by

Paula Stone Paula Stone (January 20, 1912 – December 23, 1997) was an American theater and motion pictures actress from New York City. Birth She was the daughter of Fred Stone, a stage actor, dancing comedian, and owner of the Fred Stone theatrical ...

and Mike Sloane, the musical was directed by Jack Donohue and choreographed by Ron Fletcher,Hischak, Thomas
"'Top Banana' Stage and Film"
''Through the Screen Door: What Happened to the Broadway Musical When It Went to Hollywood'' (2004), Scarecrow Press, , p. 258 with vocal arrangements and direction by

Hugh Martin Hugh Martin (August 11, 1914 – March 11, 2011) was an American musical theater and film composer, arranger, vocal coach, and playwright. He was best known for his score for the 1944 MGM musical ''Meet Me in St. Louis'', in which Judy Garland ...

, musical direction by Harold Hasting, and orchestrations by Don Walker. Scenic and lighting design were by Jo Mielziner and costume design was by

Alvin Colt Alvin Colt (July 5, 1916 – May 4, 2008) was an American costume designer. Colt worked on over 50 Broadway shows. His first job was in a theatrical fabric house, he also worked on painting scenery during the summer. '' On the Town'' was the firs ...

.Atkinson, Brook
"At The Theater"
'The New York Times'' (abstract), November 2, 1951, p. 35 The play was filmed and released in a

film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

in 1954.Passafiume, Andre
"'Top Banana' Background of Musical and Film"
tcm.com, accessed November 26, 2011

Plot

Jerry Biffle is the star of the Blendo Soap Program. He has been invited to participate in an autograph-signing party for his new book at an important department store. Jerry meets Sally Peters, one of the department-store models, and makes her part of his TV troupe. As part of his campaign to court Sally, Jerry gets Cliff Lane, the tenor of his TV company, to sing to her over the phone. When Sally and Cliff meet, they fall in love, with Biffle ignorant of the complications. Biffle engineers a big publicity wedding between Cliff and "a girl", not knowing that Sally is the girl. To further complicate his life, Jerry learns that he is about to lose his sponsor. The publicity elopement between his girl and Cliff almost shatters his entire career and life. When it seems that his whole world will cave in, Jerry's sponsor comes up with a new format for the Blendo program, and as far as Jerry is concerned, the day is saved. Phil Silvers Top Banana

Cast and characters

as Jerry Biffle *

as Betty Dillon * Lindy Doherty as Cliff Lane *

Judy Lynn Judy Lynn Kelly (born Judy Lynn Voiten; April 16, 1936 – May 26, 2010), better known by her stage name Judy Lynn, was an American country music singer and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Idaho in 1955. Life and career Lynn was born in Boise, ...

as Sally Peters *

as Vic Davis *

Bob Scheerer Robert Scheerer (December 28, 1929 – March 3, 2018) was an American film and television director, actor, and producer. Scheerer was born in Santa Barbara, California, on December 28, 1929. Scheerer's work in films began with his dancing, inc ...

as Tommy Phelps *

Joey Faye Joey Faye (born Joseph Antony Palladino, July 12, 1909 or 1910 or 1902– April 26, 1997) was an American comedian and actor. Born in New York City, he gained fame as a comic in vaudeville and claimed that he created two of vaudeville's more renow ...

as Pinky

Songs

Act 1 * Man of the Year This Week - Ensemble * You're So Beautiful That... - Cliff Lane * Top Banana - Jerry Biffle, Vic Davis, Cliff Lane, Pinky and Moe * Elevator Song - Ensemble * Only If You're in Love - Cliff Lane and Sally Peters * My Home Is in My Shoes - Tommy and Ensemble * I Fought Every Step of the Way (music by Johnny Mercer and Bill Finnigan) - Betty Dillon * O.K. for TV - Jerry Biffle, Vic Davis, Sally Peters, Pinky, Moe, Danny and Russ Wiswell * Slogan Song - Jerry Biffle, Betty Dillon, Vic Davis, Sally Peters, Cliff Lane, Tommy, Pinky, Moe, Danny, Russ Wiswell and Mr. Parker * Meet Miss Blendo - Entire Company Act 2 * Sans Souci (music by Johnny Mercer and Bill Finnigan) - Betty Dillon, Featured Dancer and Ensemble * A Dog Is a Man's Best Friend - Jerry Biffle, Ted (Sport) Morgan and The Grenadiers * That's for Sure - Cliff Lane, Sally Peters and Ensemble * Be My Guest * A Word a Day - Jerry Biffle and Betty Dillon * Top Banana Ballet - Jerry Biffle and Ensemble * Finale - Entire Company

Reception

In his review for ''

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 ...

'',

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for '' The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of hi ...

wrote: "Phil Silvers will have to look after his health this winter. He is king-pin in a very funny musical show that ought to last as long as he can." The ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

'' magazine reviewer wrote that "On Broadway today 'Top Banana' is the name of a new rough-and-tumble musical show, which has catapulted Phil Silvers into the small, exalted company of great stage zanies."

Ethan Mordden Ethan Mordden (born 1947) is an American author and musical theater researcher. Biography Mordden was born and raised in Pennsylvania, Venice, Italy, and on Long Island, New York. He is a graduate of Friends Academy and the University of Penns ...

wrote that Silvers "took four of the funniest minutes in musical comedy history trying to teach a bewildered ingenue how to pull off a commercial, cajoling, hectoring, professorial, puerile, in audition, in tirade."

Background

Silvers had suggested that a musical be made of the "madness of week-to-week television...I would do Uncle Miltie".

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and tel ...

began hosting the ''

Texaco Star Theater ''Texaco Star Theater'' was an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave Mi ...

'' on television in 1948. Because of their friendship, Silvers was able to use his knowledge of Berle to create the character of Jerry Biffle.Furia, Phili
" 'Top Banana' "
''Skylark: The Life and Times of Johnny Mercer'' (2004), Macmillan, , p. 169 Later, Berle performed the song "Top Banana" on ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a s ...

'' with

Fozzie Bear Fozzie Bear is a Muppet character best known as the insecure and comedically fruitless stand-up comic on ''The Muppet Show.'' Fozzie is an orange-brown bear who often wears a brown pork pie hat and a pink and white polka dot necktie. The char ...

Awards and honors

Phil Silvers won the 1952

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

for the Best Actor in a Musical.

References

Notes

External links

*
''Top Banana'' Production, Musical Numbers, Scenes and Settings at guidetomusicaltheatre.com
{{Authority control 1951 musicals Broadway musicals