'' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' is a 1960

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 ...

with music and lyrics by

Meredith Willson Robert Reiniger Meredith Willson (May 18, 1902 – June 15, 1984) was an American flutist, composer, conductor, musical arranger, bandleader, playwright, and writer. He is perhaps best known for writing the book, music, and lyrics for the 195 ...

and

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...

by Richard Morris. The plot is a fictionalized account of the life of

Margaret Brown Margaret Brown (née Tobin; July 18, 1867 – October 26, 1932), posthumously known as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown", was an American socialite and philanthropist. She unsuccessfully encouraged the crew in Lifeboat No. 6 to return to the debris ...

, who survived the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'', and her wealthy miner-husband. A

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

version, also titled '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'', with screenplay by

Helen Deutsch Helen Deutsch (21 March 1906 – 15 March 1992) was an American screenwriter, journalist, and songwriter. Biography Deutsch was born in New York City and graduated from Barnard College. She began her career by managing the Provincetown Players ...

, was released in 1964.

Productions

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 opened 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 3, 1960, and closed on February 10, 1962, after 532 performances and 1 preview. It was directed by

Dore Schary Isadore "Dore" Schary (August 31, 1905 – July 7, 1980) was an American playwright, director, and producer for the stage and a prolific screenwriter and producer of motion pictures. He directed just one feature film, '' Act One'', the film bio ...

and choreographed by

Peter Gennaro Peter Gennaro (November 23, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was an American dancer and choreographer. Biography Gennaro was born in Metairie, Louisiana. He made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of ''Make Mine Manhattan'' in 1948. He followed t ...

. The opening cast included

Tammy Grimes Tammy Lee Grimes (January 30, 1934 – October 30, 2016) was an American film and stage actress. Grimes won two Tony Awards in her career, the first for originating the role of Molly Tobin in the musical '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' and the ...

Harve Presnell George Harvey Presnell (September 14, 1933 – June 30, 2009) was an American actor and singer. He began his career in the mid-1950s as a classical baritone, singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States. His career re ...

, and

Jack Harrold Jack Harrold (June 10, 1920 – July 22, 1994) was an American operatic tenor and voice teacher. Admired for his comedic skills, he specialized in the tenor buffo repertoire. He had a particularly long association with the New York City Opera fro ...

. Grimes won the

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical has been presented since 1950. The award was not given at the first three Tony Award ceremonies. Nominees were not announced publicly until 1956. Winners and nominees 1950s ...

. Grimes appeared in the US national tour in 1962, including Los Angeles and San Francisco in April and June 1962, respectively. Presnell reprised his stage role for the 1964 film, also titled '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' starring

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portra ...

. The two starred in a 1989-1990 national tour. The first West End production, with

Abi Finley Abigail "Abi" Finley (born 10 September 1982) is an actress and musical theatre performer from Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England, the daughter of a prominent local Jewish performer. Finley has notably played Fiona in '' Blondel'' at the P ...

and Sean Pol McGreevy in the leading roles, opened in May 2009.

Revised versions

A reading of ''Molly Brown'', the first of the revised versions by

Dick Scanlan Dick Scanlan (born 1960) is an American writer, director, and actor. Early life Scanlan was born on April 14, 1960, in Washington D.C. and grew up in suburban Maryland. Career Publications Scanlan has written articles that have appeared in ''The ...

, took place in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

at the Denver Center Theatre Company's Colorado New Play Summit in February 2009. The show was directed by

Kathleen Marshall Kathleen Marshall (born September 28, 1962) is an American director, choreographer, and creative consultant. Life and career Born in Madison, Wisconsin, she graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1980 and S ...

and starred Kerry O'Malley as Molly,

Marc Kudisch Marc Kudisch (born September 22, 1966) is an American stage actor, who is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway. Early life and education Kudisch was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, the son of Florence and Raymond Kudisch. His fami ...

as James Joseph "J.J." Brown, William Parry as Horace Tabor, and Linda Mugelston as Polly Pry. The story was revised "to use more elements from the real-life story" of Molly Brown. A reading of the musical was held in May 2010. The show was directed/choreographed by

, music supervision by Michael Rafter, with

Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice, in 2002 for her role as Millie Dill ...

as Molly and

Craig Bierko Craig Philip Bierko (born August 18, 1964) is an American actor and singer. Early life Bierko was born in Rye Brook, New York where his mother Pat ran The Harrison Players, a local community theatre. After graduating Blind Brook High School, ...

as J.J. Brown. This reading had only Molly and J.J. as characters, cutting out all others that were in the previous version. Another reading of the musical by Scanlan was staged in December 2011. The creative team was the same as in May 2010, and it starred Foster and Kudisch again,

Teal Wicks Teal Wicks (born September 8, 1982 in Sacramento, California) is an American singer and stage actress, who is best known for her performances as Elphaba in the Broadway, San Francisco, and Los Angeles productions of the musical '' Wicked'' and as ...

Francis Jue Francis Jue (born September 29, 1963) is an American actor and singer. Jue is known for his performances on Broadway, in national tours, Off-Broadway and in regional theatre, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area and at The Muny in St. Loui ...

and

Zachary James Zachary "Zach" James (born December 7, 1981) is an American actor, singer, recording artist and 2022 Grammy Award winner. He is best known for creating the role of Lurch in ''The Addams Family'' on Broadway, Abraham Lincoln in the world premi ...

, among others. About half the score is from the original musical and "the rest of the ‘new’ score is made up of songs from the late Willson's catalog." Opening September 12, 2014, a full production of the Dick Scanlan revisioning was produced at the

Denver Center for the Performing Arts The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is an organization in Denver, Colorado which provides a showcase for live theatre, a nurturing ground for new plays, a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit, acting classes for the communi ...

, running through October 26. The production featured

Beth Malone Elizabeth Ann "Beth" Malone (born January 2, 1969) is an American actress and singer known for her work in Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theatre. She originated the role of Alison Bechdel in the musical ''Fun Home'', for which she was nomin ...

and

Burke Moses Burke William Moses (born December 10, 1959, New York City) is an American actor. His older brother is actor Mark Moses. Career Moses attended Boston University and Carnegie Mellon University.Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

at the Abrons Arts Center, presented by the Transport Group and directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall. Beth Malone and

David Aron Damane David Aron Damane is an American actor, and writer. He made his television debut on Cosby, followed by roles on Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Chicago P.D., Jett, and Dynasty. In 2020, he was nominated for the Drama Desk ...

star.

Plot

''The following plot is that of the original 1960 Broadway production'' In the early 20th century, feisty tomboy Molly Tobin wrestles with her three younger brothers and tells them and her father that she wants to learn to read and write and to find a rich husband ("I Ain't Down Yet"). Molly makes her way to the Saddle Rock saloon in

Leadville, Colorado The City of Leadville is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Statutory city, statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only List of municipalities in Colorado, incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorad ...

and applies for a job. On the way to Leadville, Colorado she meets J.J. "Leadville" Johnny Brown, who falls in love with her and promises to give her whatever she wants ("I'll Never Say No"). After they marry, Johnny sells a claim and provides Molly with the money she wants, enough to enter the high social life in Denver ("Beautiful People of Denver"). Molly and Johnny, now dressed in gaudy finery, are made fun of by the Denver society people she wants to impress, and they travel to Europe, against Johnny's better instincts. The couple, and especially Molly, are welcomed and accepted by European royalty, but the attentions of Prince DeLong towards Molly upset Johnny and he returns to Leadville alone. Molly realizes that Johnny is her true love, and she sails for home on the RMS ''Titanic'' ("Dolce Far Niente"). As the ''Titanic'' sinks and the tragedy unfolds, Molly survives in one of the lifeboats. She finally is reunited with Johnny, who has built Molly her own "castle", a beautiful home in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

Musical numbers

;Act I *Overture—Orchestra *I Ain't Down Yet—Molly Tobin and Her Brothers *Belly Up to the Bar, Boys—Molly Tobin, Christmas Morgan and the Miners *I've A'ready Started In—Johnny "Leadville" Brown, Christmas Morgan, Charlie, Burt and Gitter *I'll Never Say No—Johnny "Leadville" Brown *My Own Brass Bed—Molly Tobin *The Denver Police—Three Policemen *Beautiful People of Denver—Molly Tobin *Are You Sure?—Molly Tobin, Monsignor Ryan and Guests *I Ain't Down Yet (Reprise)—Molly Tobin and Johnny "Leadville" Brown ;Act II *Happy Birthday, Mrs. J. J. Brown—Princess DeLong, Prince DeLong and the International set *Bon Jour (The Language Song)—Molly Tobin, Prince DeLong and the International set *If I Knew—Johnny "Leadville" Brown *Chick-a-pen—Molly Tobin and Johnny "Leadville" Brown *Keep-a-Hoppin'—Johnny "Leadville" Brown and His Leadville Friends *Up Where the People Are—Monte Carlo Guests *Dolce Far Niente—Prince DeLong and Molly Tobin *Colorado, My Home—Johnny "Leadville" Brown, Molly Tobin and Leadville Friends

In popular culture

The song "I Ain't Down Yet" became a popular standard. Musicians who recorded it included

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during ...

in 1961,

Lester Lanin Nathaniel Lester Lanin (August 26, 1907 – October 27, 2004) was an American jazz and pop music bandleader. He was famous for long, smoothly arranged medleys, at a consistent rhythm and tempo, which were designed for continuous dancing. Lani ...

and his Orchestra in 1962, and

John Gary John Gary (born John Gary Strader; November 29, 1932 – January 4, 1998) was an American singer, recording artist, television host, and performer on the musical stage. Early life From Watertown, New York, Gary started singing at the age of 5. ...

in 1966. A version by

Andre Kostelanetz Andre Kostelanetz (russian: Абрам Наумович Костелянец; December 22, 1901 – January 13, 1980) was a Russian-born American popular orchestral music conductor and arranger who was one of the major exponents of popular orche ...

was used as the theme for the children's TV show ''

Wonderama ''Wonderama'' is a children's television program that originally appeared on the Metromedia-owned stations from 1955 to 1977. The show was revived from 1980 to 1987, and again in 2016. Hosts *Al Hodge (as Captain Video 1955–1956) *Jon Gnagy ...

'', in which children in the audience waved their raised arms back and forth in time to the music during the opening credits. The

Gemini 3 Gemini 3 was the first crewed mission in NASA's Project Gemini and was the first time two American astronauts flew together into space. On March 23, 1965, astronauts Gus Grissom and John Young flew three low Earth orbits in their spacecraft, ...

capsule was nicknamed ''Molly Brown'' in reference to this musical, as Commander Gus Grissom's previous

space capsule A space capsule is an often-crewed spacecraft that uses a blunt-body reentry capsule to reenter the Earth's atmosphere without wings. Capsules are distinguished from other satellites primarily by the ability to survive reentry and return a payl ...

sank after splashdown.

References

External links

*
Plot synopsis and other details at guidetomusicaltheatre.com

''The Unsinkable Molly Brown''
at the Music Theatre International website
Internet Off-Broadway Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unsinkable Molly Brown, The 1960 musicals Broadway musicals Cultural depictions of American women Musicals inspired by real-life events Plays set in the 1900s Plays set in the 1910s Plays based on actual events Plays based on real people RMS Titanic in fiction Tony Award-winning musicals Musicals by Meredith Willson