'' Thumbs Up! '' is a musical revue in two acts, with book by H. I. Phillips,

Harold Atteridge Harold Richard Atteridge (July 9, 1886 – January 15, 1938) was an American composer, librettist and lyricist primarily for musicals and revues. He wrote the book and lyrics for over 20 musicals and revues for the Shubert family, including seve ...

, and Alan Baxter. The show had songs with lyrics by

Ballard MacDonald Ballard MacDonald (October 15, 1882 – November 17, 1935) was an American lyricist, who was one of the writers of Tin Pan Alley. Born in Portland, Oregon, he was a charter member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers ...

and Earle Crooker and music by

James F. Hanley James Frederick Hanley (February 17, 1892 – February 8, 1942) was an American songwriter and author. Biography Hanley was born in Rensselaer, Indiana on February 17, 1892. He attended Champion College and the Chicago Musical College. He serve ...

and Henry Sullivan. Additional lyrics by Karl Stark,

Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...

John Murray Anderson John Murray Anderson (September 20, 1886 – January 30, 1954) was a Canadian theatre director and producer, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, dancer and lighting designer, who made his career in the United States, primarily in New York City and ...

Irving Caesar Irving Caesar (born Isidor Keiser, July 4, 1895 – December 18, 1996) was an American lyricist and theater composer who wrote lyrics for numerous song standards, including " Swanee", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Crazy Rhythm", and " Tea for Tw ...

, Jean Herbert, and

Vernon Duke Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer/songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for "Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can't ...

and additional music by

Gerald Marks Gerald Marks (October 13, 1900 – January 27, 1997) was an American composer from Saginaw, Michigan. He was best known for the song " All of Me" which he co-wrote with Seymour Simons and has been recorded about 2,000 times. He also wrote the s ...

, and Steve Child. The show was produced by

Eddie Dowling Eddie Dowling (born Joseph Nelson Goucher; December 11, 1889Date and year of birth as per baptismal records of Precious Blood church, Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where Dowling was christened — February 18, 1976) was an American actor, director, ...

at the St. James Theatre. The revue opened on December 27, 1934.Mantle, Burns, Editor, "The Best Plays of 1934–1935", Dodd, Mead & Company, p. 432. The production was staged by

and directed by Edward Clarke Lilley. It was choreographed by

Robert Alton Robert Alton (2 January 1902 – 12 June 1957) was an American dancer and choreographer, a major figure in dance choreography of Broadway and Hollywood musicals from the 1930s through to the early 1950s. He is principally remembered today as the ...

, scenic design by Ted Weidhaas, James Reynolds, and Raoul Pene Du Bois, and costume design by James Reynolds, Raoul Pene Du Bois, Thomas Becher and James Morcom. The musical director was Gene Salzer. The music was orchestrated by

Hans Spialek Hans Spialek (April 17, 1894 – November 20, 1983) was an Austrian-born American composer and orchestrator. Raised in Vienna and given an early musical education, he continued his studies in Moscow, at first as a prisoner of war during World War ...

Conrad Salinger Conrad Salinger (August 30, 1901, Brookline, Massachusetts – June 17, 1962, Pacific Palisades, California) was an American arranger, orchestrator and composer, who studied classical composition at the Paris Conservatoire. He is credited with ...

and

David Raksin David Raksin (August 4, 1912 – August 9, 2004) was an American composer who was noted for his work in film and television. With more than 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit, he became known as the "Grandfather of Film Music ...

. It ran for 156 performances, closing on May 11, 1935. The cast headlined

, Clark & McCullough, Ray Dooley, Paul Draper,

Pickens Sisters Jane Pickens Hoving (10 August 1907 – 21 February 1992)DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 216-217. was an American singer on B ...

, Rose King, Bob Lawrence, Hugh Cameron, and Ruben Garcia.https://www.ibdb.com/broadway=production/thumbs-up-11195 Being a revue, there's very little in the way of plot. Burns Mantle reported that the show “was both cleaner and brighter than most of the Broadway output” that season. “It included the missus, Sister Ray Dooley, the surviving member of that Dooley family which made life a lot brighter for thousands of playgoers during the early years of the century.” Mantle, Burns, Editor, "The Best Plays of 1934–1935", Dodd, Mead & Company, p. 13. The New York Times said: “It is so good-looking and it is played with such spirit that you are surprised to discover that it does not live up to the promise of the names in the program.”

Songs

Act 1 * “Beautiful Night” (lyrics by Karl Stark and Ballard MacDonald) * “

Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" is a 1935 popular song with words and music by James F. Hanley. It was introduced by Hal Le Roy and Eunice Healey in the Broadway revue '' Thumbs Up!'' The most notable recordings were made by Judy Garland ...

” (lyrics by James Hanley) * “Words Without Music” (lyrics by Ira Gershwin, music by Vernon Duke) * “Lily Belle May June” * “Flamenco” * “Eileen Avourneen” (lyrics by John Murray Anderson) * “The Torch Singer” * “My Arab Complex” * “Soldier of Love” (lyrics by Irving Caesar, music by Gerald Marks) Act 2 * “Color Blind” * “Tango Rhythms”* * “Continental Honeymoon” (lyrics by Ballard MacDonald and James Hanley) * “A Ship’s Concert in the Eighties” * “Catherine the Great” * “Rehearsal Hall” * “Merrily We Waltz Along” * “Gotta See a Man About His Daughter” (lyrics by Jean Herbert and Karl Stark) * “ Autumn in New York” (music & lyrics by Vernon Duke)

References

External links

* {{Vernon Duke Musicals by Vernon Duke 1934 musicals Broadway musicals Original musicals