Fifty Million Frenchmen
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''Fifty Million Frenchmen'' is a
musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...
with a book by
Herbert Fields Herbert Fields (July 26, 1897March 24, 1958) was an American librettist and screenwriter. Biography Born in New York City, Fields began his career as an actor, then graduated to choreography and stage direction before turning to writing. From 1 ...
and 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 standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...
. It opened 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 1929 and was adapted for a film two years later. The title is a reference to the hit 1927 song "Fifty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong" by Willie Raskin,
Billy Rose Billy Rose (born William Samuel Rosenberg; September 6, 1899 – February 10, 1966) was an American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist. For years both before and after World War II, Billy Rose was a major force in entertainment, with sh ...
, and
Fred Fisher Fred Fisher (born Alfred Breitenbach, September 30, 1875 – January 14, 1942) was a German-born American songwriter and Tin Pan Alley music publisher. Biography Fisher was born in Cologne, Germany. His parents were Max and Theodora Breitenb ...
, which compared free attitudes in 1920s
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
with
censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
and
prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The musical's plot is consistent with the standard boy-meets-girl plots of musical comedies of the first half of the twentieth century.


History

''Fifty Million Frenchmen'' was the first of seven Porter musicals to have the book written or co-written by Herbert Fields. This was also the first musical directed by Monty Woolley.


Synopsis

Peter Forbes, a young American millionaire, journeys to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and bets his friends Billy Baxter and Michael Cummins that he can live without his money for a month and, while doing so, get engaged to Looloo Caroll, a young woman he adores. She is in Paris with her parents and her best friend Joyce. The catch is that Peter has one month, until July 4, to throw their engagement party at the Chateau Madrid. Trying to woo Looloo while penniless, he endures humiliation. His first job is as a tour guide, but much to his dismay, he has caught the eye of Violet Hildegarde, a fur-buyer who sends risqué French postcards to her children ("Where Would You Get Your Coat?"). An aspiring singer, May DeVere, also becomes interested in Peter. Since Peter has no time, Looloo and Billy have begun flirting. Everyone goes to the racetrack, where Louis Pernasse tells Peter that the race is fixed and Toujours Moi will win, and he takes Peter's and May's money to place a bet. It appears that the horse has lost and Peter tears up his ticket, but the winner is disqualified and he has won. However, Looloo thinks he is being selfish in not sharing his winnings (since she had lent him some money) and leaves him ("You Don't Know Paree"). In another week, Pernasse is preparing a party for Looloo's mother, who plans to match her with a poor but titled Grand Duke ("The Queen of Terre Haute"). Mr. Carroll, distressed at the cost, gets drunk, and Looloo does not attend, as she has no desire to marry the Grand Duke. On July 4, Peter is a dance-host at the Chateau Madrid. As all arrive, Billy and Michael are still chasing Violet and Joyce. Peter, with the pressure of the time-limit bet, proposes. Just then Pernasse tells him to dance with a customer and Looloo starts to leave, confused and embarrassed. Peter and Pernasse have words about the torn-up ticket and Looloo realizes that he was telling the truth. She trusts him and they become engaged as midnight arrives.


Songs

;Act 1 *"A Toast to Volstead" – California Collegians and Men's Ensemble *" You Do Something to Me" – Peter Forbes and Looloo Carroll *"The American Express" – Ensemble *"You've Got That Thing" – Michael Cummins and Joyce Wheeler *"Find Me a Primitive Man" – May De Vere, Boule de Neige, Oscar and Ensemble *"Where Would You Get Your Coat?" – Violet Hildegarde *"Do You Want to See Paris?" – Peter Forbes, California Collegians and Tourists *"At Longchamps Today" – Ensemble *"Yankee Doodle" – Ensemble *"The (Happy) Heaven of Harlem" – Boule de Neige, Oscar and Chorus *"Why Shouldn't I Have You?" – Joyce Wheeler, Michael Cummins and Chorus ;Act 2 *"Somebody's Going to Throw a Big Party" – Ensemble *"It Isn't Done" – Ensemble *"I'm In Love" – Looloo Carroll, Ensemble and Ceballos' Hollywood Dancers *"The Tale of the Oyster" – Violet Hildegarde *"Paree, What Did You Do to Me?" – Joyce Wheeler and Michael Cummins *"You Don't Know Paree" – Peter Forbes *"I'm Unlucky at Gambling" – May De Vere and Ceballos' Hollywood Dancers


Productions

''Fifty Million Frenchmen'' premiered on Broadway at the Lyric Theatre on November 27, 1929 and closed on July 5, 1930 after 254 performances. The opening was a month after the
Stock Market Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...
. Directed by Monty Woolley with choreography by Larry Ceballos and scenic design by
Norman Bel Geddes Norman Bel Geddes (born Norman Melancton Geddes; April 27, 1893 – May 8, 1958) was an American theatrical and industrial designer. Early life Bel Geddes was born Norman Melancton Geddes in Adrian, Michigan and was raised in New Philadelp ...
, the cast featured
William Gaxton William Gaxton (né Arthur Anthony Gaxiola, December 2, 1893 – February 2, 1963) was an American star of vaudeville, film, and theatre. Gaxton was president of The Lambs Club from 1936 to 1939, 1952 to 1953, and 1957 to 1961. He and Victor ...
as Peter Forbes, Genevieve Tobin as Looloo Carroll,
Betty Compton Betty Compton (born Violet Halling Compton; May 13, 1904 – July 12, 1944), was an English actress and singer, who married New York City mayor Jimmy Walker in 1933. Compton was born Violet Halling Compton in Sandown, Isle of Wight. She move ...
as Joyce Wheeler, and Lester Crawford as Billy Baxter. Medicine Show Theatre Ensemble staged an Off-Off Broadway production Feb. 3-20, 1983. The theatre's artistic director Barbara Vann directed. Later to be a famed composer in his own right, Michael-John Lachiusa was the musical director. A concert version was staged in 1991 with the book adapted by Tommy Krasker and produced by the French Institute/Alliance Francaise in association with Evans Haile at the Mainstage 14th Street Y in New York City. A studio cast recording was made with the cast members of this concert. In 2002 the ''Discovering Lost Musicals Charitable Trust'' presented a concert at The Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio Theatre in London. The
42nd Street Moon 42nd Street Moon is a professional theatre company in San Francisco, California. The company specializes in the preservation and presentation of early and lesser-known works by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Ku ...
concert in San Francisco was presented in December 2003. The APPLAUSE! Musicals Society concert was held February 13–16, 2008 at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in
Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, directed by Scott Ashton Swan. Medicine Show Theatre, 549 W. 52nd St. in New York, revived its 1983 production of Fifty Million Frenchmen, again directed by Obie-winner Barbara Vann, Oct. 24-Nov. 18, 2012. Bob Goldstone, pianist for the Broadway production of Evita, was musical director. CurtainUp reviewer Elizabeth Ahlfors called the production, "Pure silliness... Non-stop frivolity." Will Friedwald of The Wall Street Journal called it a "spirited production of that Cole Porter gem." In January 2013, Medicine Show Theatre did seven additional performances of its Oct.-Nov. 2012 production of Fifty Million Frenchmen, with the same cast and crew.


Critical response

Stephen Citron, in his book ''Noel & Cole'', wrote that the musical received mixed reviews, citing critics
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 ...
and Richard Watts who both deemed it "pleasant", saying there was not an "outstanding hit song in the show." Gilbert Gabriel, on the other hand, said it was "the best thing in seven years!" Porter champion
Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russi ...
took out an advertisement stating in part: "The best musical comedy I have seen in years..." The show had what was, for the time, a long run. According to Charles Schwartz, writing in the biography ''Cole Porter'', the musical's book by Herbert Fields "had a lot to do with capturing the frothy Gallic essence implicit in the title..." and he also noted the "near-perfect cast" and "sure-handed direction" of Monty Woolley.


Film adaptations

*''
Fifty Million Frenchmen ''Fifty Million Frenchmen'' is a musical comedy with a book by Herbert Fields and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It opened on Broadway in 1929 and was adapted for a film two years later. The title is a reference to the hit 1927 song "Fifty Mill ...
'', directed by
Lloyd Bacon Lloyd Francis Bacon (December 4, 1889 – November 15, 1955) was an American screen, stage and vaudeville actor and film director. As a director he made films in virtually all genres, including westerns, musicals, comedies, gangster films, an ...
and filmed entirely in
Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
, was released in 1931 by
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
The cast included Ole Olsen,
Chic Johnson Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson (March 15, 1891 – February 28, 1962) was the barrel-chested half of the American comedy team of Olsen and Johnson, known for his strangely infectious, high-pitched "Woo-Woo" laugh. Background Johnson was born of S ...
,
William Gaxton William Gaxton (né Arthur Anthony Gaxiola, December 2, 1893 – February 2, 1963) was an American star of vaudeville, film, and theatre. Gaxton was president of The Lambs Club from 1936 to 1939, 1952 to 1953, and 1957 to 1961. He and Victor ...
,
Helen Broderick Helen Broderick (August 11, 1891 – September 25, 1959) was an American actress known for her comic roles, especially as a wisecracking sidekick. Career Broderick began on Broadway as a chorus girl in the ''Follies of 1907'', the first ...
, John Halliday,
Claudia Dell Claudia Dell (born Claudia Dell Smith; January 10, 1910 – September 5, 1977) was an American showgirl and actress of the stage and movies. Early years Dell was born in San Antonio, Texas on January 10, 1910. She attended school in San ...
, Lester Crawford, and
Evalyn Knapp Evalyn Knapp (born Evelyn Pauline Knapp; June 17, 1906 – June 12, 1981) was an American film actress of the late 1920s, 1930s and into the 1940s. She was a leading B-movie serial actress in the 1930s. She was the younger sister of the orche ...
. The songs were omitted from the 1931 film, because the public had tired of musicals. *In 1934, a
two-reeler A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
entitled ''
Paree, Paree ''Paree, Paree'' is a 1934 black-and-white Vitaphone musical short starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Stone. Cole Porter wrote the lyrics and music for this musical comedy short.
'' was made from the musical, and this version included several the songs " You Do Something to Me", "
Paree, What Did You Do To Me ''Fifty Million Frenchmen'' is a musical comedy with a book by Herbert Fields and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It opened on Broadway in 1929 and was adapted for a film two years later. The title is a reference to the hit 1927 song "Fifty Mil ...
", "Find Me a Primitive Man", and "You've Got That Thing". The film starred
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...
in the William Gaxton role.''Paree, Paree'' at the Internet Movie Database
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References


External links

*

{{Authority control Musicals by Cole Porter Broadway musicals 1929 musicals Original musicals Musicals set in the Roaring Twenties Musicals by Herbert Fields