''Lend an Ear'' is a

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 Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

with a book, music, and lyrics by Charles Gaynor and additional sketches by Joseph Stein and

Will Glickman Will Glickman (March 7, 1910 – March 11, 1983) was an American playwright who frequently collaborated with Joseph Stein. Glickman made his Broadway debut in 1948 with sketches he and Stein wrote for the revue ''Lend an Ear''. The two went on t ...

.Gaynor, Charle
Lend an Ear:An Intimate Musical Revue
google books), Samuel French, Inc., 1948,

Productions

Background

''Lend an Ear'' was commissioned by Frederick Burleigh, and played as a small revue in April 1941 in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Pennsylvania, at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, directed by Burleigh with the performers from

Carnegie Tech Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technol ...

and in a "straw hat" theatre, but plans to produce the show in New York ended. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

ended, it was decided to proceed with the revue, and it began rehearsals in May 1948 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, California.

Gower Champion Gower Carlyle Champion (June 22, 1919 – August 25, 1980) was an American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer. Early years Champion was born on June 22, 1919, in Geneva, Illinois, as the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice Car ...

became involved and went from advisor to choreographer to being credited as "Dances and Musical Numbers Staged by..." ''Lend an Ear'' premiered at the Las Palmas Theatre, Los Angeles, on June 14, 1948. Rehearsals for a New York opening began on July 26, 1948 at the Coronet Theatre (now the

Eugene O'Neill Theatre The Eugene O'Neill Theatre, previously the Forrest Theatre and the Coronet Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 230 West 49th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and ...

). The show went to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

for its tryout, opening at the Majestic Theatre in August 1948.Lend an Ear
'Life Magazine'', (google books), Vol. 26, No. 9 ISSN 0024-3019, Published by Time Inc., February 28, 1949

Broadway

''Lend an Ear'' opened on Broadway on December 16, 1948 at the National TheatreAtkinson, Brooks, "At the Theatre", ''The New York Times'', December 17, 1948, p. 38 and moved three times before closing on January 21, 1950 after 460 performances.Green, Stanley and Green, Ka
''Broadway Musicals Show By Show'', 'Lend an Ear'
'Broadway Musicals Show By Show'' (google books). Hal Leonard Corporation, 1996, , p. 139 After the National Theatre, the show ran at the

Broadhurst Theatre The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1917, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for the Shubert brothers. The Bro ...

from February 21, 1949 to October 8, 1949, then the Shubert Theatre from October 10, 1949 to October 29, 1949 and finally the

Mansfield Theatre The Lena Horne Theatre (previously the Mansfield Theatre and the Brooks Atkinson Theatre) is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 256 West 47th Street (Manhattan), 47th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Ma ...

from October 31, 1949 to January 21, 1950. Playbill.com noted that "The brilliant revue 'Lend an Ear' moved in o the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (Broadway)from another theatre in 1949 and played for three months." Directed by Hal Gerson, with musical staging by Gower Champion and assistant to the choreographer

Marge Champion Marjorie Celeste Champion ( Belcher; September 2, 1919October 21, 2020) was an American dancer and actress. At fourteen, she was hired as a dance model for Walt Disney Studios animated films. Later, she performed as an actress and dancer in film ...

; the costumes, setting and lighting were by Raoul Pene DuBois. The cast featured

Carol Channing Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, ...

, Yvonne Adair, Jennie Lou Law, Gloria Hamilton, Gene Nelson, Bob Scheerer, and

William Eythe William John Eythe (April 7, 1918 – January 26, 1957) was an American actor of film, radio, television and stage. Early life Born in Mars, Pennsylvania, a small town located about 25 miles from Pittsburgh, he was interested in acting from a ...

. Channing, Nelson, and Scheerer won the

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

, and Gower Champion won the Tony Award for Best Choreography. The musical gave

her break "where the wide-eyed beauty displayed her fabulous comic talents and vocal abilities". This led to her being cast, the following year, in '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes''."Carol Channing biography"
Turner Classic Movies, retrieved March 6, 2010 No cast album was made.

Revival

A revival was produced

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 th ...

at the Renata Theatre by Steven Slane and Jenny Lou Law in September 1959, with direction by Law and choreography by Bill Hooks. The cast featured Elizabeth Allen,

Charles Nelson Reilly Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

, and June Squibb.

Revue sketches and songs overview

The sketch topics included psychoanalysts, gossip columnists, Santo Domingo as seen by a tourist, silent screen stars, a poor opera company that has no orchestra, and "The Gladiola Girl". The most famous sketch was the first act finale, "The Missing Road Company", featuring an imaginary lost touring troupe of the 1925 musical hit ''The Gladiola Girl,'' which was a spoof of 1920s musicals.Mandelbaum, Ke
Obscure Videos: Two Revues
broadway.com, November 18, 2005 In the sketch "Friday Dancing Class" a young man's (Gene Nelson) mother makes him go to a dance class; when he misbehaves and is forced to dance alone, he is saved by one of the young ladies. Channing played "such diverse characters as a French movie star, a British Christian Scientist, and 1920s flapper." Songs included "Who Hit Me?", "Neurotic you and psychopathic me", "Where Is the She for Me?", "Give Your Heart a Chance to Sing", "Doin' the Old Yahoo Step", and "Molly O'Reilly".

The sketches and songs

''Source:'' ;Act 1 *After Hours – The Company *Give Your Heart a Chance to Sing – Dorothy Babbs (The Girl); Robert Dixon, Arthur Maxwell, Bob Hergert, Tommy Morton, Bob Scheerer (The Boys) *Neurotic You and Psychopathic Me – Lee Stacy (The Nurse), Anne Renee Anderson (The Patient), William Eythe (The Doctor) *I'm Not in Love – Arthur Maxwell (The Boss Who Dictates); Yvonne Adair (The Secretary Who Sings); Gene Nelson, Tommy Morton, Bob Scheerer (The Bosses Who Dance) *Do It Yourself – William Eythe, Al Checco, Jenny Lou Law, Hal Hackett *Friday Dancing Class – Gene Nelson and Company *Ballade – Anne Renee Anderson *When Someone You Love Loves You – Sung by: Gloria Hamilton and Robert Dixon; Danced by: Antoinette Guhlke and Gene Nelson *The Missing Road Company (The Gladiola Girl) – William Eythe (Announcer) and Company ;Act 2 *Santo Domingo – Arthur Maxwell (Travel Agent), Yvonne Adair (The Tourist), The Company (Santo Domingans) *I'm On the Lookout – Gloria Hamilton *Three Little Queens of the Silver Screen – Lee Stacy, Anne Renee Anderson, Carol Channing *Molly O'Reilly – Dancers: Bob Scheerer, Dorothy Babbs; Sung by: Jenine Smith, Gloria Hamilton, Beverly Hosier, Robert Dixon, Arthur Maxwell, Larry Stewart *All the World's – Arthur Maxwell (Announcer), William Eythe (Mr. Playgoer), Carol Channing (Mrs. Playgoer), George Hall (A Bartender) *Who Hit Me? – Sung by: Yvonne Adair; Danced by: Gene Nelson *Words Without Song – Arthur Maxwell, Carol Channing, Anne Renee Anderson, George Hall, William Eythe and Chorus *Finale

Response

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 ...

, in his ''

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 ...

'' review, wrote that "Gaynor's intimate musical is a model of skill and taste in this style of fooling, and it is performed by some fresh-grown youngsters whose talents have not been corrupted yet...He is lightly satirizing some of the more palatable follies of the day, and he is so neat in his touch that he does not have to clever…At the end of the first act Mr. Gaynor offers a very funny burlesque of old-time musical comedy—'The Gladiola Girl'." According to Playbill.com, "In December 1948, a delirious revue, 'Lend an Ear,' entirely written by Charles Gaynor, set the town on its ear. Carol Channing was an overnight success as a loony, wide-eyed blonde in such numbers as 'The Gladiola Girl' and 'Opera Without Music,' and Yvonne Adair, William Eythe, Gene Nelson, and the rest of the cast made this one of the theatre's best revues of all time.""At This Theatre, Nederlander Theatre (Broadway)"
playbill.com, retrieved March 6, 2010

Television

Excerpts of the musical appeared on the first episode of the

CBS Television CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

series '' Tonight on Broadway'' in 1948. Highlights of the revue were recreated for the October 28, 1954 broadcast of the CBS monthly

variety series Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compère ...

Shower of Stars ''Shower of Stars'' (also known as ''Chrysler Shower of Stars'') is an American variety television series broadcast live in the United States from 1954 to 1958 by CBS. The series was broadcast in color which was a departure from the usual CBS p ...

''.

References

External links

Internet Broadway Database entry
{{Joseph Stein 1948 musicals Broadway musicals Revues Tony Award-winning musicals