''The Little Show'' was a musical

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 lyrics by

Howard Dietz Howard Dietz (September 8, 1896 – July 30, 1983) was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist, best remembered for his songwriting collaboration with Arthur Schwartz. Biography Dietz was born in New York City. He attended Columbia Colle ...

and music by

Arthur Schwartz Arthur Schwartz (November 25, 1900 – September 3, 1984) was an American composer and film producer, widely noted for his songwriting collaborations with Howard Dietz. Biography Early life Schwartz was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on Nov ...

. It was the first of 11 musicals that featured the songs of Dietz and Schwartz. The revue opened at the Music Box Theatre 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 ...

on April 30, 1929 and ran for 321 performances until February 1930.

History

The show grew out of a number of Sunday evening variety shows co-produced by Tom Weatherly with James Pond at the Selwyn Theatre . Weatherly said that they were "really nothing more than high-class vaudeville shows but they were far more artistic than the Sunday night variety programs being offered at the

Winter Garden A winter garden is a kind of garden maintained in wintertime. History The origin of the winter garden dates back to the 17th to 19th centuries where European nobility would construct large conservatories that would house tropical and subtro ...

."Green, S., p. 163

Revue elements

"This was the first American revue to give wit precedence over spectacle."

Fred Allen John Florence Sullivan (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956), known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist, topically pointed radio program ''The Fred Allen Show'' (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and for ...

(who had been a vaudeville headliner as a juggler and ventriloquist) "won acclaim with his sardonic banter", "torch singer Libby Holman smoldered."

Clifton Webb Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck (November 19, 1889 – October 13, 1966), known professionally as Clifton Webb, was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He worked extensively and was known for his stage appearances in the plays of Noël Coward, i ...

, the debonair star, "wanted a number that was more perverse, a number he could deliver all alone in full-dress suit and a spotlight...a lyric with suave romantic frustration." The song was " I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan," which was used again in the 1953 MGM musical ''

The Band Wagon ''The Band Wagon'' is a 1953 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. It tells the story of an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway show will restart his career. However, ...

''. The song "Hammacher Schlemmer, I Love You" was an "open-hearted tribute" to the hardware store. According to Kay Green, the funniest sketch was George S. Kaufman's "The Still Alarm" which concerns nonchalant hotel guests Webb and Fred Allen, completely oblivious to being in a raging fire. The most "dramatic scene was the torrid dance Clifton Webb and Libby Holman performed after Miss Holman moaned " Moanin' Low" in a squalid Harlem tenement."Green, Kay, p. 67 Smith and Litton described another act: "Fred Allen's monologues before the curtain held the audience transfixed, especially one about a little boy who shot both parents in order to be entitled to go to the orphans' picnic." Ken Bloom wrote: "''The Little Show'' was one of the first intimate revues that proved to audiences that all the Ziegfeldian trappings were not necessary for the enjoyment of a revue."

Production

Produced by William A. Brady, Jr. and

Dwight Deere Wiman Dwight Deere Wiman (August 8, 1895 – January 20, 1951) was an American silent movie actor, playwright and theatrical director. He is best known as a Broadway producer. Biography Early life and education Dwight Wiman was born in Moline, Illi ...

, in association with Tom Weatherly, the production opened on April 30, 1929 at the

Music Box Theatre The Music Box Theatre is a Broadway theater at 239 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1921, the Music Box Theatre was designed by C. Howard Crane in a Palladian-inspir ...

for a total of 321 performances. The revue was directed by Wiman, choreographed by

Danny Dare Danny Dare (March 20, 1905, New York City – November 20, 1996, Tarzana, Los Angeles, California) was an American choreographer, actor, director, writer, and producer of the stage, screen, and film.Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1996: Film, ...

, and had scenic design by Jo Mielziner. The cast included

, Libby Holman,

John McCauley Air Marshal Sir John Patrick Joseph McCauley, KBE, CB (18 March 1899 – 3 February 1989) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1954 to 1957. A Duntroon g ...

Romney Brent Romney Brent (born Romulo Larralde; 26 January 1902 – 24 September 1976) was a Mexican actor, director and dramatist. Most of his career was on stage in North America, but in the 1930s he was frequently seen on the London stage, on television ...

, and

Songs

Sources: Steven Suskin for songs marked ≠ Kay Green for songs marked ‡; Chuck Denison, "Can’t We Be Friends?";''Billboard'' for songs marked √; Ruth Benjamin and Arthur Rosenblatt for song marked ≈ ;Act I * Man About Town √ * Six Little Sinners (music by Frank Gorney; lyrics by Earle Crooker) ≈ * Get Up a New Routine ≠ √ * Caught in the Rain (music by Henry Sullivan; lyrics by

) √ * Or What Have You (music by Morris Hamilton; lyrics by Grace Henry) √ * I’ve Made a Habit of You ‡ ≠ √ * Can't We Be Friends? (music by

Kay Swift Katharine Faulkner "Kay" Swift (April 19, 1897 – January 28, 1993) was an American composer of popular and classical music, the first woman to score a hit musical completely. Written in 1930, the Broadway musical '' Fine and Dandy'' includes s ...

; lyrics by Paul James) - Libby HolmanDenison, Chuck. ''The Great American Songbook'' (2004), Author's Choice Publishing, , pp. 49-50 √ * Little Old New York √ * Moanin' Low (music:

Ralph Rainger Ralph Rainger ( Reichenthal; October 7, 1901 – October 23, 1942) was an American composer of popular music principally for films. Biography Born Ralph Reichenthal in New York City, United States, Rainger initially embarked on a legal career, ...

) - Holman and Webb ‡ √ * Hammacher Schlemmer, I Love You ‡ ;Act II * Song of the Riveter (music by

; lyrics by Lew Levenson) ≠ √ * What Every Little Girl Should Know (music by

; lyrics by Henry Myers) √ * The Theme Song ≠ √ * A Little Hut in Hoboken (music and lyrics by

Herman Hupfeld Herman Hupfeld (February 1, 1894June 8, 1951) was an American songwriter whose most notable composition was " As Time Goes By". He wrote both the lyrics and music. Life and career Hupfeld was born in Montclair, New Jersey, the son of Fredericka ...

) ‡ √ * Stick to your Dancing, Mabel (music and lyrics by Charlotte Kent √ * I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan ‡ ≠ * Work Alike (music by Frank Gray; lyrics by Earle Crooker ‡

Notes

References

*Green, Kay (1996). ''Broadway Musicals, Show By Show''. Hal Leonard Corporation. *Green, Stanley (1984). ''The World of Musical Comedy''. Da Capo Press.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Little Show, The 1929 musicals Broadway musicals Revues Musicals by Arthur Schwartz