''Lady, Be Good!'' (title sometimes presented with an

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) is a musical written by

Guy Bolton Guy Reginald Bolton (23 November 1884 – 4 September 1979) was an Anglo-American playwright and writer of musical theatre, musical comedies. Born in England and educated in France and the US, he trained as an architect but turned to writing. B ...

and

Fred Thompson Freddie Dalton Thompson (August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, actor, and radio personality. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as a Unite ...

with music by George and lyrics by

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 ...

. It was first presented on Broadway in 1924; the West End production followed in 1926. The story of the musical is about a brother and sister who are out of money; both are eager to sacrifice themselves to help the other. This was the first Broadway collaboration of the Gershwin brothers, and the Astaire siblings play a brother-sister dance team.

Productions

''Lady, Be Good'' premiered on Broadway at the Liberty Theatre on December 1, 1924 and closed on September 12, 1925, after 330 performances. The musical was staged by Felix Edwardes with musical staging by Sammy Lee 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, described in 2012 by the New York Times as "a brilliant craftsman and draftsman, a master of style, the 20t ...

. It starred brother and sister performers

Fred Fred or FRED may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Fred ...

and Adele Astaire. The musical opened in the West End at the Empire Theatre on April 14, 1926, again starring Fred and Adele Astaire. It played strongly there, running for 326 performances. The best-known songs from the score are " Oh, Lady be Good!" and " Fascinating Rhythm." A staged concert production was presented by

Encores! Encores! is a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Tony-honored concert series dedicated to reviving United States, American Musical theatre, musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, E ...

in 2015, directed by Mark Brokaw and choreographed by Randy Skinner. The production featured

Tommy Tune Thomas James Tune (born February 28, 1939) is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won ten Tony Awards, the National Medal of Arts, and a star on the Hollywood Wal ...

in his well received return to the NY stage.

Synopsis

Setting: Beacon Hill, Rhode Island and Eastern Harbor, Connecticut ;Act I The brother/sister dance team of Dick and Susie Trevor are so broke that they can't pay the rent and have been evicted from their childhood home. They crash the garden party of wealthy Jo Vanderwater for a free meal. Dick loves Shirley Vernon but is ashamed to pursue her because of his financial situation. Jo is interested in Dick, and it turns out that she was behind the eviction, as a ploy to get his attention. Meanwhile, Susie tries to talk herself into liking the affluent Jeff White, but she finds herself falling for Jack, a charming "hobo"; Jack leaves town. Jack's uncle dies, and he is apparently a millionaire. Lawyer Watty Watkins is looking for Jack Robinson on behalf of his client, the flamboyant Manuel Estrada, who says that his sister married Mr. Robinson in Mexico. Watty offers Susie $50,000 to help him, by pretending to be Robinson's widow, to get the money from the Robinson estate. Meanwhile, Dick proposes to Jo, since he thinks he can never afford to court his true love Shirley. ;Act 2 Dick finally tells Shirley that he loves her, while Watty and Susie (in disguise) execute their plan. Jack finally hears that he has inherited the fortune and returns, still dressed as a hobo. He is amazed to find Susie claiming the money as his "widow". Susie does not know that her Jack is the now-wealthy Mr. Robinson, nor that she is being used by Estrada, whose sister never really married Jack. In the end, Dick and Shirley are reunited, Jack saves Susie from disgrace by declaring his love, and Jo and Watty pair off happily. All wed happily ever after.

Songs

;Act I * "Hang on to Me" – Dick Trevor and Susie Trevor * "A Wonderful Party" – Guests * "End of a String" – Ensemble * "We're Here Because" – Daisy Parke, Bertie Bassett and Guests * " Fascinating Rhythm" – Susie Trevor, Dick Trevor and Jeff * "So Am I" – Jack Robinson and Susie Trevor * " Oh, Lady be Good!" – J. Watterson Watkins and Girls ;Act II * "Weatherman/Rainy Afternoon Girls" – Ensemble * " The Half of It, Dearie' Blues" – Shirley Vernon and Dick Trevor * "Juanita" – Susie Trevor and Boys * "Leave It to Love" – Susie Trevor, Jack Robinson, Shirley Vernon and Dick Trevor * "Little Jazz Bird" – Jeff * "Insufficient Sweetie" (Music and Lyrics By Cliff Edwards and Gilbert Wells) – Jeff * "Who Takes Care of the Caretaker's Daughter?" (Music and Lyrics By Chick Endor) – * "It's All the Same to Me" (Music and Lyrics By Chick Endor) – * "Carnival Time" – Ensemble * "Swiss Miss" (Lyrics By Arthur Jackson and Ira Gershwin) – Susie Trevor and Dick Trevor

Principal characters

*Dick Trevor: In Love with Shirley –

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

*Susie Trevor: Dick's sister – Adele Astaire *Shirley Vernon: Loves Dick – Kathlene Martyn *Josephine Vanderwater: Also loves Dick – Jayne Auburn *Jack Robinson: Disguised as a Hobo, in love with Susie – Alan Edwards *Buck Benson: A go getter for ''Life Magazine'' – *Sammy Cooper: Photographer – *J. Watterson "Watty" Watkins: A Slick Lawyer – Walter Catlett *Manuel Estrada – Bryan Lycan *Rufus Parke: Trustee – James Bradbury *Daisy Parke – Patricia Clarke *Jeff: The Butler –

Cliff Edwards Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American pop singer, musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop sta ...

*Bertie Bassett: Assistant to the Sheriff – Gerald Oliver Smith *Flunkey (Jenkins) – Edward Jephson *Victor Arden – Victor Arden *Phil Ohman – Phil Ohman

Film versions

Two films under this title were produced: a 1928 silent film and a 1941 film. The former film is now considered a

lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...

. The latter film, starring Eleanor Powell, uses only the title number, " Oh, Lady Be Good!," and " Fascinating Rhythm" from the musical.

Legacy

The show title was used on an American B-24D Liberator

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that flew for the

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during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

out of

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

. Lady Be Good (aircraft) disappeared on an April 4, 1943, during a raid on

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It was found virtually intact in the Libyan desert in 1958. ''Lady Be Good'' (aircraft)

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1924 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals set in Rhode Island Musicals set in Connecticut Musicals set in the Roaring Twenties Musicals by George and Ira Gershwin Musicals by Fred Thompson (writer)