PInk Moons, Ukeles, and Rufus for President!

 Sammy Davis Jr., age 7 (!) in

Rufus Jones For President, 

a 21 minute, pre-code "short" released in 1933.

It starred Sammy (who yup, got to be president),

and Ethel Waters.

We'll hear Sammy's rendition of
"I'll Be Glad When You're Dead" on Sunday!

(It was his first "on screen" appearance.)

Thirty-one years later 

(with lots of recordings, club performances, and films under his belt), 

Sammy starred on Broadway in

Golden Boy,

which was actually based on a 1937 play by Clifford Odets.

He gave the show's song-writing team of Charles Strouse 

and Lee Adams some challenges,

insisting that all of his solos be written in his "night club style".

They went along with his wishes, of course...

they didn't want to lose

that star power!

Below, Sammy with his co-star,

Paula Wayne.

In our tribute to the Pink Moon (?) we had this week,

we'll hear Cliff Edwards (aka Ukele Ike)

and his rendition of
"It's Only A Paper Moon",

a Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg/Billy Rose tune

written for a flop called The Great Magoo, back in 1932! 

We also get a chance on Sunday to sample

Ben Bernie And All The Lads,

a short film that feature Ben Bernie's group.

The original band featured Oscar Levant, 

but I don't think I see him below.

Anyhoo, we'll hear Ben and those lads sing

"He's The Last Word".

And then a few tracks from the recording

of Elaine Stritch At Liberty,

Elaine's one woman show,

which will include her memories about 

arriving in NYC at the age of 17, 

landing a date with Marlon Brando,

and landing a part in Angels in the Wings!

Above Elaine young,

below Elaine experienced!

Skip Hinnant and Reva Rose 

as Schroeder and Lucy

in the original production of 

You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown...

Moonlight Sonata 

(a smash hit for Beethoven!).

Playlist For April 12, 2020: La Vie est ...

Chapter 17: In which our heroine, at a loss for social interaction, becomes much too exhilarated by the prospects of a dental emergency.

Last week was soooo exciting! See, just before air time at Jazz 90.1 last Sunday, I decided to perk up with a (totally legal) Energy Bloc (their spelling, not mine). These are chewy (and how!) cubes of pure sugar (tho they say different), masquerading as zippy/peppy/pop-in-your-mouth morsels to eat when you need that certain boost. I "do" these on bike trips, not usually in Le Studio, but hey! I'd missed my chai latte fix, and these are desperate times.

But then suddenly I seemed to be chewing on gravel. A piece of the road? Nope, a piece of my tooth. In a (thank god) no-photo moment, I pried said piece outta my mouf and outta the candy (cuz, let's be Frank, Shirley...that's what it is), to find the crown off a back molar. I mean, I knew it wasn't actually MY TOOTH, cuz it looked waaaay too text-book and perfect and non-cavitized. Hence, I would require dentistry, if I were to gulp blissfully hot java or crunch granola ever again.

 And Blocs!

So that was exciting! I got to see my dentist! Whoo-hoo! Cuz even in these wacky times, affixing crowns is considered an emergency.  Who frickin' knew? All this to say, I had AN APPOINTMENT TO GO TO. On a Tuesday! Whoa... Highlight of the week. Otherwise, it's online yoga. It's online chats. It's lonely dinners with my cat (who orders the liver, EVERYTIME), and lonely walks hither/thither. Without missing molar "tiaras" (the irony is not lost on me), c'est la vie ENNUI!

 versus

BUT then BROADWAY, which the powers that be on Jazz90.1 have allowed me to continue to broadcast LIVE! (They're even disinfecting before my arrival. Like I'm royalty. Even without my "crown".) So, along with dental procedures, I get to carve playlists and look forward to my Sundays even more than usual. No more Energy Blocs, of course, so my teeth will remain IN my mouth, and we can enjoy (in this coming week's show) a New York City theme, a devilish/paper moon (mit stars!) theme, a little Music Man so Robert P. can do his Ya Got Trouble diatribe, and my favorite Bullets Over Broadway, cuz what's a pledge drive without Hot Dogs and Bananas (Yes, we have No!)?

I've rambled. Remember to donate. If ya can!


Deep Beneath The City/Not There Yet (Company, In Transit)
New York, New York (John Battles, Adolph Green, Cris Alexander, On
       The Town)
I'll Take Manhattan (Ruth Tester, Allan Gould, Makers Of Melody)
Take Me Back To Manhattan (Eileen Rodgers, Anything Goes)
Don't Forget 127th Street (Sammy Davis, Jr., Golden Boy)
Manhattan (Tim Curry, My Favorite Year)
Do You Miss New York? (Dave Frishberg, At The Algonquin)
A Band In New York City (Corey Cott, Laura Osnes, Company, Bandstand)
Civilization (Elaine Stritch, Elaine Stritch At Liberty)
Old Devil Moon (Ella Logan, Donald Richards, Finian's Rainbow)
It's Only A Paper Moon (Cliff Edwards)
Moonshine Lullaby (Bernadette Peters, Annie Get Your Gun)
Stars And The Moon (Sutton Foster, Take Me To The World)
Shroeder's Moonlight Sonata (Reva Rose, You're A Good
       Man, Charlie Brown)
Lazy Moon (Ensemble, Goldilocks) 
The Man In The Moon Is A Lady (Bea Arthur, Just Between Friends)
Wells Fargo Wagon (Ensemble, The Music Man)
Lida Rose/Will I Ever Tell You? (The Buffalo Bills, Barbara Cook,
       The Music Man)
Ya Got Trouble (Robert Preston, The Music Man)
He's The Last Word (Ben Bernie And All The Lads)
Cooking Breakfast (Annette Hanshaw)
The Very Thought Of You (Al Bowlly)
You Rascal, You (Sammy Davis, Jr., Rufus Jones For President)
You Rascal, You (Ensemble, Bullets Over Broadway)
Let's Misbehave (Helene Yorke, Brooks Ashmanskas, Bullets Over Broadway)
Runnin' Wild (Company, Bullets Over Broadway)
The Hot Dog Song (Helene Yorke, Jim Borstelmann, Bullets Over Broadway)
Yes, We Have No Bananas (Company, Bullets Over Broadway)

Home Alone...so let the Broadway roll!

 Megan Mullally as Elizabeth in 

Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein,

on Broadway for about a 1/2 hour unfortunately

(no, actually it was ).

She had a great song that got pulled,

but luckily it WAS recorded on the cast album:

"Alone"...albeit with 22 servants, and plenty of liquor.

Love the look, need the dress AND the earrings!

 And this was before the work-out craze for women began!

Carol Burnett beat us to the punch in Once Upon A Mattress,

pumpin' that iron as Princess Winifred.

We'll hear "The Swamps Of Home", where we've all been stuck recently!

 Or we've been "in the house", 

in this case "The Big Doll House" of

Hairspray.

Marissa Jaret Winokur and Harvey Fierstein behind bars!

 Rhea Butler does a mean Ethel Merman tribute

with her album, "Everything The Traffic Will Allow".

We'll hear her take on "Samson and Delilah",

a song Ethel introduced in the Gershwin brothers'

Girl Crazy.

 My favorite David Yazbek musical,

The Band's Visit,

and pledge drive time is my excuse to play it (again!).

Above is what looks like the Broadway replacement cast,

but below...the original!

Katrina Lenk (who should be Bobbi in Company by now,

if it could OPEN!)

and Tony Shaloub.

 The only show I know (other than Starlight Express)

that uses roller skates!

Above Etai Benson and Ari'el Stachel,

who we'll hear sing

"Papi Hears The Ocean" and "Haled's Song About Love."

 And ending big with,

"You Deserve It",

because man, do you ever!

Laura Osnes and Corey Cott in the short-lived

(166 performances)

Bandstand.

Music, Richard Oberacker and Robert Taylor.

Some reviewers thought the plot a little toooo

predictable and "sweet",

and wanted the veterans who made up the band

to have more defining moments...

but the music is nice and jivey!

Playlist For Sunday, April 5, 2020: A Report From HQ

Pledge Drive Sunday, Spring 2020: Kim Corcoran, Host of 2 On The Aisle, reporting.

      "Well, here we are, Dave, at HQ in lovely Greece, NY, the home of Jazz90.1, and as you know, every year around this time they throw a bash of a drive, hoping to raise enough money to keep on playing for another 6 months.  A little community radio station, 47 years old...and you heard that right, Dave, 47! And that's been entirely done with ONLY listener support, let me be perfectly clear about that. No ringers brought in, no big name sponsors, no lycra jerseys or comely cheer leaders or fancy-pants celebrities like Bono or Yoko or Ulla, egging people on to do the right thing and give. Nope, they've done it grass-roots style. Using volunteers, cutting costs to the bone, putting newbies in when they have to, limping along with older equipment, just to stay alive and well and give the good people "in the stands" some great music."

      "That's right, Howard. It is truly amazing...the commitment of the folks who work here AND the folks who contribute, year in, year out...and it bears repeating, Howie..."

      "Don't call me Howie. It's Howard."

      "Okay. The caliber, Howard...of the music and the professionalism...found at this station. Looking at it like that, we can only shake our heads and say, "Wow." Just "Wow."

      "At a loss for words, are you, Dave? That rarely happens."

       "Speechless is what I am. Maybe we should just let the music play, Howard...the music of Jazz 90.1."

      "You're probably right. Let the station sing for itself. But before we go to the audio, answer me, Dave...did you donate yet?"

      "Of course, Howie. For that station, I went Platinum."

      "For Platinum, you can call me Howie. Today.  But tomorrow...."


I Ain't Down Yet (Tammy Grimes, The Unsinkable Molly Brown)
I'm All Alone (Tim Curry, Michael McGrath, Spamalot)
Alone (Megan Mullally, Young Frankenstein)
You're Lonely And I'm Lonely (George S. Irving, Judy Blazer, Louisiana
       Purchase)
In My Own Little Corner (Julie Andrews, Cinderella)
The Lonely Goatherd (Julie Andrews, Ensemble, The Sound Of Music) 
The Swamps Of Home (Carol Burnett, Once Upon A Mattress)
A House Is Not A Home (Jill O'Hara, Promises, Promises)
My Ol' Kentucky Rock And Roll Home (Mark Hardwick, Oil City Symphony)
Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home (Vanessa Williams, St. Louis Woman)
The House We Live In (Christine Ebersole, Grey Gardens)
My House (Lauren Ward, Matilda)
The Big Doll House (Marissa Jaret Winokur, Harvey Fierstein, Ensemble,
       Hairspray)
Waiting(Ensemble, The Band's Visit)
Papi Hears The Ocean(Etai Benson, The Band's Visit)
Haled's Song Of Love(Ari'el Stachel, The Band's Visit)
The Concert (Instrumental, The Band's Visit)
Omar Sharif (Katrina Lenk, The Band's Visit)
I've Got Rhythm (Max Von Essen, Brandon Uranowitz, Robert Fairchild, 
       Ensemble, An American In Paris)
Samson And Delilah (Rhea Blackhurst, Everything The Traffic Will Allow)
Stairway To Paradise (Georges Guettary, An American In Paris)
I Never Know When (Elaine Stritch, Goldilocks)
Pure Imagination (Barbra Streisand, Seth McFarland, Encore: Move Partners
       Sing Broadway)
Being Alive (Bernadette Peters, Sondheim, Etc.)
What Baking Can Do (Jessie Mueller, Waitress)
Waving Through A Window (Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen)
Jet Set (Aaron Tveit, Ensemble, Catch Me If You Can)
I Won't Let You Down (Santino Fontana, Tootsie)
Get Down (Brittany Mack, Six)
You Deserve It (Laura Osnes, Corey Cott, Bandstand) 

More Sondheim pics to whet your appetite...

 Yup, a LIVE Sondheim show this Sunday 

(omigosh...that's tomorrow! I better get ready!)

on 2 On The Aisle.

A belated birthday party...with (above)

Merrily We Roll Along.

In the back (and in the beard), Stephen, book writer George Furth,

and Hal Prince.

Front row, Jim Walton, Ann Morrison, and Lonny Price 

who starred.

Audiences complained who was who in the production,

so they put 'em in sweatshirts with their names on.

Hmmmm...

 Lee Remick in the 1985 Lincoln Center concert version 

of Follies.

She played Phyllis and got to sing a couple of the best songs,

"The Story Of Lucy And Jessie" and

"Could I Leave You?"

We all know the answer to that question. 

 Edmund Lyndeck and Jack Eric Williams

as Judge Turpin and Beadle Bamford, respectively,

in the 1979 original production of Sweeney Todd.

Jack's Broadway debut.
Sondheim actually wrote those sweet falsetto lines
just for him!
Unfortunately, he passed away at the age of 50, in 1994.
That's Jack on the left, below,
with Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury. 

 A revival production of Pacific Overtures,

and the song..."Pretty Lady".

 Side By Side By Side,

from Company.

Beth Howland and Dean Jones at the far right.

 Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin in

rehearsal for 

Sunday In The Party With George, 1984.
They look like they're 14 years old! 

 Do YOU Hear a Waltz??

Well, not really...

Goddard Lieberson, Sergio Franchi, Elizabeth Allen,

Stephen and Richard Rodgers

readying no doubt for the recording of the cast album.

It's a pretty well known fact
that Stephen and Richard did NOT get along on this production,
and RR kept a not-so-hidden bottle of "juice" in his piano,
when medication was necessary.

 Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford

in Forum, 1962.

Both of course would portray the same

characters (Pseudolus and Hysterium) in the film version.

We'll hear Zero's "Pretty Little Picture"
and Nathan Lane (in the revival) with "Free."

 Alexis Smith

starring in the original production of Follies.

Those incredible costumes? Florence Klotz. The set design? Boris Aronson.
The 1971 production won 7 Tonys altogether,
and lasted over 500 performances...
but due to the fact that it was one of the costliest
Broadway productions at the time,
it never recouped its investment.

Oh, to be part of that quartet!
Stephen with Lenny B., Adolph G. and Roddy McD!

A toast is a toast is...TOAST!

Hurrah! It's looking good for a LIVE performance of my Stephen Sondheim birthday show on March 29th, this coming SUNDAY! I was bummed to have missed his actual natal day (which was yesterday, the 22nd), but looking forward to sharing an SS-Symphony with you sooner than later.

Cuz who knows what the "fates have in store"?

Damn!

Well, it looks like the birthday party will have to wait! Our station is taking a breather amidst all this crazy Covid19 stuff, and we won't be having any live shows this weekend. SOOOOO the Sondheim shindig must be postponed, no later (hopefully) than March 29? A belated birthday celebration awaits us, then.

Apologies to all you 2 On The Aisle listeners. And of course to Stephen Sondheim. :(