Funny, Shorty, and a little Lucy!

 Funny Face...

Fred Astaire in one of his last movie musicals,

above with Kay Thompson and Audrey Hepburn. 

Originally a 1927 staged musical,

also starring Fred (along with sis Adele),

Funny Face, the movie, kept only 4 of those Gershwin tunes,

and actually used the plot of another musical entirely,

Wedding Day.

Fred was 58, Audrey, 28...go figure!

The box office was disappointing:

Said the NY Times,

"This, in fact, is the American "musical" at its worst; 

not even the presence of Mr Fred Astaire, 

who was in the original stage production, 

nor that of Miss Audrey Hepburn can save the day."

After the successful release of My Fair Lady (1964),

however, MGM re-released FF and then the crowds came!

 

 Above Kay and Audrey,

possibly waiting to rehearse their duet

"On How To Be Lovely".

Audrey got to sing in this film;

just a few years later, she'd be dubbed in the movie version

of My Fair Lady.

Below Ms. Thompson with her alter-ego,

Eloise

(whose exploits fill four books...including "Eloise Takes A Bawth", 

published posthumously).

 

 And then we'll hear 3 versions of the "same" song:

Above, Lee Remick in the 1985 concert version of Follies

got to sing "The Story Of Lucy And Jessie",

but by the time the show hit the West End (1987),

Diana Rigg got its if-temporary replacement,

"Ah, But Underneath!" 

 But the first (rejected) version of the song was 

"Uptown, Downtown",

 later used for the revue (of other Sondheim rejects)

Marry Me A Little.

Below, a Sondheim sandwich...with that revue's 2 cast members,

Suzanne Henry and Craig Lucas. 

 

 Susan Johnson and Shorty Long

at the recording session for the cast album

of The Most Happy Fella...

we'll hear Shorty lead his "pardners" in 

"Standing On The Corner"

and Susan and Shorty with "Big D". 

Shorty was a country singer and song writer,

with a band called the Sante Fe Rangers.

Most Happy was his first and only Broadway show,

tho his stardom (and good reviews!) got him appearances on 

the Ed Sullivan and Tonight shows.

Susan, on the other, was a Broadway denizen,

having performed in Brigadoon, Oh! Captain,

Donnybrook, and Whoop It Up!,

and later did film and television.

 And 2 pics from not-quite-Broadway productions:

 Above "Abbondanza", and "Big D", below. 

Nominated for Best Musical in 1957 

(along with Candide and Bells Are Ringing), 

but My Fair Lady carried away the award that year.