Yup, just another big hit...
1927's Funny Face,
with "glorious George Gershwin music"
(before le cafe, I read it as Curious George, go figure!).
George and brother Ira wrote
S'Wonderful, He Loves And She Loves,
The Babbitt And The Bromide, and the title song
(among others) for this show,
which was first called Smarty
when it began previews in Philly.
Initial reviews were awful.
Original book writer, Robert Benchley,
left the production after those first reviews,
but then the show was tweaked, the name changed, and voila!
A hit by the time it opened on Broadway.
This was evidently the first time
Fred Astaire (below with sister star, Adele)
danced in a top hat and tails.
And while we're on the subject,
here's some super shots of
Fred and Adele.
The plot was pretty thin:
Jimmy Reeves (played by Fred)
is guardian to his 3 sisters, Dora, June, and Frankie
(Adele played Frankie, that's she in the middle above).
An incriminating diary, an aviator (played by Allen Kearns),
a stolen pearl necklace, and a bumbling duo of robbers...
that about sums it up.
It played 244 performances on Broadway.
The 1957 movie, released by Paramount,
was a whole different kettle of fish;
the plot held no resemblance to the staged version,
and only 4 of the songs were kept.
Along with the likes of "S'Wonderful" and "He Loves And She Loves'',
another constant was Fred,
now 58 years old.
The original title of the film was Wedding Day,
as it was now more based on a play called Wedding Bells
than Funny Face.
Why am I dizzy?
Audrey Hepburn was 28 years old,
3 decades younger that her leading man.
Also starring was Dovima,
an American model (below),
"discovered on the sidewalks of NY",
muse of Richard Avedon,
and Richard was evidently the inspiration
for Fred's character in the film.
I'm still dizzy.
Kay Kendall got to do the great "Think Pink" number,
written by Roger Edens.
Her character was supposedly based on Diana Vreeland
of Harper's Bizarre and Vogue.
Audrey and Fred
duetted on S'Wonderful in this film,
and Ms. Hepburn used her own voice...
for all the songs she sang in this film.
When My Fair Lady came along,
she was dubbed!
S'Wonderful was used again in that
Gershwin extravaganza,
An American In Paris (1951)...
and what a triumvirate to sing it!
Gene Kelly, George Guetary, and Oscar Levant.
We'll also hear Bobby Short's version
from his K-RA-ZY For Gershwin album.
In 1968, Bobby was hired for a 2-week gig at the Cafe Carlyle.
Those 2 weeks turned into 35 years!
And then they staged An American In Paris on Broadway!
With choreography by Christopher Wheeldon,
a book by Craig Lucas,
and starring Leanne Cope, Robert Fairchild
(below)...
Max Von Essen and Brandon Uranowitz.
Along with the lush Brothers Gershwin melodies,
the show featured some incredible dance.
It ran for a year and a half,
and received many accolades,
proving our love for Gershwin
is here to stay. :)
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