Sunday Stew!

Inside U.S.A. was a revue done in 1948,

with songs by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz.

One reviewer called it the "least enjoyable Bea Lillie show in a long time,"

tho she did get to sing the sublimely funny

"Come, Oh Come To Pittsburgh."

Two hits came out of the show:

"Haunted Heart" and "Rhode Island Is Famous For You."

Along with Jack Haley 

(above, in younger days...he was 50 when he did USA) 

and Beatrice Lillie,

the show starred Jack Cassidy and Carl Reiner (!).

Couldn't resist this reunion photo of

Ray Bolger and Jack,

years after their OZ-zy experience,

and below, Jack Haley Jr. who married Liza Minnelli

(the Tin Man's son marrying Dorothy's daughter!)

in 1974.

They divorced in 1979.

In our ballad section this Sunday,

we'll hear Lotte Lenya with a Kurt Weill song 

from Knickerbocker Holiday,

"September Song",

in which it was sung (in the original production)

by Walter Huston, who played Peter Stuyvesant.

Love this portrait (below) of Lotte by 

Paul Bolasni, 

which is part of The Smithsonian's collection.

On hand for the recording of "Mack The Knife"

with Satch and the band, 1956,

and below with Kurt, her first husband.

Sheryl Lee Ralph,

was one of the original Dream Girls back in 1981,

her break thru role (she played Deena, and received a Tony nom),

In 2002 she jumped into 

Thoroughly Modern Millie as Muzzy Van Hossmere.

Below, Sheryl (at right) with Gavin Creel and Sutton Foster.

Sheryl's done a ton of TV and film work,

along with appearing on stage in

Wicked, Applause, and The First Wives Club.

I feel a special connection with Sheryl:

Dream Girls posters were allllll over NYC when I moved there...

AND she is just 1 year younger than I am.

And man, she still looks great!

Liza's done many versions of 

"New York, New York"...

like the one above from the movie 

she did (of the same name) with Robert DeNiro,

back in 1977.

I'm choosing the rendition from her 1995 Paris concert

that she did with Charles Aznavour (below).

Charles passed away just last year,

but Liza is going strong at 73!