Mambo Dreams!

 Ray Bolger was 58 when he was tempted back to the stage

to star in All American,

with the music of Charles Strouse and Lee Adams.

Directed by Joshua Logan, and a "book" by Mel Brooks,

it was based on the Vladimir Nabokov novel:

Slavic Professor Fodorski comes to a US college town,

bumbles his way thru American ways and means,

but (eventually, endearingly?) succeeds to inspire and find love.

It closed instantly (well, 80 performances),

but brought us a couple of good tunes,

like "Once Upon A Time" and "Have A Dream".

 

Cast as the "heavy" was Fritz Weaver

who played Henderson,

owner of Exploiters Unlimited

(is this where Mel Brooks' influence came in?),

an advert company that EXPLOITS, right??

Fritz would go on to do tons of TV and movie AND stage work...

that's him a little later in life in 

Angels Fall

with Barnard Hughes.

 

 And just for fun,

here's a pic of Ray, tapping behind some sort of acoustical screens

for the cast recording.

Nice to see he wasn't dubbed!

 Another dreamy selection we'll hear,

"First You Dream"

from Steel Pier,

with Daniel McDonald and Karen Ziemba.

This was a Kander and Ebb also-ran from 1997,

with 76 performances.

Marathoning on a NJ pier,

but not so on Broadway!

 In the MAMBO corner this Sunday,

we'll add in a little "Cuban Pete",

a song from the 1946 movie of the same name,

starring Desi Arnaz, pictured above with Beverly Simmons.

Joseph Norman wrote that ditty,

later used in an epi of I Love Lucy, below!

 

 Can't get enough of Carol Channing's

Show Girl, 

from 1961, with music by Charles Gaynor.

A score of songs in this revue

gave Carol a chance at a score of different characters.

We'll hear an encore performance of 

"Calypso Pete," cuz why the heck not?

 I think this pic is from the Muzzy/Jazz Baby era

of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

But I love it.
Just more Channing, and how can that ever be wrong?

 And a mambo (or 7) by

Yma Sumac,

she of the 4 plus octave range.

Yma was a Peruvian knock-out

who performed and recorded with her husband,

Moises Vivanco.

 And yes, she did do Broadway...

Flahooley, in 1951, which used puppets,

a young Barbara Cook,

and Yma as "Princess Najla",

and in 1990, a production of Stephen Sondheim's Follies,

in Long Beach, California. 

 Above with hubby Moises,

who Yma married and divorced twice!

Concert tours, recordings,

and two films...Secret of the Incas, with Charlton Heston (1954),

and Omar Khayyam (1957).

We'll hear "Gopher Mambo" and "Amor Indio."

Om