I am presently wearing a blanket of gravy and mashed potatoes. Seriously. My Thanksgiving turned into 5 Thanksgivings, if you count the leftover feasts. So even tho I didn't actually cook the banquet this year, I experienced it 10 fold. (My refrigerator is still experiencing it. Oy.)
But now we have that limbo between the turkey and the eggnog. And I adamantly insist on there being a limbo, a pause between one holiday and the next! Growing up, we didn't get a tree 30 minutes after the parade was over, okay? We waited until maybe 3 days before Christmas. And THEN the folderol could begin. The blankets of tinsel (the aluminum kind, the heavy, wrinkly, cat-damaging tinsel), the nativity with the chipped Joseph, the stollen, the fruit cake...and there you go. Gifts ordered from that huge Sears (or Montgomery Ward) catalogue (that doll, Mom! That's the one!), and trips to the local jeweler for a Santa broach or tie tack for the 'rents. Ahhhh, fond memories.
I would pour over these pages and circle everything!
Not my parents, and that tree is way too fancy for us.
But the spirit (and the Philco) are on the nose!
BUT inn-keeping (where there is NO room, Mary) with that separation, that limbo, what do you play? And thanks to Ira Gershwin, we can play him! Ira (born Israel Gershovitz back in 1896) has his birthday on December 6th, so we can spend 2 S'Wonderful hours giving him a S'Wonderful salute. He was raised just 5 short blocks from where I used to live in the East Village, which was at that point in time smack dab in the middle of the Yiddish Theatre District. He was a reader. He was a writer. And together with younger brother George on the ivories, he collaborated on 12 musicals and 4 movie scores. And then later teamed up with Kern, Arlen, Weil...all the biggies of the day.
Ira! and below with brother George.
So Ira this week. And after? Okay, okay...Broadway Christmas, Hollywood Christmas. Meanwhile, Who Cares and Shall We Dance? Yes, we do and we shall. :)
S'Wonderful (Georges Guetary, Gene Kelly, An American In Paris)
I Got Rhythm (Ethel Merman, Girl Crazy)
But Not For Me (Bobby Short, Bobby Short Is K-RA-ZY For Gershwin)
Stairway To Paradise (Georges Guetary, An American In Paris)
The Man That Got Away (Judy Garland, A Star Is Born)
The Man I Love (Liza Minnelli, New York, New York)
I've Got A Crush On You (Frank Sinatra)
Lonely Feet (Blossom Dearie, Alfred Drake)
Alone Together (Judy Garland, Judy At Carnegie Hall)
By Myself (Renee Zellweger, Judy)
Who Cares? (Ensemble, Of Thee I Sing)
Who Cares? (Bea Arthur, Just Between Friends)
Who Cares? (Judy Garland, Judy At Carnegie Hall)
Nice Work If You Can Get It (The Andrews Sisters)
Love Is Here To Stay (Bobby Short, Bobby Short Is K-RA-ZY For Gershwin)
Let's Call The Whole Thing Off (Matthew Broderick, Kelli O'Hara, Nice Work If You Can Get It )
Long Ago And Far Away (Ann Hampton-Callaway, Jazz Goes To The Movies)
Bidin' My Time (Ensemble, Crazy For You)
Padum Padum (Edith Piaf)
For Me, Formidable (Charles Aznavour)
Laisse Tomber Les Filles (France Gall)
My Ship (Gertrude Lawrence, Lady In The Dark)
They All Laughed (Fred Astaire, Shall We Dance)
Clap Yo Hands (Kay Thompson, Fred Astaire, Funny Face)
Meadowlark (Patti LuPone, Don't Monkey With Broadway)
Back On Top (Patti LuPone, War Paint)
Sleepy Man (Patti LuPone, Don't Monkey With Broadway)
Shall We Dance? (Fred Astaire, Shall We Dance?)
Maybe (Bobby Short, Bobby Short Is K-RA-ZY For Gershwin)
Slap That Bass (Harry Groener, Crazy For You)
They Can't Take That Away From Me (Harry Groener, Jodi Benson, Crazy For You)
They Can't Take That Away From Me (Robert Fairchild, Brandon Uranowitz, Max Von Essen, An American In Paris)
They Can't Take That Away From Me (Peggy Lee, Black Coffee)
S'Wonderful (Fred Astaire, Audrey Hepburn, Funny Face)
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