Best Foot Forward is a 1941 Broadway musical

Musical theatre

Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

 by Hugh Martin

Hugh Martin

Hugh Martin was an American musical theater and film composer, arranger, vocal coach, and playwright. He is best known for his score for the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me In St...

 and Ralph Blane

Ralph Blane

Ralph Blane was an American composer, lyricist, and performer.-Life and career:Born Ralph Uriah Hunsecker in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Blane was the son of grocery store owners. He attended Tulsa Central High School...

, with book

Book

A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...

 by John Cecil Holm

John Cecil Holm

John Cecil Holm was an American dramatist, theatre director and actor.He is best known for his 1935 play Three Men on a Horse, co-written with George Abbott....

. Produced by George Abbott

George Abbott

George Francis Abbott was an American theater producer and director, playwright, screenwriter, and film director and producer whose career spanned more than nine decades.-Early years:...

, the production opened on 1 October 1941 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre

Ethel Barrymore Theatre

The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 243 West 47th Street in midtown-Manhattan, named for actress Ethel Barrymore....

where it was staged for 326 performances.

Synopsis

High school comedy: Just for fun, young student Bud Hooper asks his idol, Hollywood actress Gale Joy, to come to Philadelphia to be his partner at a dance. His school is Winsocki Military Academy. Jack Haggerty, the actress' manager in Hollywood, sees an opportunity for special publicity and advises Gale to accept Bud's invitation. The appearance of the famous star at Winsocki is greeted with excitement, and Bud abandons his own girl Helen Schlessinger to accompany Gale to the ball. Out of jealousy, Helen damages Gale's sash while she is dancing, which causes a riot. Others begin to tear off pieces of Gale's clothes as well, but only to gain souvenirs from the famous star. As the school regards the incident as a scandal, Bud is now in danger of being expelled from school, as he has caused all this. Gale Joy and Jack Haggerty try to avoid furore and immediately go back to Hollywood. After Bud and Helen settle their arguments and any other problems are solved, everything at Winsocki goes back to normal.

Songs

Song List Sung By

Act 1

Don't Sell the Night Short ....................................... Minerva, Blind Date, Students and Girls

Three Men on a Date ....................................... Bud Hooper, Dutch Miller and Hunk Hoyt

That's How I Love the Blues ....................................... Gale Joy and Jack Haggerty

The Three B's ....................................... Ethel, Minerva and Blind Date

Everytime (Ev'ry Time) ....................................... Helen Schlessinger

The Guy Who Brought Me ....................................... Gale Joy, Jack Haggerty, Bud Hooper, Dutch Miller and Hunk Hoyt

I Know You By Heart ....................................... Bud Hooper

Shady Lady Bird ....................................... Helen Schlessinger and Students

Shady Lady Bird (Reprise) ....................................... Helen Schlessinger and Ensemble

Act 2

Buckle Down, Winsocki ....................................... Chuck Green, Old Grad and Chorus

My First Promise ....................................... Ethel and Singers

What Do You Think I Am? ....................................... Minerva, Hunk Hoyt and Chorus

Just a Little Joint With a Juke Box ....................................... Blind Date and Hunk Hoyt

Where Do You Travel? ....................................... Jack Haggerty, Helen Schlessinger, Miss Delaware Water Gap and Singers

Everytime (Ev'ry Time) (Reprise) ....................................... Gale Joy

I'd Gladly Trade ....................................... Gale Joy and Entire Company