The Little Show
Encyclopedia
The Little Show is a musical revue
with lyrics by Howard Dietz
and music by Arthur Schwartz
. This was the first of 11 musicals that featured the songs of Dietz and Schwartz. The revue opened on Broadway
in 1929.
, which was used again in the 1953 MGM musical The Band Wagon
. The song "Hammacher Schlemmer, I Love You" was an "open-hearted tribute" to the hardware store.
According to Kay Green, the funniest sketch was George S. Kaufman
's "The Still Alarm" which concerns nonchalant hotel guests Webb and Fred Allen, completely oblivious to being in a raging fire. The most "dramatic scene was the torrid dance Clifton Webb and Libby Holman performed after Miss Holman moaned Moanin' Low in a squalid Harlem tenement." Smith and Litton described another act: "Fred Allen's monologues before the curtain held the audience transfixed, especially one about a little boy who shot both parents in order to be entitled to go to the orphans' picnic."
Ken Bloom wrote: "The Little Show was one of the first intimate revues that proved to audiences that all the Ziegfeldian trappings were not necessary for the enjoyment of a revue."
, in association with Tom Weatherly, the production opened on April 30, 1929 at the Music Box Theatre
for a total of 321 performances. The revue was directed by Wiman, choreographed by Danny Dare
, and had scenic design by Jo Mielziner
. The cast included Fred Allen
, Libby Holman
, John McCauley
, Romney Brent
, and Clifton Webb
.
Act I
Act II
‡
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
with lyrics by Howard Dietz
Howard Dietz
Howard Dietz was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist.-Biography:Dietz was born in New York City and studied journalism at Columbia University...
and music by Arthur Schwartz
Arthur Schwartz
Arthur Schwartz was an American composer and film producer.Schwartz supported his legal studies at New York University and postgraduate studies at Columbia University by playing piano before concentrating his talents on vaudeville, Broadway theatre and Hollywood.Among his Broadway musicals are The...
. This was the first of 11 musicals that featured the songs of Dietz and Schwartz. The revue opened on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1929.
History
The show grew out of a number of Sunday evening variety shows co-produced by Tom Weatherly with James Pond at the Selwyn Theatre. Weatherly said that they were "really nothing more than high-class vaudeville shows but they were far more artistic than the Sunday night variety programs being offered at the Winter Garden."Revue elements
"This was the first American revue to give wit precedence over spectacle." Fred Allen (who had been a vaudeville headliner as a juggler and ventriloquist) "won acclaim with his sardonic banter", "torch singer Libby Hollman smoldered." Clifton Webb, the debonair star, "wanted a number that was more perverse, a number he could deliver all alone in full-dress suit and a spotlight...a lyric with suave romantic frustration." The song was I Guess I'll Have to Change My PlanI Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan
"I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan" is a popular song.The music was written by Arthur Schwartz; the lyrics by Howard Dietz. The song was published in 1929....
, which was used again in the 1953 MGM musical The Band Wagon
The Band Wagon
The Band Wagon is a 1953 musical comedy film that many critics rank, along with Singin' in the Rain, as the finest of the MGM musicals, although it was only a modest box-office success. It tells the story of an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway play will restart his career...
. The song "Hammacher Schlemmer, I Love You" was an "open-hearted tribute" to the hardware store.
According to Kay Green, the funniest sketch was George S. Kaufman
George S. Kaufman
George Simon Kaufman was an American playwright, theatre director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals, notably for the Marx Brothers...
's "The Still Alarm" which concerns nonchalant hotel guests Webb and Fred Allen, completely oblivious to being in a raging fire. The most "dramatic scene was the torrid dance Clifton Webb and Libby Holman performed after Miss Holman moaned Moanin' Low in a squalid Harlem tenement." Smith and Litton described another act: "Fred Allen's monologues before the curtain held the audience transfixed, especially one about a little boy who shot both parents in order to be entitled to go to the orphans' picnic."
Ken Bloom wrote: "The Little Show was one of the first intimate revues that proved to audiences that all the Ziegfeldian trappings were not necessary for the enjoyment of a revue."
Production
Produced by William A. Brady, Jr. and Dwight Deere WimanDwight Deere Wiman
Dwight Deere Wiman was an American silent movie actor, playwright and theatrical director. He is best known as a Broadway producer.-Early life & Education:...
, in association with Tom Weatherly, the production opened on April 30, 1929 at the Music Box Theatre
Music Box Theatre
The Music Box Theater is a Broadway theatre located at 239 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.The once most aptly named theater on Broadway, the intimate Music Box was designed by architect C. Howard Crane and constructed by composer Irving Berlin and producer Sam H. Harris specifically to...
for a total of 321 performances. The revue was directed by Wiman, choreographed by Danny Dare
Danny Dare
Danny Dare was an American choreographer, actor, director, writer, and producer of the stage, screen, and film....
, and had scenic design by Jo Mielziner
Jo Mielziner
Joseph "Jo" Mielziner was an American theatrical scenic, and lighting designer born in Paris, France. He is "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway", and worked on both stage plays and musicals.-Career:He was the son of artist Leo Mielziner, Sr...
. The cast included Fred Allen
Fred Allen
Fred Allen was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it...
, Libby Holman
Libby Holman
Libby Holman was an American torch singer and stage actress who also achieved notoriety for her complex and unconventional personal life.-Early life:...
, John McCauley
John McCauley
John McCauley was an National Hockey League referee from 1970–1981. In 1979, McCauley was assaulted by a fan after a match between the NHL All-Stars and the Soviet Union and sustained a serious injury to his right eye...
, Romney Brent
Romney Brent
Romney Brent was a Mexican-born actor, director and dramatist. Most of his career was on stage in North America, but in the 1930s he was frequently seen on the London stage, on television and in films.-Biography:...
, and Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for his Oscar-nominated roles in such films as Laura, The Razor's Edge, and Sitting Pretty...
.
Songs
Sources: Steven Suskin for songs marked ≠Kay Green for songs marked ‡;Chuck Denison, "Can’t We Be Friends?";Billboard for songs marked √;Ruth Benjamin and Arthur Rosenblatt for song marked ≈Act I
- Man About Town √
- Six Little Sinners (music by Frank Gorney; lyrics by Earle Crooker) ≈
- Get Up a New Routine ≠ √
- Caught in the Rain (music by Henry SullivanHenry SullivanHenry Sullivan was an American marathon swimmer who is best known for becoming the third person and the first American to swim across the English Channel, beginning his swim on the afternoon of August 5, 1923, from Dover, England and finishing 27 hours and 25 minutes later on the evening of August...
; lyrics by Howard DietzHoward DietzHoward Dietz was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist.-Biography:Dietz was born in New York City and studied journalism at Columbia University...
) √ - Or What Have You (music by Morris Hamilton; lyrics by Grace Henry) √
- I’ve Made a Habit of You ‡ ≠ √
- Can’t We Be Friends? (music by Kay SwiftKay SwiftKay Swift was an American composer of popular and classical music, the first woman to score a complete musical. Written in 1930, Fine and Dandy includes some of her best known songs; the title song has become a jazz standard. "Can't We Be Friends?" was another important hit...
; lyrics by Paul JamesJames WarburgJames Paul Warburg was an American banker and financial adviser to Franklin D. Roosevelt. His father was Paul Warburg.- Biography :...
) - Libby Holman √ - Little Old New York √
- Moanin' LowMoanin' LowMoanin' Low is a popular torch song. The music was written by Arthur Schwartz; the lyrics by Howard Dietz. The song was published in 1929 and was introduced that same year in the musical revue The Little Show. Since it's publication, the song has become a popular jazz standard....
(music: Ralph Rainger) - Holman and Webb ‡ √ - Hammacher Schlemmer, I Love You ‡
Act II
- Song of the Riveter (music by Arthur SchwartzArthur SchwartzArthur Schwartz was an American composer and film producer.Schwartz supported his legal studies at New York University and postgraduate studies at Columbia University by playing piano before concentrating his talents on vaudeville, Broadway theatre and Hollywood.Among his Broadway musicals are The...
; lyrics by Lew Levenson) ≠ √ - What Every Little Girl Should Know (music by Arthur SchwartzArthur SchwartzArthur Schwartz was an American composer and film producer.Schwartz supported his legal studies at New York University and postgraduate studies at Columbia University by playing piano before concentrating his talents on vaudeville, Broadway theatre and Hollywood.Among his Broadway musicals are The...
; lyrics by Henry MyersHenry MyersHenry Myers may refer to:* Henry L. Myers , US Senator from Montana* Henry Hy Myers , US baseball player* Henry Myers , US baseball player-See also:...
) √ - The Theme Song ≠ √
- A Little Hut in Hoboken (music and lyrics by Herman Hupfield) ‡ √
- Stick to your Dancing, Mabel (music and lyrics by Charlotte Kent √
- I Guess I'll Have to Change My PlanI Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan"I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan" is a popular song.The music was written by Arthur Schwartz; the lyrics by Howard Dietz. The song was published in 1929....
‡ ≠ - Work Alike (music by Frank GrayFrank GrayFrancis Tierney 'Frank' Gray is a Scottish football manager and former footballer.Gray has previously managed Darlington, Farnborough Town, Grays Athletic and Woking....
; lyrics by Earle Crooker
‡