Lucille Ball was on Broadway...Once | THOUGHTS ON THEATRE #10

[@anthonyanderson2405]

Book-wise, a mess-but the score is dandy in every respect. “What Takes My Fancy” is pure musical theater heaven.

[@lorim8070]

I was 16 at the time, 77 now, and my first Broadway play. I was there and she was great! She was also very sweet to spend 45 minutes with us after singing and dancing all over the stage for two hours. She was absolutely gorgeous and I was close enough to kiss her, I wanted to kiss her cheek but didn't. Paula Stewart was a snob and wouldn't come out of her car to greet us, I don't remember ever seeing her again in anything.

[@devinblackwood5885]

I had to seek this out after watching your viewing of her failed last sitcom. I love Hey Look Me Over, but have never bothered to even pull up the rest of the score.

[@larrydelios7325]

Lucille’s voice was fine as the album demonstrates. The problem is a confusing book, uninspired music and amateurish lyrics.

[@WestVillageCrank]

I am not sure you intended it, but when talk of Ball's approval of a leading man is discussed, the man pictured is Jack Carter (not the show's star Keith Andes). Carter was the husband of Paula Stewart, and, coincidentally, a good buddy of Ball's next husband, Gary Morton.

[@hanschristianbrando5588]

Despite what the Broadway books write, "Wildcat" was not a flop. It was a mediocre star vehicle that lost its star. And no star was bigger than Lucille Ball at the time, which made finding a suitable replacement impossible. No one can doubt that the show would have run successfully as long as Lucy stayed in it. Sadly, she wasn't up to the physical demands of eight shows a week, and was passing out on stage until her doctor told her he wouldn't be responsible with the insurance anymore. Since Desilu bankrolled the show, she should have filmed a performance to show on TV. Her costar Keith Andes appeared on "The Lucy Show" a couple of times; she should have made him a regular.

[@stuartlee6622]

I saw it at the Alvin Theater. It was fine.

[@LimeVid2]

"Wildcat" was still drawing SRO crowds well into May 1961. (Maximum BO $65,000, Wildcat ticket sales for the week "$65,560) Closed at end of May only because Lucy was POOPED! I don't know who "N Richard" had in mind for his character he envisioned as "in her 20s". Mary Martin? No, she was already playing a 20-something nun in The Sound of Music. Looking at stills from Wildcat,, Lucy could conceivably carry off portraying a young (ISH) woman.

[@brockreynolds870]

It seems as if the song, "Hey, Look Me Over" was more popular than the show was.

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

Lucy's limited vocal abilities may have had something to do with the quick demise of *Wildcat,* because despite the songwriters' attempts to tailor the role to her (for example, by cleverly including her signature Lucy "crying" bit in one number), it still required her to do a lot of full out singing. A better approach might have been something similar to that used by the authors of *Wonderful Town* for their star comedienne of limited vocal abilities, Rosalind Russell, who is said to have suggested that a song to be written for her ought to go something like this: "Dah-dah, dah-dah, dah-dah, joke, dah-dah, dah-dah, dah-dah, joke." The competition may also have had something to do with it in a season that saw the openings of *Hello, Dolly!* and *Funny Girl.* Stephen Sondheim's *Anyone Can Whistle* was another quick failure in the same season. But *Wildcat* still contained a number of fine songs -- I particularly like "What Takes My Fancy" and "You're a Liar" -- and it's worth a listen.

[@DustinReckling]

"What Takes My Fancy" is a BOP! There's good stuff buried in here, but I agree with your assessment: simply just better material out that year and Lucy's...shortcomings.

[@DeanLeonard1]

@@DustinReckling "What Takes My Fancy" is my favorite number. :)

[@paulengel7789]

Your chronology is a little off. 'Wildcat' opened in 1960. 'Hello, Dolly!', 'Funny Girl' and 'Anyone Can Whistle' all opened in 1964. Your point about 'Wildcat' putting unrealistic expectations upon Lucille Ball's vocal ability is well taken. The year before, 1959, in Ethel Merman's triumphant return to Broadway in 'Gypsy', Merman sang 7 songs. Lucille Ball, on the other hand, was given 8 songs. As you mentioned, Rosalind Russell in 'Wonderful Town' was given 6

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

@@paulengel7789 You're right. I wonder what caused me to make that error. Shows that would actually have been competing with *Wildcat* included the still-running monster hits of 1959, Mary Martin in *The Sound of Music,* and Merman in *Gypsy.* 1960 added *Bye Bye Birdie, Finian's Rainbow* (in a revival), *The Unsinkable Molly Brown, The Fantasticks* (off-Broadway), and opening in December (the same month as *Wildcat),* Richard Burton and Julie Andrews in *Camelot,* and another tv comedian, Phil Silvers, in *Do Re Mi. West Side Story* ended its run at *Wildcat* 's theatre, the Alvin, six days before *Wildcat* 's opening. In 1961, *Carnival* would arrive in time to see *Wildcat* 's demise. What's maybe lost in all this is that for a show considered a disappointment, *Wildcat* actually had a fairly respectable run of nearly six months, and produced a genuine popular hit ("Hey, Look Me Over").

[@jcnyc9087]

Dustin Reckling is too cute. He says he's been doing KZbin for 8 years; how old was he when he started, one?

[@okay5045]

Why don't you like Lucy young man?

[@MichaelCH2007]

I keep waiting for New York City Center Encores to do this one year.

[@DustinReckling]

This would be a good one for a revival. Hopefully give it its due.

[@scottstallings5029]

I L0VE YOUR CHANNEL!! PLEASE KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!! 👍 👌

[@stuartlee6622]

Pronounced as Carolyn Lee. She also wrote the lyrics for Peter Pan, and

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

I guess the end of your comment dropped off, but I presume you meant to mention Carolyn Leigh also provided lyrics for *Little Me* and/or *How Now, Dow Jones.*