Girl Crazy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Girl Crazy
Music George Gershwin
Lyrics Ira Gershwin
Book Guy Bolton
Jack McGowan
Productions 1930 Broadway
1932 Film
1943 Film

Girl Crazy is a theater musical with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and Jack McGowan. It is remembered as the show that made stars of both Ginger Rogers (who, with Allen Kearns, sang "Could You Use Me?" and "Embraceable You" and, with Willie Howard, "But Not for Me") and Ethel Merman (who sang "I Got Rhythm", "Sam and Delilah", and "Boy! What Love Has Done To Me!" ). It has been adapted twice for film, most notably in 1943 with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. In that version, the roles played by Ginger Rogers and Ethel Merman were combined into one, played by Garland. It was revived (and heavily revised, with a completely new plot, and songs from other Gershwin shows added) in 1992 under the name Crazy for You. It features the greatest amount of hit songs by Gershwin in one Broadway show, and is the only one of the Gershwin musical comedies to be filmed more than once.

Contents

[edit] Songs

Act I
Act II

[edit] Broadway production

The show opened at the Alvin Theatre on October 14, 1930 and ran for 272 performances. It was directed by Alexander Leftwich.

[edit] Cast

  • Willie Howard as Gieber Goldfarb
  • Allen Kearns as Danny Churchill
  • Ginger Rogers as Molly Gray
  • William Kent as Slick Fothergill
  • Ethel Merman as Kate Fothergill

The pit orchestra included Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman.

[edit] 1932 film

The RKO Radio Pictures production was directed by William A. Seiter. The film was very unlike the stage play except for its score. The film was tailored for the comic talents of Wheeler & Woolsey, a once popular comedy team.

[edit] Cast

[edit] 1943 film

In 1943, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced a lavish version of the stage play starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. This movie marked the final teaming of Judy and Mickey before he was drafted into the American army in World War II. It was their ninth of ten motion pictures together. This was also June Allyson's feature film debut.

Production began with Busby Berkeley as director, but Berkeley was fired after continued run-ins with Garland. An elaborate production number set to "I Got Rhythm" was his only major contribution to the film. Norman Taurog, who went on to direct Elvis Presley's notoriously corny rock and roll musicals, took over.

[edit] Cast

[edit] DVD Release

Girl Crazy was released on DVD for the first time as part of Warner Bros. 5-disc DVD set The Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection on September 25, 2007. The set contains Girl Crazy, Babes in Arms, Babes on Broadway, and Strike Up the Band, as well as a fifth disc containing bonus features on Mickey and Judy. [1]

The bonus disc includes one number (I Got Rhythm) in stereo, although stereo tracks exist for all the film's musical numbers. MGM technicians transferred the original multi-channel optical film tracks to 1/4" audiotape when ordered to destroy all the elements in the early 1950s, and these surviving tracks were released on a stereo CD in 1995.

[edit] 1965 film

In 1965, MGM once again dusted off the property for Connie Francis, co-starring Herman's Hermits, Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs, Louis Armstrong, and Liberace. A number of Gershwin songs were retained, including Embraceable You, Bidin' My Time, But Not for Me, Treat Me Rough, and I Got Rhythm.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Amazon.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
George and Ira Gershwin musicals and operas
Together
George
La La Lucille • Morris Gest "Midnight Whirl" • Blue Monday • Limehouse Nights • George White's Scandals • The Broadway Whirl • Our Nell • By and By • Innocent Ingenue Baby • Walking Home with Angeline • The Rainbow • Sweet Little Devil • Song of the Flame
Ira
Ladies First • The Sweetheart Shop • Two Little Girls in Blue • For Goodness Sake • Molly Darling • Captain Jinks • Garrick Gaieties • Sweet and Low • Shoot the Works • Life Begins at 8:40 • Thumbs Up! • Lady in the Dark • The Firebrand of Florence • Park Avenue
v • d • e
Busby Berkeley: Choreographer and director
Broadway
pre-Hollywood

Holka Polka (chor,1925) · The Wild Rose (chor,1926) · Lady Do (chor,1927) · A Connecticut Yankee (chor,1927) · White Eagle (chor,1927) · Present Arms (chor,1928) · Earl Carroll's Vanities (1928) (chor,1928) · Good Boy (chor,1928) · Rainbow (chor,1928) · Hello, Daddy (chor,1928) · Pleasure Bound (chor,1929) · A Night in Venice (chor,1929) · Broadway Nights (chor,1929) · The Street Singer (dir & prod,1929) · Nine-Fifteen Revue (chor,1930) · The International Review (chor,1930) · Sweet and Low (chor,1930)
1930s

Whoopee! (chor,1930) · Kiki (chor,1931) · Palmy Days (chor,1931) · Flying High (chor,1931) · Sky Devils (chor,1932) · Girl Crazy (chor,1932) · Night World (chor,1932) · Bird of Paradise (film) (chor,1932) · The Kid From Spain (chor,1932) · 42nd Street (chor,1933) · Gold Diggers of 1933 (chor,1933) · She Had To Say Yes (dir,1933) · Footlight Parade (chor,1933) · Roman Scandals (chor,1933) · Dames (dir mus nmbrs,1934) · Fashions of 1934 (chor & dir mus nmbrs,1934) · Wonder Bar (chor,1934) · Gold Diggers of 1935 (dir & chor,1935) · Bright Lights (dir,1935) · I Live For Love (dir & chor,1935) · In Caliente (chor & dir mus nmbrs,1935) · Stars Over Broadway (chor & dir mus nmbrs,1935) · Stage Struck (dir,1936) · Varsity Show (dir finale,1937) · The Singing Marine (chor & dir mus nmbrs,1937) · Gold Diggers of 1937 (dir mus nmbrs,1937) · The Go Getter (dir,1937) · Hollywood Hotel (dir & chor,1937) · Men Are Such Fools (dir,1938) · Gold Diggers in Paris (chor & dir mus nmbrs,1938) · Garden of the Moon (dir,1938) · Comet Over Broadway (dir,1938) · Broadway Serenade (dir finale,1939) · They Made Me A Criminal (dir,1939) · Fast and Furious (dir,1939) · Babes in Arms (dir,1939) · The Wizard of Oz (Scarecrow's dance-cut,1939)
1940s

Forty Little Mothers (dir,1940) · Strike Up The Band (dir,1940) · Blonde Inspiration (dir,1941) · Lady Be Good (dir mus nmbrs,1941) · Ziegfeld Girl (dir mus nmbrs,1941) · Babes on Broadway (dir,1941) · For Me and My Gal (dir,1942) · Calling All Girls (chor & dir mus nmbrs,1942) · Born to Sing (dir finale,1942) · Cabin in the Sky (dir "Shine" seq,1943) · The Gang's All Here (dir & chor,1943) · Three Cheers for the Girls (chor,1943) · All Star Musical Revue (dir mus nmbrs,1945) · Cinderella Jones (dir,1946) · Romance on the High Seas (chor,1948) · Take Me Out to the Ball Game (dir,1949)
1950s

Annie Get Your Gun (dir-cut,1950) · Big Town (dir TV series,1950) · Weeks With Love (chor,1950) · Call Me Mister (chor,1950) · Ticket to Broadway( chor,1951) · The Blue Veil (dir,1951) · Dollar Mermaid (chor,1952) · Town Girl (chor,1953) · Easy to Love (chor,1953) · Rose Marie (chor,1954)
1960s
Billy Rose's Jumbo (chor & dir 2nd unit,1962)
Broadway
post-Hollywood
No, No, Nanette (prod supv,1971)
Languages