A look at the working week for Labor Day. Also: an interview with Michael Isaacson from Fox Associates about their upcoming season, which includes a visit from the Broadway cast of Death of a Salesman.
PLAYLIST
| Selection |
Source |
Performer(s) |
Comments |
| Nice Work if You Can Get It |
Let's Face the Music and Dance (1994) |
Fred Astaire |
Recorded in 1937, from A Damsel in Distress, which paired Fred with, oddly, Joan Fontaine, who could neither sing nor dance and so did neither in the film. |
| After our interview about Death of a Salesman, some songs about folks in the sales business. |
| Chain Store Daisy |
American Musical Theatre V. 2 (1989) |
Ruth Rubenstein, Harold Rome and Baldwin Bergersen (pianos) |
Recorded February, 1938; from Pins and Needles (1937). The show was written for and performed by members of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union, but soon attracted such large audiences that it ran for 1,108 performances. Like The Cradle Will Rock (which had its stormy opening a few months later), it was openly pro-Union, but had a sense of humor that the later show lacked. |
| Sounds While Selling |
She Loves Me (OC 1963) |
Daniel Massey, Nathaniel Frey, Jack Cassidy, Marion Brash, Peg Murray, Trude Adams |
Although it ran only 302 performances and was blown away by Hello, Dolly at Tony Award time, the show has remained something of a cult favorite. A production a the Rep a few years ago drew large audiences and rave reviews. The score is by Bock and Harnick, better known for Fiddler on the Roof (1964) |
| The Old Dope Peddler |
Tom Lehrer Revisited (1959) |
Tom Lehrer |
Recorded at Tom's first "farewell" concert in Cambridge, Mass. in 1959. |
| And now, some folks who aren't very happy in their jobs. |
| Ten Cents a Dance |
The Rogers and Hart CD (1986) |
Joan Morris, William Bolcom (piano) |
By Rogers and Hart, from Simple Simon (1930), a Ziegfeld show. It was introduced and made famous by Ruth Etting |
| There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This |
Sweet Charity (OC 1966) |
Gwen Verdon, Helen Gallagher, Thelma Oliver |
Thirty-six years later, three other dance-hall hostesses sing a similar lament. |
| The Lumberjack Song |
Monty Python Sings! (1989) |
Michael Palin, Chorus |
It's what he really wants to be! |
| These folks, on the other hand, love to be at the office - or would love to get back. |
| The Company Way |
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (OC 1961) |
Robert Morse, Sammy Smith |
Unswerving corporate loyalty. For a CEO, this is nostalgic. |
| Take Us Back to the Office Again |
Lime Jello - An American Cabaret (1986) |
Joan Morris, William Bolcom (piano) |
By Michael Sahl and Mel Mandel, from Junkyard (1986) - a reminder of a not-very-distant past when unemployment was much higher than it is today. More CEO nostalgia. |
| The Pajama Game; Racing With the Clock |
The Pajama Game (OC 1954) |
Eddie Foy, Jr. and Chorus |
They're happy to be there, mostly. |
| Finally, some good old pro-Union agitprop. |
| The Cradle Will Rock |
American Musical Theatre V. 2 (1989) |
Howard Da Silva, Mark Blitzstein (piano) |
Da Silva (not the poverty-stricken and fictitous Italian-American in Tim Robbins' film version of the story) was the original Larry Foreman in Mark Blitzstein's protest classic, which is currently being revived off-Broadway. |
| The Night The Goldman Spoke at Union Square |
Ragtime (OC 1998) |
Steven Sutcliffe, Judy Kaye, Company |
Younger Brother wanders into a pro-Union rally and finds a purpose in life. Tateh and The Little Girl are also in attendance and manage to escape unscathed at the police start shooting protesters. |
| Nickel Under the Foot |
The Cradle Will Rock (Revival cast 1964) |
Lauri Peters |
The song that was the germ for the show. It's sung by a prostitute who, in Blitzstein's ironic libretto, is the only person who isn't selling out. Howard Da Silva directed this revival cast. |
