A RECORDING STUDIO SESSION

These are actual street names in Texas and they actually do follow one another in this sequence that you see here, believe it or not! Funny! Sometimes very real places and streets are so "unreal" seeming.

On this day when there is the release of the new four CD ultimate Sondheim album, John and I will be going into the recording studio today for the first time in six months to record eight songs and two overtures. The overtures will be from "The Runaway heart" and "Broadway Angels" and the songs will be mostly from our newest effort "The Broadway Angels". This we hope is going to be a really funny and wonderful show. John and I nickname this show "Nunsense with brains." Of course, it's a wild crazy fantasy-- even a bit more fantastical than "The Damn Yankees" But musical theatre was designed to be fun-- so you might as well have that grand and wonderful fun while you can. I grew with Dominican Sisters. They were a VERY BIG part of my life and most of the good sisters in this show are based and even named in honor of these amazing and sometimes a bit crazy ladies. I hope my patron saint Saint Michael, the Archangel has a great sense of humor as does his great friend Gabriel. But I am certain after dealing with mortal man after all of these centuries, they must have obtained a sense of humor rather than go completely insane. The songs include "Very Best Miracle," "I'm Gonna Pray," and my favorite "Tell 'Em A Whopper", Tell Him a Lie."

Sondheim's new album has resulted in the handsome four-CD box set, "Stephen Sondheim: The Story So Far." With Sondheim serving as co-executive producer and the accomplished team of Didier C. Deutsch and Darcy M. Proper as compilation producers, this is an intriguing collection covering the first 55 years of the composer's career. Consider the fourth disc of the set. It begins with what seems to be a radio transcription of a duo-piano version of "I Must Be Dreaming," from the 1949 college show All That Glitters, a track that I don't suppose many of us have ever heard. One song later, we go into four numbers from a 1954 backer's audition of the early musical Saturday Night (which went unproduced until 1997). We have indeed heard these songs by now, with two complete recordings of the show on our record shelf. Here, though, we get a bright young cast singing the songs back when they were written. Jack Cassidy was a young, strong-voiced singer with one major role to his credit — as the romantic waiter who got to sing the title song in Wish You Were Here — and the promise of a major career ahead if he didn't mess it up, which he did. But listen to him sing "Class." The excitement is palpable, as they say: This is a bright new show tune by a bright new songwriter with a bright new Broadway star, nothing but talent ahead. Arte Johnson, who only made it to Broadway (and briefly) some 43 years later but found fame on TV's "Laugh-In," scores laugh after laugh with "Love's a Bond." One can't tell what he was doing, but he certainly has the crowd in stitches (and not from the lyric).
Then comes the "At the Movies" sequence, and it is quite something. Alice Ghostley, who made a splash singing Sheldon Harnick's "Boston Beguine" in New Faces of 1952, hysterically delivers all Sondheim's lines about Vilma Banky's hanky panky and Conrad Nagel. (Unlike Cassidy and Johnson, Ghostley is not singled out in the song listings but that is unmistakably her.) Listening not to the song but to the audience at the backer's audition, though, you might pick up a hint as to why Saturday Night did not get produced in the era of The King and I and The Pajama Game; the laughter is vociferous but cliquish, oddly recalling the reaction to the '50s work of Franklin Shepard in Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along. ("Write more, work hard, leave your name with the girl.") Along comes the composer singing "Truly Content," his nifty "glamorous mooovie star" song for the pre-Apple Tree version of Jules Feiffer's "Passionella." (If she was a movie star, Ella would be truly content like Fay Wray or George Brent.) Incidental music for two Arthur Laurents plays is included, as well as five tracks from Alain Resnais' 1974 film "Stavisky," which contains some of Sondheim's most ravishing music in his Little Night Music-Debussy-Ravel mood. If you don't have the full soundtrack of "Stavisky," seek it out. That's only half of what comes on the fascinating fourth CD of the set. Which brings us to the other side of the coin. If "The Story So Far" exists to highlight the Sony BMG catalogue of Sondheim music, they understandably need to include said holdings in the box. But consider Chita Rivera's "America," Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence's "Tonight," Ethel Merman's "Everything's Coming Up Roses," Elaine Stritch's "The Ladies Who Lunch," Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou's "A Little Priest," Mandy Patinkin's "Finishing the Hat," and Bernadette Peters' "Children Will Listen." All are present, along with another 16 selections from Sondheim's popular original cast albums.

So think good thoughts about us today. And today is also the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Today was the grand and glorious "Miracle of the Sun" for three poor Portuguese children. What an amazing miracle as the sun itself seemed to dance in the sky and then for brief seconds looked even to be falling. So Dear Lady in Heaven, watch over our recording session today if you will!

A MOST NOTABLE DAY

Today would have been the 85th birthday of the great Orson Welles. A most amazing actor. Welles first gained a very wide notoriety for his October 30, 1938, radio broadcast of H. G. Wells The War of the Worlds. Adapted to sound like a contemporary news broadcast, it caused a number of listeners to panic. Some even took their lives. In the mid-1930s, his New York theatre adaptations of Macbeth and a contemporary allegorical Julius Caesar became legendary. Welles was also an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety spectacles in the war years. During this period he became a serious political activist and commentator through journalism, radio and public appearances closely associated with Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1941, he co-wrote, directed, produced and starred in Citizen Kane, often chosen in polls of film critics as the greatest film ever made. The rest of his career was often obstructed by lack of funds, incompetent studio interference and other unfortunate occurrences, both during exile in Europe and brief returns to Hollywood.Although Welles remained on the margins of the major studios as a director/producer, his larger-than-life personality made him a bankable actor. In his later years he struggled against a Hollywood system that refused to finance his independent film projects, making a living largely through acting, commercials, and voice-over work. Welles received a 1975 American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement award, the third person to do so after John Ford and James Cagney. Critical appreciation for Welles has increased since his death. He is now widely acknowledged as one of the most important dramatic artists of the 20th century. Today would also be the 195th birthday of Giuseppe Verdi who was born in 1813. La Scala is perhaps his most known work. Today the world lost Yul Brynner and today Jerry Herman had his first Broadway show "Milk And Honey". Amazingly too, today marked the opening in 1947 of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Allegro-- one if the strangest musicals of them all. I start my life insurance training tomorrow and I am hoping all of this works out. Until next time...

WE REMEMBER MATTHEW SHEPARD

Ten years ago this very day, a great sad event occurred. Young Matthew Shepard was beaten to a pulp, robbed and tied to a post. He died five days later. How very sad. Let us all say a prayer for his sacrifice and that prejudice against gay people will end forever. As I wrote once in my Journal "Prejudice is like tasting a fancy banquet with your nose-- all you get is a dirty face and you look more stupid than you ever have before!" How wise are the lyrics to Oscar Hammerstein's song from "South Pacific" called "Carefully Taught" Let us unite in brotherhood. The umpteenth rewrite for "The Brothers Laughter" goes on exploring an episode in Neil Simon's life and relationship with his older brother Neil. I will submit the manuscript soon to Gary DiSilva, Neil's Hollywood agent for family approval soon. The black and white picture on the blog today is that of Neil Simon back in 1966, at Jack Benny's classic age of thirty-nine! --one year after the blockbuster "The Odd Couple" premiered on Broadway. Danny was the real Felix Unger and one of the greatest persons I have ever met. Roll over, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, I think Danny Simon was the most honest person of them all. Happy Birthday to Al Paccino who turns eighty-one years young today. Today is also the anniversary of the opening of Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Cats" on Broadway in 1979.

CAPTAIN SPAULDING AND MR. DINKLEPUSS

Today ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls is the day to say not farewell to people today but "Hello, I must be going". For today is Groucho's birthday. Groucho was born in 1890. How much laughter did the amazing Groucho provide all of us. So for all of us love dear old Captain Spaulding its the day to sing "Lydia, The Tattooed Lady"-- written by Irving Berlin, no less and have some fun. Today also is the birthday of the greatest straight men in the business: Mr. Bud Abbott, of the amazing team "Abbott & Costello". Bud was born in 1895. My favorite "Bud" roles included the Wick role in "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" In that film the monster was played by Glen Strange, but when Strange broke his foot during filming Lon Chaney Jr. took over. The comedians also kept Strange laughing at their antics and enormous pie fights used to take place during takes. The A&C Meet Frankenstein is the only film in which Bud Abbott is called by his own last name by error. Bud also played "Mr. Dinklepus" in "Jack & The Beanstalk" -- one of the most charming moments. Shortly after Bud Abbott passed away in 1974, Groucho Marx, himself called him "The greatest straight man who ever lived! God rest you both Groucho Marx and Bud Abbott.Who can ever forget "The Who's On First" routine they both made famous. Tomorrow John and i go exploring the world of insurance, loan making and securities training-- developing news later!

THE MODEL T IS ONE HUNDRED

The Amazing Henry Ford and The Legendary "MODEL T"

Today, October 1st , 2008 is the 100th anniversary of the "The Model "T" -- the great car invented by Henry Ford in 1908. Back then, each car sold for $825.00. I wonder what that would translate to in today's dollars? Of course, the "Model T was always the car that Laurel & Hardy drove in their countless movies. I wonder how many of them they wrecked or crashed just being Laurel & Hardy. Today is also Walt Disney World's birthday in Florida, opening to the public on this day in 1971. There's an interesting story with this connected with Disney. Up until the time that Walt passed away, the Florida project was simply going to be called "Disneyworld". After Walt passed away, his dear brother Roy decreed that henceforth the project would be named "Walt Disney World". Roy's reasoning was that everyone knew that the Model T was a Ford, but very few knew that it was HENRY FORD who invented it. This was WALT''S dream-- this new park would henceforth be called "Walt Disney World" Also a grand Happy Birthday to dear old Jimmy Carter. Ex-President Carter is eighty-four years young today. Carter, of course is a perfect example of a man who was a better ex-president than he ever was as a Chief Executive: move over Herbert Hoover. Jimmy of course was only of three presidents defeted for a second term as US President. The first being Hoover, the second being Carter and the third George W's daddy. George HW. Today is also Julie Andrews 74th birthday. Happy Birthday, Mary Poppins. Work continues on " Brothers Laughter" and John and I are now editing "The Ghost Who Saved Broadway". It is simply too long. A recording session is scheduled for Sunday and I'll keep you posted on that later.

A FEAST FOR THE ANGELS

Today is the feast day of my patron saint: Saint Michael, the archangel. It is also the feast day of Saint Gabriel of "Annunciation" fame and the archangel Raphael. John Nugent and i have written a Broadway bound musical featuring the two angels as the saviour of a group of Dominican nuns. I am sure my dear patron saint has a great sense of humor. There are some interesting facts about. Michael. The good angel was the voice of "The Burning Bush" in the Moses story and one of the angels who secretly buried him. To this day no one knows where Moses is buried. He is also the patron saint of policemen, emergency workers of any kind and the country of Germany. He was the angel who saved Isaac -- Abraham's son and who begged God to preserve the temple at Jerusalem. He is regarded in all religions in a very high and astute fashion. Of course the Mormons teach that Michael was actually Adam and that Gabriel was actually Noah. Strange. Oh well, different strokes, for different folks.The archangel is also attributed as the one who showed Joseph the way to Egypt, the one who prevented Queen Vashti from appearing naked before King Ahasuerus and his guests, and as we said before one of the angels who buried Moses. In Talmud Yoma 77a, however, it is stated that Gabriel once fell into disgrace "for not obeying a command exactly as given, being quoted as saying:"I remained for a while outside the heavenly Curtain." During this 21 day period, the guardian angel of Persia, Dobiel, acted as Gabriel's proxy.The Talmud describes the Angel Gabriel as the only angel who can speak Syriac and Chaldee. Gabriel is also, according to Judaism, the voice that told Noah to gather the animals before the great flood and the invisible force that wrestled with Jacob Gabriel is famous for making the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary.In the Gospel of Luke, Gabriel reveals to the Jewish Pharisee and Priest Zechariah that John the Baptist will be born to Zechariah's wife Elizabeth(Luke 1:5-20) Gabriel's annunciation to Mary has been one of the most frequent subjects of Christian art in general, and a key element in Roman Catholic Marian art. The scene has been depicted by masters such as Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo de Vinci, Caravaggio, Duccio and Murillo, among others. Also one should know that according to later legend, he is also the unidentified angel in the Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse of John) who blows the final trumpet announcing Judgment Day Revelation 11:15. Of course both angels also appear in the first musical that John Nugent and i have written called "SEVENLY". I really hope that both had a great sense of humor with that one. I am also going into the insurance field or at least exploring the possibilities: more on that as time passes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

Yes, indeed, Hip, Hip, Hurray, Hurray today is my 61st birthday. I have now lived longer than my father (1966) , my grandmother (1952) and grandfather on my Mother's side, both grandparents on my father's side and have matched my mother's age of 61 (she passed in 1974) That of course is a bit disconcerting, but I will get through it. Today would also would have been Jim Henson's 78th birthday and F. Scott Fitzgerald's 90th birthday. The great novelist died at age forty-six. And Jim Henson left us in 1990 at age 60-- there's that number again. John Nugent and John Long and I will be going out for lunch today and Mr. Nugent and I will be going to see "Rent"-- the filmed version of the Broadway play. Work on "The Runaway Heart" and "Broadway Angels" is almost finished and I am still putting finishing touches to "The Brothers Laughter" and "The Wild Swans". I have never written this much in all of my life, so that pleases me. I received birthday greetings from two of my sisters so far and birthday accolades from dear Tony Westbrook, and my former employee Andrew Arohnson now attending school at Columbia University. Andrew's dad of course is Lee Arohnson who has created two of the funniest shows on television "Two and a Half Men" and "Big Bang Theory". All hopes are resting on Vermont and the Barter Theatre. I am still unemployed, but I have decided to go after my real estate license and my securities certificate. The company I am joining pays for three licenses and the training and has no quotas. Well, I thank God for all of His many blessings. These include my brilliant collaborator John Nugent, my dearest friend Timothy Doran and my life partner John Long. I have a great cat named Simon, my health is still okay and I'm writing more than i ever have written in my life. I love the freedom being out of work has given but sure wish i had done some saving--oh well. Thank you, Dear God, for all of your help and a big thank you to all of the performers who have given their talents to our recording sessions especially Westbrook & Snyder, Bill Lewis, and Karmyn Tyler. Plus Molly Summer, Brian Martin and Paul Hovannes. And Tim Doran, you are so appreciated my friend- you are sixteen hundred birthday presents all rolled into one. well, let the birthday begin!

A FIDDLER, A PATRIOT, A SONGWRITER AND A MANAGER

On this date in 1964, one of the greatest musicals of all time opened at the Imperial Theatre in 1964 and remained on Broadway (although it changed theatres for over three thousand performances. Fiddler on the Roof was originally entitled Tevye. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Milkman) and other tales by Sholem Aleichem which he wrote in Yiddish and published in 1894. Back in 1964, the stories would still be under copyright, but no longer. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. He must cope with both the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters—each daughter's choice of husband moves progressively further away from established customs—and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village.The musical's title stems from a painting by Marc Chagall one of many surreal paintings he created of Eastern European Jewish life, often including a fiddler. The Fiddler is a metaphor for survival, through tradition and joyfulness, in a life of uncertainty and imbalance. "Fiddler On The Roof" was the first musical to surpass the 3,000 performance mark, and it held the record for longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years until Grease surpassed its run. Now here's something, dear reader that you need to pay attention to: The original Broadway production (not any revivals) earned $1,574 for every dollar invested in it. The show was capitalized at four million dollars. That's four million times 1,574-- or a small fortune.The show was highly acclaimed and nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning nine, including Best Musical, score, book, direction and choreography. It spawned four Broadway revivals, ( the first three were busts, however) a successful 1971 film adaptation, and has enjoyed enduring international popularity. It is also a very popular choice for school and community productions. I remember that this was the very first musical that I had ever seen. The year was 1980. The place: The Gallery Theatre-- for which I attended an amazing reunion on Saturday night. Mr. Duane Thomas (who was at this re-union) played Teyve so brilliantly, it absolutely hooked me on musical theatre. He was so good, it brought tears to my eyes. Mark Shipley was also at the reunion had directed it. I remember the dream sequence as brilliant. The Broadway revivals were almost embarrassing however. The first stayed open only 176 performances in 1976 and a really embarrassing 53 performances in 1981. In 1990, it was a bit better at 241 and the most recent stayed open for 781 performances. The songwriter in our headline was the amazing Irving Berlin. We lost him on this date in 1989 at the age of 101. Irving wrote fifteen hundred songs in his lifetime. If you read this, play some Berlin today. He'll hear it-- trust me. Maybe play a verse or two of "There's No Business Like Show Business! Maybe Tony can sing that song today and my friend Tim can play it on his grand piano! The patriot we honor today is none other than Nathan Hale-- "If I only have one life, let me give it to my country" He was hung as a spy today. The manager is Tommy Lasorda. Today he is 81. Tommy won us Dodger fans two World Series . The first was 1981. the second was 1988. Twenty years since we've won a World Series! Oh well. Today is another interesting day for history-- Sara Jane Moore tried to assassinate Gerald Ford in 1975. What a crazy woman1! Oh well. She still sits in jail. And interesting-- Gerald Ford remains the only US president to serve only two years and the only president in that two years who had two attempts upon his life. I've completed a new musical book based on my experiences with Danny Simon, the older brother of Neil. It's called "The Brothers Laughter" and it really turned very funny and pretty damn good. Well, my birthday is in two days-- imagine that. I'm going to be 61.

A GALLERY CELEBRATION, THE LAST STEINWAY, AND MILTON BERLE

This is my 366th journal posting, so now since June of 2006, I have written the equivalent of a "Leap Year's" worth of journal entries. Last night was a very special night. I have told you that my beginnings in songwriting came from an association from the Gallery Theatre in Ontario. I wrote two musicals, played the Scarecrow on one and took a lot of pictures over the years. Last night was a reunion. Mark Shipley and his ex-wife, Jeannie were there. I had not seen either of them in just about twenty-five years. Mark looks absolutely wonderful: as witty as ever and ever so relaxed as he now lives in Hillo, Hawaii helping Down Syndromed kids communicate and do dramatics. I saw Howard and Pam Wilson. Howard in those days played some wonderful parts, most notably "The Modern Major General" from Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance". Pam played a lot of great parts. I saw David Poole, Laurel Shipley (who had played Dorothy in my very first musical "Wizard of Oz" and of course the Shipley kids, Josh, Eric and Tannie. All grown up. Ron Vandermolen now owns a antique shop in Pasadena at 60 North Lake Street. There were so many memories. There were quite a few who couldn't make it, but I had made contact with Larry Newman and Mike Tosha before and of course Tim Corvin. All in all it was a wonderful evening. I'll post some pictures soon. The gentleman you see in the picture is the last Steinway. He has just passed over the weekend . His name was Henry Steinway Ziegler — and this gentleman was the great-grandson of Heinrich Engelhard Steinway, the illiterate German immigrant before the ampersand in the company Steinway & Sons. Henry was born on Aug. 23, 1915, in his parents’ apartment on Park Avenue, between East 52nd and 53rd Streets. The location was important to his tradition-minded father, Theodore E. Steinway. The Steinways’ factory, the largest piano plant in New York City when it opened, had occupied that site from just before the Civil War until about 1910. Theodore rented an apartment in the building that took the factory’s place. (The apartment house was demolished in the 1950s to make way for Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building.)By the time Henry was a boy, the name Steinway had become almost synonymous with pianos, famous on concert stages as well as in Tin Pan Alley. Irving Berlin paid homage in “I Love a Piano” with the lyric “I know a fine way to treat a Steinway.”After shuttering its Manhattan factory, Steinway & Sons moved its manufacturing operations to Queens, and as a child Henry wandered through a labyrinth of sawdust-strewn workrooms. He joined the company after graduating from Harvard in 1937 and began his career by building pianos, just as his father and uncles had. “I learned a respect for work that is actually done,” Mr. Steinway said years later.He also discovered that making instruments that have thousands of tiny parts under the lid is not easy. He said it took him a day and a half to do what the workers at the factory did in four hours. In the 1940s, following the death of a cousin who had been the company’s general manager, Mr. Steinway began overseeing operations at the company’s three factories in Queens. Poor eyesight kept him away from the front lines during World War II; the Army stationed him on Governors Island in New York Harbor. He became the factory manager after the war and president of the company in 1955, when his father made a surprise announcement that he was stepping down, immediately.By then the piano business was struggling against changing technologies and tastes. Phonographs and radios had displaced pianos as home entertainment choices, and television was on the rise. As Mr. Steinway recalled in 2003: “People would say: ‘You’re in the piano business? That doesn’t exist anymore.’ ”So, being a very smart businessman, he decided to downsize the company — though he preferred the term “right-sized” — closing two of the plants in Queens. He decided that concert artists to whom the company had lent pianos would have to return them, unless they bought them.He also arranged to sell Steinway Hall, the company’s building on West 57th Street, to Manhattan Life Insurance Company. He moved most of the company’s offices, including his own, to Queens. But the showroom, with its big front window and arched ceilings, remained. In 1972 he sold the company itself. “It was the hippie time,” he recalled in 2003. “Nobody in the next generation —”
He left the rest of the sentence unsaid. He said he did not believe that any of his younger relatives could take over, so he proposed a $20.1 million stock swap with the CBS Corporation. The deliberations split the family, with his mother, Ruth, calling the sale “a betrayal,” although she ultimately voted for it. CBS replaced him as president in 1977, naming him chairman. He gave up that title when he retired at 65, but he never really left. Until a few months ago, he went to Steinway Hall most days. He also went to the factory to autograph just-finished pianos, signing the cast-iron plates with felt-tip pens. At times he served as a goodwill ambassador, visiting piano dealers and attending music-industry conventions. Last year President Bush presented him with the National Medal of Arts, the Federal government’s highest award in the arts. Mr. Steinway was also the founding president of the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, Calif. And today is another anniversary of sorts, because on this day in 1948, Milton Berle became the permanent host on the Texaco Star Theatre becoming officially "Mr. Television". Does anybody know that Milton Berle had a lifetime contract with NBC? How about that? I have now been completing a play with music (as opposed to a musical) about my memories of Danny Simon, the brother of Neil Simon and Milton figures into the last scene. Today in 1958 saw the premiere of the television series "Perry Mason"-- the lawyer who never lost a case. Yeah, wouldn't that be something if it were real? Of course, I think Andy Griffith as "Mattlock" never lost a case as I remember it. My 61st birthday approaches on Wednesday the 24th : I have now met the full age of both of my parents (my dad fifty-eight) (my mom sixty-one) before they passed. That's a very scary thought. Well, it's a beautiful Sunday, and I'm still looking for work. Hold good thoughts for me.

THE PARDON OF THE CENTURY

On this historic day in 1974, Gerald Ford pardoned Richard M. Nixon of all possible crimes that related to Watergate. It was a very brave move that most probably cost Gerald Ford the opportunity to have his own term of being the President of the United States. This was one reason Mr. Ford cited for granting the pardon, saying that he had concluded that "many months and perhaps more years will have to pass before Richard Nixon could obtain a fair trial by jury in any jurisdiction of the United States under governing decisions of the Supreme Court." During this long period of delay and potential litigation, ugly passions would again be aroused, our people would again be polarized in their opinions, and the credibility of our free institutions of government would again be challenged at home and abroad," Mr. Ford said all of this in a 10-minute statement that he read that fateful morning in the Oval Office upon signing the paperwork for the official pardon itself. Mr. Ford's decision had not been unexpected, especially in the light of his previous statements that he thought the former President had suffered enough by being forced from office. Yet the unconditional nature of the pardon, taken without the recommendation of Mr. Jaworski, was more generous to Mr. Nixon than many had expected. Today was famous also for the first publishing of Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and The Sea". If you have not read this classic book, I urge you to do so. Well, more writing ahead and a job fair happens on Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles. I am also hoping to hear from Office Depot. A special birthday I would like to note due to my devotion to The Blessed Mother of Jesus. This day is the celebration of her Nativity. My lady has rescued so many times by going to the Lord and interceding on my behalf. She is my personal champion! Happy Birthday, dear lady!

RENT CLOSES SHOP

Today, September 7th is the final day for the Broadway show "Rent"-- the Pulitzer prize winning, seventh longest running show in Broadway history. As someone who aspires to Broadway, himself the story of Rent although tragic that's its author never got to see any of its fame and success is a phenomenal "dream come true" story.So many amazing performers got their start with this show including Adam Pascal and Indna Menzel. The Broadway lottery of offering twenty dollar orchestra seats by lottery on the day of the performance began its tradition with this show. Even tonight with every seat anticipated to be completely sold out, the producers have reserved several of these $20 seat opportunities. The "Rentheads" as the show's ultimate fans are labeled should be absolutely delighted. Today is also the birthday of television-- as way back in 1927 the first antiquated transmission took place. So put a fancy cloth over your television tonight, kids-- and wish it "Happy Birthday" Speaking of birthdays, it would also been the birthday of another great artist: dear old "Grandma Moses"-- what an absolutely amazing painter she was. And for those of us who grew up in that era, today would have been the 72nd birthday of rockster Buddy Holly. Well, another Sunday and a day at church. Tim Doran goes off on his well earned vacation today! Boy, does he deserve that! And John and I continue developing our new musicals. Right now, John is trying to complete the music for "Broadway Angels". This is one funny show!

A DAY REMARKABLE

SEPTEMBER 5th IS AN AMAZING DAY IN HISTORY--

Yes, indeed September 5th is a most remarkable day in history. The Olympic tragedy in Munich, Germany was in 1972. What a terrible tragedy. On the almost tragic side of the ledger
1698. Gerald Ford escaped an assassination attempt by Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme. Of course dear old "Squeaky" had been an avid follower of Charles Manson. Today was also the first meeting of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1774 led by George Washington. Good old George it turns out was a terrible pessimist. When he was the general in the Revolution, he sometimes sent Congress four to five messages a day that said things like "I think we're gonna lose" or "There is no way out of this" or the now famous phrase "Situation: hopeless"-- yes, dear old George originated that one!-- but hey if you had wooden teeth you might be a pessimist yourself. In the same year, "The Reign of Terror" better known as The French Revolution began in 1793 and in 1693, one hundred years before, Peter the Great in Russia imposed a tax on beards-- and you thought you were paying crazy taxes. In 1939, in what we might call the "famous last words" category, The United States of America proclaimed its complete neutrality in World War II. My My-- how history changes perspectives. And speaking of World War II history, on this date in 1945, dear old Tokyo Rose, whose real name was Iva Toguri D'Aquino was arrested in Yokohoma-- write one up for freedom, boys! In 1977, The United States launched the Voyager 1 spacecraft two weeks after launching its twin, Voyager 2. And tragically Nobel Peace Prize winner and living saint Mother Teresa died in Calcutta, India, at age 87. Not much happening for me. I looked into selling insurance from Afflex--but it required an investment of over $300-- an out of work guy can't afford that kind of investment. But I did get a call from Office Depot out of the clear blue sky on Labor Day afternoon inviting me to apply on line and come in for one of their personality and honesty tests which I did easily. More submissions going out today-- ten in all. I am at least promoting the shows that we have and we are still awaiting news from the Barter Theatre in Virginia. Well, you know what they say "No news is good news!" Heard a funny one: a vet and a taxidermist go into business together and came up with a real catchy slogan "Either way you get your dog back" --funny!

VAN JOHNSON'S BIRTHDAY AND 42ND STREET

Today is Van Johnson's 98th birthday. and today was the premiere on Broadway of "42nd Street"produced by David Merrick at the Winter Garden Theatre back in 1980. Speaking of the The old trooper first, however, Van was the star of such films as "Everybody Dance" "Till The Clouds Roll By" and of course "Brigadoon" lives now in quiet retirement in New York. His acting career began in earnest in 1936 in the Broadway revue New Faces of 1936. In 1939, he landed a part in Rodgers and Harts Too Many Girls in the role of a cute college boy (after being Gene Kelly's understudy in Pal Joey). RKO then signed him to a short-term contract to star in the film adaptation of the play which became Johnson's film debut. Good old MGM picked up his contract from RKO soon after and cast him in several bit parts. In 1942, while en route to a preview screening for Keeper of the Flame, he was involved in a car crash that left him with a metal plate in his forehead. Fate? Maybe! This little accident exempted him from service in World War II. After this incident, MGM built up his image as the "all-American boy" by co-starring him in films with June Allyson and Esther Williams, among others. He also had serious roles in films such as "A Guy Named Joe", "A Week-End at the Waldorf, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo and that war classic "Battleground". In the 50's, Johnson even made a very memorable appearance on "I Love Lucy". Johnson left MGM for Columbia Pictures to co-star in The Caine Mutiny (1954) to much acclaim. (His scar from the car crash is very visible in this film.) He also enjoyed one of his most memorable leading roles in the 1954 musical Brigadoon, with Gene Kelly. In 1955, Johnson made a memorable appearance on I Love Lucy.Since 1960, his film career has been minimal. Johnson guest-starred on television shows such as Batman, Here's Lucy and The Love Boat and in the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man. In 1985, he enjoyed something of a comeback. He toured with the hit Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles and appeared in a supporting role in Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo.For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Van Johnson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6600 Hollywood Blvd. The story of the premiere was amazing. Here was this incredible musical that was opening to rave reviews and good old David Merrick steps up to the mike after all of the applause and announces .. "But this is tragic..." He went on to say that Gower Champion had died that very afternoon. Good old publicity hound Merrick had kept this quiet from everyone except book writer Michael Stewart-- even the young girl in the cast that Gower was having an affair with at that time! All for publicity! David Merrick was a creep-- a piece of work. Some day I should attempt a musical on this creep-- it might just sell.

LOST GENIUS

Who could forget "Singing In The Rain" Here is Gene in that classic scene!

We lost today what I might call the world's greatest lyricist of all times. Oscar Hammerstein was the pioneer of everything that musical theatre holds dear today. Before Hammerstein, Broadway musicals had meaningless little trifle stories and plots upon which great songs were hung. The story meant nothing but a means to the end to get a great song to the audience. Oscar began this tradition with "Showboat" in 1927 with the incredible Jerome Kern. Oscar died on this day in 1960. I was thirteen years old at the time. Little did I know how much influence this amazing man was going to have on my very own life. Broadway mourned Oscar's passing by darkening all the lights in the Broadway community (the first time this had been done since World War II) for one whole minute. Imagine that! The second gentleman featured on the page today is playwright/screenwriter Sydney Howard. Mr. Howard wrote a little play that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1924 called "They Knew What They Wanted". It was the story of an Italian grape grower who woos a woman in a letter to get her to marry him but has supplied her with another man's picture with his correspondence. She arrives, finds out the truth, but forgives him and marries him. Later when she has had relations with one of the man's stewards and becomes pregnant, he forgives her and remains married to her, regardless. Funny thing, that play was later the basis of the Frank Loesser Broadway musical, "The Most Happy Fella" Sidney's biggest kudo came with winning the Academy Award for adapting the Margaret Mitchell novel "Gone With The Wind". But due to a tragic tractor accident on his farm, that happened on this day in 1939, Mr. Howard never got to see that award. To this day, however, posthumously or not, he is the only individual to win both the Pulitzer Prize and the Academy Award. Today also would have been Gene Kelly's 96th birthday. What an incredible entertainer. Now, I'm sure, he's teaching the angels how to dance! A real funny thing: the last movie he did while alive was "Xanadu"-- an amazing flop! But today, the Broadway musical version continues to play to big audiences. I was sorry to learn that Stephen Schwartz's revival of the new production of "Godspell" has been delayed to the pulling out of a major investor. And so the show will NOT go on as planned. I am surprised. Stephen is the hottest ticket on Broadway these days with "Wicked" approaching it's five year anniversary at the Gershwin Theatre in New York. And bad economy or not, "Godspell" is still a wonderful and very established show. Interesting note: There will be a special Broadway concert on October 14th at the Gershwin called "The Yellow Brick Road: The Roads Not Taken" in which all of the cut songs and scenes from the original incarnations of the Wicked musical before 2003 will be presented in a special one night charity concert. Stephen, I am told is busy at work dusting off these forgotten treasures and orchestrating them all-- it just goes to show you-- composers must never throw anything away and they must keep everything they write properly filed and ready to go--just in case. This is going to be a major fundraiser!

A VISIT TO THE PAST

This is the present day Santa Monica Pier and the new Pacific Park amusement comple. It should not be confused with the classic Pacific Ocean Park that oopened on July 27, 1958 and was on a totally different pier a mile south of this. For a while Pacific Ocean park really competed with dear old Disneyland. This park although much smaller has a lot of charm and color.

Yesterday, August 21st, John Nugent and I decided on a day at the Santa Monica Beach. It was a beautiful summer's day on the sand and on the pier which is pretty damn amazing. It simply has more life and more color and more characters than you will ever meet anywhere. We had packed a really nice lunch and cold drinks and sat out in the sun for a couple of hours. Then we walked to the pier and played some amusement games and actually played 9 holes of miniature golf. I hadn't played miniature golf in at least 6 years. The concert that evening was really wonderful. First there was Gerry & The Pacemakers who's amazing hits from the 1960's were "A World Without Love" and "Don't let the Sun Catch you Crying. As unfathomable as it seems from the distance of over 30 years, for a few months, Gerry & the Pacemakers were the Beatles' nearest competitors in Britain. Managed (like the Beatles) by Brian Epstein, Gerry Marsden and his band burst out of the gate with three consecutive number one U.K. hits in 1963, "How Do You Do It," "I Like It," and "You'll Never Walk Alone." If the Beatles defined Mersey beat at its best in early 1963, Gerry & the Pacemakers defined the form at its most innocuous, performing bouncy, catchy, and utterly lightweight tunes driven by rhythm guitar and Gary Marsden's chipper vocals. Compared to the Beatles and other British Invasion heavies, they sound quaint indeed. That's not to say the group were trivial; their hits were certainly likable and energetic and are fondly remembered today, even if the musicians lacked the acumen (or earthy image) to develop their style from its relentlessly upbeat and poppy base. Gary formed the group in the late '50s featuring himself on guitar and lead vocals, his brother Fred on drums, Les Chadwick on bass, and Arthur Mack on piano (to be replaced in 1961 by Les McGuire). They worked the same Liverpool/Hamburg circuit as the Beatles, and ran neck and neck with their rivals in local popularity. They were signed by Epstein in mid-1962 (the first band to do so besides the Beatles), and began recording for the EMI/Columbia label in early 1963, under the direction of producer George Martin. Their first single was a Mitch Murray tune that Martin had wanted the Beatles to record for their debut, "How Do You Do It?" The Beatles did record a version (found on the Anthology 1 release), but objected to its release, finding it too sappy, and in any case more interested in recording their own, gutsier original compositions. It suited Gary's grinning, peppy style well, though, and went to number one before it was displaced from the top spot by the Beatles' third 45, "From Me to You." But there was more: next came Peter & Gordon-- wow do you remember "Lady Godiva" "A Knight In Rusty Armor" and "Woman" which was really written by Paul McCartney under a pseudonym. Then surprises: The Tremeloes performed "Silence is Golden" and Joan Baez made a special appearance. It was really a wonderful day.

WE REMEMBER A LYRICIST AND A BOMBSHELL

In 1983 on this date, the world lost an amazing artist: a lyricist by the name of Ira Gershwin. Think of the songs "Fascinating Rhythm" "Swanee", "Someone To Watch Over Me" "Our Love is Here To Stay" and with guys like Arthur Schwartz ("I'll Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan") and Jerome Kern ("Far Away & Long Ago")Wow what an amazing life! While his younger brother, George began composing and "plugging" in Tin Pan Alley from the age of eighteen, Ira (believe it or not, folks) worked as a cashier in his father's Turkish baths. What an artist must start off doing can be out right amazing! It was not until 1921 that Ira became involved in the music business. Alex Aarons signed Ira to write the music for his next show Two Little Girls in Blue with co-composers Vincent Youmans and Paul Lannin. His lyrics were well received and allowed him to successfully enter the theatre world with just one show. Not too bad in any one's dictionary! Well, It was'nt until 1924 that Ira and George teamed up to write the music for their first Broadway hit, Lady, Be Good! Once the brothers joined together, their combined talents became one of the most influential forces in the history of American Musical Theatre. Together, they wrote the music for over twelve shows and four films. Some of their other more famous works include "The Man I Love", "Summertime" and "They Can't Take That Away from Me". Their partnership continued up until George's sudden death from a brain tumor in 1937. Ira was simply devastated and he could barely function. There are reports that I read that say he never again believed in God. My favorite story is that George and Ira were writing songs for a little picture called "The Goldwyn Follies of 1938" when George collapsed and died. The picture which was producer Samuel Goldwyn's first use of Technicolor starred Adolph Menjou, The Ritz Brothers and Edgar Bergen and Charlie Mccarthy plus some small time new performers. There was still one melody left for the picture and after about a month had passed, the MGM studio was getting really impatient and antsy about Ira finishing the lyric. They kept calling him. "Please, Ira, we need that lyric!" The picture was going to be released in February of 1938 and this was August of 1937. Ira wrote the lyric not intended as a love song for a married couple or a couple of lovers-- oh no-- this song was a love song from one brother to another. The song was "Our Love is Here To Stay" And if you haven't looked at those lyrics lately, I suggest that you do. ("In time, Gibraltar may tumble, the Rockies may tumble: they're only made of clay, but our love is here to stay." Wow! Following his brother's death, Ira waited nearly three years before writing again. After this interlude, he teamed up with such accomplished composers as Jerome Kern (Cover Girl), Kurt Weil (Where Do We Go from Here?, Lady in the Dark), and Harold Arlen (A Star Is Born). Over the next fourteen years, Ira continued to write the lyrics for many film scores and a few Broadway shows. But the failure of Park Avenue in 1946, a 'smart' show about divorce, co-written with composer Arthur Schwartz, was his farewell to Broadway . As he wrote at the time, "Am reading a couple of stories for possible musicalization (if there is such a word) but I hope I don't like them as I think I deserve a long rest." Ira died on August 17, 1983, fifteen years ago and is now interred in the Westchester Hills Cemetery, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Together, the Gershwin siblings left behind a legacy that would help shape American Musical Theatre. Solely, Ira played a huge part in bringing about a new type of song lyric: a smart, witty, vernacular style that the common man could relate to and enjoy. And now we move on to the bombshell. Today would have been the 118th birthday of the one and only Mae West. My cousin was the cinematographer on her very last picture called "Sextette". Dear God! It took the poor thing two hours to do one scene! But in her golden days, Mae West was absolutely beautiful and incredibly amazing. On the premiere of "Catherine The Great" Mae quipped to the opening crowd "Catherine had over four hundred lovers-- I did what I could in a couple of hours!" Her classic pictures with WC Fields was simply one of the funniest pictures ever. Personal wise, John and i continue our marketing efforts. So keep your fingers crossed.

A VISIT TO THE REAGAN LIBRARY

An Aeriel shot of the Reagan Library-- Beautiful!

Yesterday, the 14th,John Nugent and I took a little trip to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. I must tell you that I came away from this most beautiful and classy place with a profound new respect for Ronald Reagan, our 40th president. I was reminded and educated on just how many amazing things he did for this country in two terms as our president. The Berlin wall came down during his administration and Russia went from "the evil empire" to our friend. What a difference a few years make. I also came away with a new profound respect for dear Nancy Reagan. My goodness, what an amazing lady. She was a very classy first lady and supported her husband in so many ways. She had style, originality, dedication and courage you would not believe. Reviewing the assassination attempt on Reagan's life in March of 1981, I was amazed to discover just how close Ronald Reagan came to death during his hospitalization. Ronald Reagan made an ultimate journey from his hometown in Dixon, Illinois to California. I was reminded of a great quote by his dear friend and fellow actor Jimmy Stewart who summed it up best "Only in American can a man begin by being second banana to a chimpanzee and in his same lifetime become President of the United States" Of course, the chimpanzee reference is of his "Bonzo" movies that he made in the 1940's. Here are some other facts that I learned The actual construction of the library , itself began in 1988, and the center was dedicated on November 4, 1991. The dedication ceremonies were the first time in United States history that five United States Presidents gathered together in the same place: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. On that historic day, six First Ladies also attended: Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush.When the Reagan Library opened it was the largest of the presidential libraries (with roughly 153,000 square feet).It held that title until the dedication of the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas on November 18, 2004. With the opening of the 90,000-square-foot Air Force One Pavilion in October 2005, the Reagan Library reclaimed the title in terms of physical size; however, the Clinton Library remains the largest presidential library in terms of materials (documents, artifacts, photographs, etc.). Like all presidential libraries since that of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Reagan Library was built entirely with private donations, at a cost of 60 million dollars. For fiscal year 2007, the Reagan Library had 305,331 visitors, making it the second-most visited presidential library, following the Lyndon B. Johnson Library; that was down from its fiscal year 2006 number of 440,301 visitors, when it was the most visited library. The Reagan Library, under the authority of the Presidential Records Act, is the repository of presidential records for Reagan’s administration. Holdings include 50 million pages of presidential documents, over 1.6 million photographs, a half million feet of motion picture film and tens of thousands of audio and video tapes.The Library also houses personal papers collections including documents from Reagan’s eight years as Governor of California. Also a surprise when I got home was a job lead for Pre-Paid Legal. So we shall see where this leads. I also went to see my old friend J. Eric Schmidt and finally met his kids who are now sixteen year old twins. Eric looks better than ever, laid back, money secure and is sitting on top of the world with damn little worry. He dis everything right! I was happy for that, but a wee bit jealous--oh well! I was sorry to hear that his dad (who is so wonderful) is dying of brain cancer. Well, acceptance of that is tough, but Eric has had his parents much longer than I got to hold on to mine. Today the 15th is the feast of the Assumption of my heavenly Blessed Mother-- of whom I am very devoted. She has intervened so many times in times of trouble for me.

WE REMEMBER ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Today would have been the 108th birthday of the master of suspense. Mr. Alfred Hitchcock. Well, everybody knows about his most famous pictures that he made like "Psycho" but here are a few fun facts:

Number #1 --Hitchcock had an intense dislike of egg yolk. He once said:
"I’m frightened of eggs, worse than frightened, they revolt me. That white round thing without any holes … have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid? Blood is jolly, red. But egg yolk is yellow, revolting. I’ve never tasted it."
Biographer Patrick McGilligan confirmed Alfred Hitchcock's avoidance of eggs while noting that the director had actually tried them as a young man, then discovered he didn't like them. He was especially annoyed by poached eggs His daughter Patricia, however, stated that "He loved soufflés."Hitchcock references his distaste for eggs in the film "Sabotage," in which a character expresses a similar opinion.Hitchcock also had a serious fear of the police, which was the reason he said he never learned to drive. His reasoning was that if one never drove, then one would never have an opportunity to be pulled over by the police and issued a ticket. However, Patrick McGilligan wrote that "though Hitchcock pooh-poohed driving, insisting to interviewers that he didn't even know how, he often chauffeured his daughter to school at Marymount [a private academy for girls, and for a long time drove her to Sunday Mass." His fear of the police can be attributed to a circumstance encountered by Hitchcock in his youth, which he told a number of interviewers and mentioned in the PBS documentary The Men Who Made the Movies. In an attempt to punish Hitchcock for an instance of misbehavior, Alfred's father detailed in writing that the young Hitchcock had engaged in some form of childish mischief. Hitchcock's father then handed the description to Alfred, sending him to the local police station to demonstrate his wrongdoing. In response to the written notice, the on-duty police officer immediately brought Hitchcock to an empty cell and locked him there for a full 10 minutes, citing the justification for this action as a means to reprimand the young boy. Undoubtedly, history has recorded this incident as scarring. This perhaps influenced his signature theme in his movies where an innocent person would become entangled in the web of another guilty person's behaviour. This can be noted in many of his films, and a possible reason would be due to his hatred for authority and his siding with the innocent. He also manages to convey this message to his audience in order to allow them to take his (the innocent) side.

Here are some great Alfred Hitchcock quotes:
"Suspense is like a woman. The more left to the imagination, the more the excitement."

"Drama is life with all the boring bits cut out."

Here are some trivia facts:
Mel Brooks's High Anxiety is one of the most famous parodies of Hitchcock's work. A 2000 episode of That '70s Show portrays the characters watching Hitchcock's movies on Halloween, and then a series of events in their lives resemble scenes from his movies.
On The Simpsons episode "A Streetcar Named Marge", Homer, Bart and Lisa walk into a nursery home where the babies quietly suck their pacifiers, and as the walk out, a caricature of Hitchcock walks by with dogs on leashes (this sequence references The Birds).In Joe Dantes movie Matinee, a gas station attendant recognizes John Goodman's B-movie producer character as "... the guy who makes them scary movies." After receiving an autograph, he says "Thanks, Mr. Hitchcock." Good news also on the home front -- The libretto for "Broadway Angels is now finished and ready to be printed!

A REMARKABLE DAY IN HISTORY

On this day in 1974, Richard M. Nixon became the only president of the United States to resign his office for as he said "the good of the nation". I remember that day very well. I was living in Goleta, above Santa Barbara. The funny thing is the date itself. Because also on August 8th in 1968, The Republican Party officially nominated Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew (remember him?) as president and vice president. Richard M. Nixon will always remain a most unique specimen of US History. He was a god man in many ways, but he also was a control freak. He actually thought himself above the law. Gerald Ford succeeded Nixon as the 38th president the next day at noon and served Nixon's remaining eight hundred and ninety-five days in office. I remember a great comedian by the name of David Frye who could imitate Nixon and Lyndon Johnson so perfectly. There was a bit where Nixon (upon winning the election) decides because he is "the president-elect" to go to Washington DC and rings the doorbell at the White House at eleven o'clock at night to get a tour of his "new pad". Hysterical! In it Richard Nixon even attempts to sell Lyndon Johnson a used car. To which Lyndon dryly proclaims "Buy a used car?-- From YOU? Today is also Esther Williams 87th birthday. I love Esther. What I didn't know was that she had a hot and heavy romantic relationship with actor Victor Mature during the filming of the MGM movie "Million Dollar Mermaid". She was also involved romantically with actor Jeff ("Combat") Conway but broke it when she discovered that he was a cross dresser-- imagine that. Yesterday I got paid $158.00 to evaluate new cars-- that was sure easy money! Well later.

THE REAL "TORCH SINGER"-- HELEN MORGAN

This is what's left of the old Helen Morgan piano that she would "sit on" in that crowded night club which made her famous. You can see it at Orange County fair this year. There wasn't much left of it and t was rescued from an auction and made into this garden tribute.

Does anyone remember the great singer Helen Morgan? She died tragically in 1941 -- a drinking problem plagued her all of her life. I remember as a kid watching the movie "The Helen Morgan Story" that starred Paul Newman and Ann Blythe. Helen was really the first and the very best of the "Torch Singers"Helen was born 'Helen Riggins' on August 2, 1900 in rural Danville, Illinois. Her father was a farmer and a schoolteacher. After her mother remarried, she changed the last name to 'Morgan'. Her mother's second marriage ended in divorce, and she moved to Chicago with her daughter. Helen never finished school beyond the eighth grade, and worked a variety of jobs just to get by. In 1923 she entered the Miss Montreal contest, even going to New York to meet Miss America Katherine Campbell, but when she returned, her American citizenship was discovered and she was disqualified. She also worked as an extra in films. By the age of twenty Morgan had taken voice lessons and started singing in speakeasies in Chicago.Helen Morgan's high, thin, and somewhat wobbly voice was not fashionable during the 1920s for the kind of songs that she specialized in, but nevertheless she became a wildly popular torch singer. Her heart bled about hard living and heartbreak onto her accompanist's piano. This draped-over-the-piano look became her signature look while performing at Billy Rose's Backstage Club in 1925. In spite of the National Prohibition Act of 1919 outlawing alcohol in the United States, Morgan became a heavy drinker and was often reportedly drunk during these performances.During this period several Chicago gangsters tried to help fund her various attempts to open her own nightclub. However, Prohibition agents kept too strict an eye on her and these attempts failed. In 1927 Helen Morgan appeared as Julie LaVerne in the original cast of Show Boat, her best-known role. She sang "Bill" (lyrics by P.G. Wodehouse and Oscar Hammerstein) and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" in two stage runs and two film productions of the famous musical over a span of 11 years. (In the first film version of Show Boat, made in 1929, Morgan appeared only in the song prologue; Alma Rubens played Julie in the film proper, which was mostly silent. However, Morgan did play the role in the 1936 film version of the musical.)
After appearing in the 1929 film version of Show Boat, Morgan went on to star in Kern and Hammerstein's Broadway musical, Sweet Adeline. The title was a pun on the famous barbershop quartet song. In the musical, Morgan introduced the songs "Why Was I Born" and "Don't Ever Leave Me." Oddly enough, when Sweet Adeline was filmed in 1934, Morgan's role went to her future Show Boat co-star, Irene Dunne, who possessed a lovely soprano, but was certainly not a torch singer. Helen was noticed by Florenz Ziegfeld while dancing in the chorus of his production of Sally in 1923 and she went on to perform with the Ziegfeld Follies in 1931, the Follies' last active year. During this period she studied music at the Metropolitan Opera in her free time.In the late 1930s Morgan was signed up for a show at Chicago's Loop Theater. She also spent time at her farm in High Point, New York. Alcoholism plagued her and she was hospitalized in late 1940. Her career underwent something of a comeback in 1941, thanks to the help of manager Lloyd Johnson. However, the years of alcohol abuse had taken their toll. She collapsed onstage during a evening performance of George White's Scandals of 1942 and died in Chicago of cirrhosis of the liver on October 8, 1941. Helen was married three times, to a fan Lowell Army, whom she met at a stage door while she was performing in Sally (see--that kind of stuff really does happen, folks) , to Maurice "Buddy" Maschke (they married on May 15, 1933 and divorced several years later), and to Lloyd Johnson, whom she married on July 27, 1941. Helen was portrayed by Polly Bergen in a 1957 Playhouse 90 drama, directed by George Roy Hill, and won an Emmy Award for her performance. That same year, the aforementioned mentioned feature film The Helen Morgan Story starred Ann Blyth as Morgan. Johna and I went to the Santa Monica Beach on Thursday. It was simply a beautiful day and I won a stuffed animal in the arcade. I haven't done that in absolute ages. The marketing campaign that we've begun continues. We are really proud of the packages and they look really professional.