Follow the Girls (1944), a musical comedy by Guy Bolton, Eddie Davis, Fred Thompson (book), Dan Shapiro, Milton Pascal, Phil Charig (music, lyrics). [ Century Theatre, 882 perf.] When burlesque queen Bubbles La Marr (Gertrude Niesen) takes over a servicemen's canteen as her contribution to the war effort, her 4‐F suitor, Goofy Gale (Jackie Gleason), is forced to disguise himself as a Wave to gain entrance. Notable songs: I Wanna Get Married; Today Will Be Yesterday, Tomorrow; Follow the Girls. This loosely structured “girlie” show, whose thin plot served for little more than to frame its many vaudeville turns and skimpily clad chorus girls, was of a type often called “glorified burlesque.” It was particularly popular with servicemen in town on leave. The show was Bolton's last successful effort as a collaborator on musical comedy books, although it was a marked comedown in quality from his work of two or three decades earlier.
Follow the Girls
| American Theater Guide: Follow the Girls |
| Wikipedia: Follow the Girls |
| Follow the Girls | |
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| Al Hirschfeld Promotional Caricature | |
|---|---|
| Music | Dan Shapiro Milton Pascal Phil Charig |
| Lyrics | Dan Shapiro Milton Pascal Phil Charig |
| Book | Guy Bolton |
| Productions | 1944 Broadway 1945 West End |
Follow the Girls is a musical with a book by Guy Bolton and Eddie Davis and music and lyrics by Dan Shapiro, Milton Pascal, and Phil Charig.
A major wartime hit in both New York City and London, its thin plot about a burlesque striptease queen who becomes the star attraction at the Spotlight, a servicemen's club in Great Neck, Long Island, serves as an excuse for a series of songs, dance numbers, and comedy routines.
The Broadway production, produced by Albert Borde, conceived and directed by Harry Delmar and choreographed by Catherine Littlefield, opened on April 8, 1944 at the New Century Theatre. It transferred to the 44th Street Theatre and then the Broadhurst to complete its 888-performance run. The cast included Jackie Gleason, Danny Aiello, Walter Long, and Gertrude Niesen.
The West End production, presented by Jack Hylton, opened on October 25, 1945 at His Majesty's Theatre, where it ran for 572 performances. The cast included Arthur Askey and Evelyn Dall.
Song list
- Act I
- At the Spotlight Canteen
- Where You Are
- You Don't Dance
- Strip Flips Hip
- Thanks for a Lousy Evening
- You're Perf
- Twelve O'Clock and All Is Well
- Out for No Good
- You Don't Dance (Reprise)
- Where You Are (Reprise)
- Follow the Girls
- Act II
- John Paul Jones
- Where You Are (Reprise)
- I Wanna Get Married
- Today Will Be Yesterday Tomorrow
- You're Perf (Reprise)
- A Tree That Grows in Brooklyn
References
The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre by Stanley Green, published by Da Capo Press (1991), pages 131-32 (ISBN 0-30680113-2)
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
 | [Herbert John] Jackie Gleason (American Theater) |
| Fred Thompson (American Theater) |
| Penthouse: Behind the Scenes (1995 Adult Film) |
Copyrights:
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 | American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Follow the Girls". Read more |
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Mentioned in
- [Herbert John] Jackie Gleason (American Theater)
- Fred Thompson (American Theater)
- Penthouse: Behind the Scenes (1995 Adult Film)
- Ford Leary (Jazz Artist)
- Girls (1919 Film)
- Guy [Reginald] Bolton (American Theater)
- Gertrude Niesen (Vocal Music Artist, '30s-'50s)
- Goodbye Cruel World (2000 Album by Custard)
- Hamfatter (Rock Band, 2000s)
- Kill the Moonlight (2002 Album by Spoon)
- Finders Keepers [Japan 2004] (2004 Album by The Salt Water Taffy)
- Alright, This Time Just the Girls, Vol. 2 (2006 Album by Various Artists)
- Finders Keepers (1968 Album by The Salt Water Taffy)
- Finders Keepers [Japan 2005] (2006 Album by The Salt Water Taffy)
