The Girl in Pink Tights

Last updated

The Girl in Pink Tights is a musical comedy with music by Sigmund Romberg; lyrics by Leo Robin; and a musical book by Jerome Chodorov and Joseph Fields. The musical opened on Broadway on March 5, 1954 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre where it ran for a total of 115 performances until it closed on June 12, 1954.

The production was produced and directed by Shepard Traube (1907–1983), [1] choreographed by Agnes De Mille, used set and light designs by Eldon Elder, costume designs by Miles White, and conducted by musical director Sylvan Levin. The cast was led by Charles Goldner as Maestro Gallo, Zizi Jeanmaire as Lisette Gervais, David Atkinson as Clyde Hallam, Alexandre Kalioujny as Volodya Kuzentsov, Brenda Lewis as Lotta Leslie, Robert Smith as Van Beuren, and David Aiken as Eddington. [2]

A planned film version was cancelled after Marilyn Monroe refused the role in defiance of her studio contract. The actress called it "trash" and she was also to be paid less than a third as much as her co-star, Frank Sinatra. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Abbott</span> American writer and director (1887–1995)

George Francis Abbott was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. He received numerous honors including six Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1982. the National Medal of Arts in 1990. and was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Grable</span> American actress, pin-up girl (1916–1973)

Elizabeth Ruth Grable was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zizi Jeanmaire</span> French ballet dancer and singer (1924–2020)

Renée Marcelle "Zizi" Jeanmaire was a French ballet dancer, actress and singer. She became famous in the 1950s after playing the title role in the ballet Carmen, produced in London in 1949, and went on to appear in several Hollywood films and Paris revues. She was the wife of dancer and choreographer Roland Petit, who created ballets and revues for her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marni Nixon</span> American singer and actress (1930–2016)

Margaret Nixon McEathron, known professionally as Marni Nixon, was an American soprano and ghost singer for featured actresses in musical films. She was the singing voice of leading actresses on the soundtracks of several musicals, including Deborah Kerr in The King and I, Natalie Wood in West Side Story, and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, although her roles were concealed from audiences when the films were released. Several of the songs she dubbed appeared on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Robin</span> American songwriter

Leo Robin was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938, and with Jule Styne on "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," a song whose witty, Cole Porter style of lyric came to be identified with its famous interpreter Marilyn Monroe.

<i>Gas Light</i> 1938 British thriller play by Patrick Hamilton

Gas Light is a 1938 thriller play, set in 1880s London, written by the British novelist and playwright Patrick Hamilton. Hamilton's play is a dark tale of a marriage based on deceit and trickery, and a husband committed to driving his wife insane in order to steal from her.

Jerome Chodorov was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He co-wrote the book with Joseph A. Fields for the original Broadway musical Wonderful Town starring Rosalind Russell. The musical was based on short stories by Ruth McKenney.

<i>Theres No Business Like Show Business</i> (film) 1954 musical-comedy drama directed by Walter Lang

Irving Berlin's There's No Business Like Show Business is a 1954 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Walter Lang. It stars an ensemble cast, consisting of Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, Marilyn Monroe, Dan Dailey, Johnnie Ray, and Mitzi Gaynor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheree North</span> American actress, dancer, and singer (1932–2005)

Sheree North was an American actress, dancer, and singer, known for being one of 20th Century-Fox's intended successors to Marilyn Monroe.

<i>Rosalie</i> (musical) Musical

Rosalie is a musical with music by George Gershwin and Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and P.G. Wodehouse, and book by William Anthony McGuire and Guy Bolton. The story tells of a princess from a faraway land who comes to America and falls in love with a West Point Lieutenant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Dailey</span> American actor, dancer

Daniel James Dailey Jr. was an American actor and dancer. He is best remembered for a series of popular musicals he made at 20th Century Fox such as Mother Wore Tights (1947).

Joseph Albert Fields was an American playwright, theatre director, screenwriter, and film producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stage Directors and Choreographers Society</span>

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), formerly known as Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC), is an independent national labor union established in 1959, representing theatrical directors and choreographers working on Broadway, National Tours, Off-Broadway, and in various resident, regional, and stock theatres throughout the United States.

<i>Time Out for Ginger</i> 1952 play by Ronald Alexander

Time Out for Ginger is a Broadway comedy writen by Ronald Alexander, and directed by Shepard Traube (1907–1983), that ran 248 performances at the Lyceum Theatre from November 26, 1952, to June 27, 1953, before becoming hugely popular in regional theatres throughout the 1950s and early 1960s.

Sylvan Levin was an American concert pianist and conductor. He served as the assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York City Symphony under Leopold Stokowski for many years. He also founded the Philadelphia Opera Company in 1938, serving as its director for six years.

Robert Cecil Smith was an American actor of the stage, television, and film.

Peter Matz was an American musician, composer, arranger, and conductor. His musical career in film, theater, television, and studio recording spanned fifty years. He worked with a number of prominent artists, including Marlene Dietrich, Noël Coward and Barbra Streisand. Matz won three Emmys and a Grammy Award. He is best known for his work on Streisand's early albums and for his tour as the orchestral conductor and musical director for The Carol Burnett Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink dress of Marilyn Monroe</span> Iconic dress by designer William "Billy" Travilla

Marilyn Monroe wore a shocking pink dress in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, directed by Howard Hawks. The dress was created by costume designer William "Billy" Travilla and was used in one of the most famous scenes of the film, which subsequently became the subject of numerous imitations, significantly from Madonna in the music video for her 1985 song "Material Girl".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan and Marilyn Bergman</span> American lyricists and songwriters

Alan Bergman and Marilyn Keith Bergman were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celebrated television, film, and stage productions. The Bergmans enjoyed a successful career, honored with four Emmys, three Oscars, and two Grammys. They are in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Holiday for Lovers is a 1957 play written by Ronald Alexander. It opened on Broadway on February 14, 1957, and closed after 100 performances on May 11, 1957. It was later adapted into the 1959 film Holiday for Lovers.

References

  1. https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/25/obituaries/shepard-traube-76-is-dead-stage-producer-and-director.html
  2. Sam Zolotow (March 5, 1954). "Delayed 'Tights' In Debut Tonight". The New York Times .
  3. Davis, Janelle (2022-01-14). "How Marilyn took the male-led film industry and flipped it on its head". CNN . Retrieved 2023-06-02.