Babes in Arms. A Musical Show.

RODGERS, Richard, & Lorenz Hart.

Published by New York: [no publisher, 1937]

About this Item

A rehearsal script of the original version of the musical comedy, featuring "Where or When", "I Wish I Were in Love Again", "My Funny Valentine", "Johnny One Note", and "The Lady is a Tramp". The script presumably dates from the period that the show was sent to Hollywood for the 1939 film adaptation. The script comprises a title page, a single leaf presenting a "Synopsis of Scenes" and "Cast of Characters", the script of Act 1 (50 pages), and Act 2 (33 pages). Dwight Deere Wiman was the original producer on Broadway when the show opened on 14 April 1937. Leland Hayward - John McCormick, Inc. was an agency in Beverly Hills formed by Hayward (later a Broadway producer) and McCormick (a film producer). The film adaptation, starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, and directed by Busby Berkeley was released in 1939. It cut most of Rodgers & Hart's songs. The show was rewritten in 1959 by George Oppenheimer in a de-politicized and sanitized version. The original script was unavailable for many decades. This copy features a single page headed "The Lady is a Tramp (reprise)". The additional lyrics commence "Girls get massages, they cry and they moan". There are two variants, here, from the established lyrics: "I'm not so hot, but my shape is my own" appears, here, as "but my figure's my own", and "the food at Sardi's" is relocated from West 44th Street to Park Avenue for "food at Voisin's". Quarto. Mimeographed typescript, 85 leaves (280 x 216 mm), printed on rectos only, together with additional carbon leaf. Original blue wrappers, front wrapper lettered in black, with "Hart Stenographic Bureau" name and address, Dwight Deere Wiman name and address stamp, and "Leland Hayward = John McCormick, Inc." name and address adhesive label, secured by two split pins. Housed in a blue cloth folding box. Extremities of wrappers worn with minor loss, some light soiling to front wrapper, enlarged holes for split pins: a very good copy.

Seller Inventory # 177546

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Babes in Arms. A Musical Show.
• Publisher: New York: [no publisher, 1937]