May 21, 2021

20,000 vinyl LPs 291: Gypsy, Ethel Merman & the hungy i

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The Broadway musical, Gypsy, opened on this day in 1959, sixty three years ago. It is frequently considered one of the crowning achievements of the mid-twentieth century's conventional musical theatre art form, often called the book musical. Gypsy has been referred to as the greatest American musical by numerous critics and writers. Ben Brantley wrote ("what may be the greatest of all American musicals...") and Frank Rich wrote that "Gypsy is nothing if not Broadway's own brassy, unlikely answer to King Lear." Theater critic Clive Barnes wrote that "Gypsy is one of the best of musicals..." and described Rose as "one of the few truly complex characters in the American musical."     
 
 
 
 
vinyl LP front cover detail 


Two musicals were the bombs that blew open the sacred doors of the "Temple of Musicals"; two years earlier West Side Story was the first and Gypsy with Ethel Merman, in the role of Rose, was the second bomber who set off the blast!         


vinyl LP front cover 
 illustrations by Oscar Liebman
photo of album cover by Styrous®


On August 12th in 1961, I had just turned 21 and I saw the touring company of the Broadway musical, Gypsy; Sandra Church had dropped out of the show as Gypsy Rose Lee but Ethel Merman was still playing the role of Rose and she was indeed, dynamite. Little did I anticipate that 15 or so years later I would be using music from this show when I worked the girls at the hungy i in San Francisco.      
 
 

 
 






As the play is about the famous burlesque stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee, the songs were made to order for the strippers at the club. You Gotta Have A Gimmick is the ultimate description of what a good stripper must do and have to succeed. Then Let Me Entertain You is innuendo at its very best; it would have been a perfect vehicle for Mae West. What a shame she did not sing it at some point during her career.    
 



In 1962 Gypsy was captured on film with Natalie Wood taking on the role of Gypsy Rose Lee and Rosalind Russell as her mother, Rose.       
 
 
Gypsy poster - 1962
 
 
An interesting note: in the musical Jack Klugman of The Odd Couple fame, has the role of Herbie, in the film version, Karl Malden assumes that role.        



vinyl LP front cover details 
 illustrations by Oscar Liebman
detail photos of album cover by Styrous®























photos by Styrous®






photos by Styrous®


   
Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - Overture    4:45
A2 - May We Entertain You, Vocals, Jacqueline Mayro, Karen Moore - 1:12
A3 - Some People, Vocals, Ethel Merman - 3:37
A4 - Small World, Vocals – Ethel Merman - 2:15
A5 - Baby June And Her Newsboys, Vocals – Billy Harris (2), Bobby Brownell, Gene Castle, Jacqueline Mayro, Karen Moore, Steve Curry - 1:35
A6 - Mr. Goldstone, I Love You, Vocals – Ethel Merman - 2:21
A7 - Little Lamb, Vocals – Sandra Church (2) - 2:35
A8 - You'll Never Get Away From Me, Vocals – Ethel Merman, Jack Klugman - 2:28
A9 - Dainty June and her Farmboys, Vocals – Lane Bradbury, Sandra Church (2) - 2:17

Side 2:

B1 - If Mama Was Married, Vocals – Lane Bradbury, Sandra Church (2) - 2:47
B2 - All I Need Is The Girl, Vocals – Paul Wallace (2) - 4:32
B3 - Everything's Coming Up Roses, Vocals – Ethel Merman - 3:04
B4 - Together, Vocals – Ethel Merman, Jack Klugman, Sandra Church (2) - 2:43
B5 - You Gotta Have A Gimmick, Vocals – Chotzi Foley, Faith Dane, Maria Karnilova - 3:33
B6 - Let Me Entertain You, Vocals – Sandra Church (2) - 2:53
B7 - Rose's Turn, Vocals – Ethel Merman - 4:18 

Credits:

    Arranged By [Dance Music] – Betty Wahlberg, John Kander
    Illustration – Oscar Liebman
    Lyrics By – Stephen Sondheim
    Music By – Jule Styne
    Written-By [Book By] – Arthur Laurents
    Music Director – Milton Rosenstock
    Orchestrated By – Robert Ginzler, Sid Ramin
    Producer – Goddard Lieberson
    Sleeve Notes – George B. Dale*
    Vocals [Baby June] – Jacqueline Mayro
    Vocals [Baby Louise] – Karen Moore
    Vocals [Dainty June] – Lane Bradbury
    Vocals [Electra] – Chotzi Foley
    Vocals [Herbie] – Jack Klugman
    Vocals [Louise] – Sandra Church (2)
    Vocals [Mazeppa] – Faith Dane
    Vocals [Rose] – Ethel Merman
    Vocals [Tessie Tura] – Maria Karnilova
    Vocals [Tulsa] – Paul Wallace (2)
 
Ethel Merman, Jule Styne And Stephen Sondheim – Gypsy - A Musical Fable
Label: Columbia – OL 5420
Format: Vinyl, LP, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1959
Genre: Stage & Screen
Style: Musical
 
 
 
 
         
Viewfinder links:        
         
hungry i articles            
Jack Klugman        
Gypsy Rose Lee      
Oscar Liebman           
Ethel Merman         
Rosalind Russell        
Stephen Sondheim        
Jule Styne         
Mae West       
        
Net links:        
        
         
        
         
        
        
YouTube links:        
         
Sandra Church ~ Let Me Entertain You         
Natalie Wood ~ Let Me Entertain You          
Faith Dane, Chotzi Foley & Maria Karnilova ~ You Gotta Have a Gimmick  
Betty Bruce, Faith Dane & Roxanne Arlen ~ You Gotta Have a Gimmick (1961)     
        
        
         
        
        
        
Styrous® ~ Sunday, July 19, 2020       
       
















 

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