Eeeeeeeeeeevenin' Ma'am!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 9:28pm

I've been obsessed with Most Happy Fella lately. Everytime I hear Susan Johnson's voice I almost swoon with pleasure. I've only heard here in MHF and a long forgotten recording of Whoop-up. What is her story? Why did a woman with such an amazing voice only star in 5 (?) shows and disappear after a decade. Sure she was in mostly flops, but she must have gotten dazzling notices...at least in Most Happy Fella. Did anyone on the board ever see her live? Did she record albums or play clubs? Who knows "The Susan Johnson Story"?

[elmore3003]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 10:16pm

I believe that Jo Sullivan Loesser told me she was retired and living in Florida. Johnson is also wonderful as Meg Brockie on the Columbia recording of BRIGADOON with Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy.

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 11:20pm

Totally don't know much about Susan Johnson but just here to express the love for "The Most Happy Fella". :)

love it.

[SoulMadeOfSong]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 11:23pm

Great show, great score- way underdone.

I played Doc in that one- but as a female. Interesting casting, but fun for me!

[NCGuy]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 12:10am

This is pretty exciting...the three episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show that Elvis appeared on are being released in their entirety on DVD in November. The cast of The Most Happy Fella performed the same night Elvis made his second appearance.

Susan Johnson singing “Big D” and Elvis singing “Love Me Tender"...who could ask for more than that!
Episode Breakdown for Elvis/Ed Sullivan DVDs

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 1:19am

I agree that Susan is one of Broadway's greatest treasures. That voice on Most Happy Fella, and also as Meg on a studio recording of Brigadoon (with Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy) is just incredible!

I had the rare treat of seeing Susan perform live at the Stephen Sondheim tribute in Los Angeles about 10 years ago. She sang "Who's That Woman?" from Follies and was completely sensational. Still had that rich, amazing huge voice after all these years.

You can see Susan as one of the singing nuns in the "Sister Act" movies.

Sadly she passed away in 2003 of emphysema.

EDIT: Here's the (out of print?) CD recording of the tribute I saw here in L.A. Check out Track #11 on the first CD:

http://www.footlight.com/product.cfm?product_id=3552

Updated On: 8/21/06 at 01:19 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 1:22am

Here's another treat for you...

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/3407934/a/Previously+Unreleased+Live+Performances.htm

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 1:54am

Would'ja mind sayin' that again?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 11:58am

"eeeeeeeevenin' Ma'am!"

Thanks for the tips. It's amazing to me that someone so gifted could rise and fall and pretty much be unremembered just a few years later-- especially since Big D was a big hit! No one has any idea what happened to her? She wasn't back on broadway after 1960 but lived another 40 years!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 12:05pm

Johnson was involved in a terrible car accident in the 60s. I think that was one of the things that took her out of the business for many years. She also married, had children and I think, like Karen Morrow, became a little frustrated at having a career as leads in flop Broadway shows, and so she left the business for good.

She continued to do the occassional regional theatre gig near Sacramento where she eventually settled, but ironically, mostly in non singing roles like Big Mama in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF and BAREFOOT IN THE PARK.

A great vocal talent to be sure.
Updated On: 8/21/06 at 12:05 PM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 1:05pm

There's a recording from the early '90s called Life's a Funny Present, that features songs from Broadway flops and road closers. Johnson is featured, singing a song called "Indestructible Kate". She sounds like a bass baritone, but it's still clearly her, and her performance is droll and witty. Especially a lyric about doing a dance of the seven veils, "but I take off eight! Count 'em!"

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 2:20pm

thanks MB-- I wondered if there had been an injury or illness that took her away. Anyone know what she was like off-stage? I imagine a musical bio-pic, but can't imagine who has the chops to play her nowadays.

It's sad to hear she was frustrated in her career but I can imagine-- MHF was a sensation, she got great reviews and awards then flop after flop. (Whoop up was supposedly particularly disastrous, but her numbers are wonderful!)

[elmore3003]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 2:59pm

"Indestructible Kate" is from Jerome Kern's SWEET ADELINE. It was written by Irene Franklin who played Lulu. Dorothy Loudon played the role and did the song in the Encores! revival.

[IssaMe]

Posted: 8/22/06 at 9:41am

The recording of her various TV live performances listed above at cd universe has a very detailed story of her life in the liner notes...should answer many of your questions.

It is a terrific CD highlighting her stupendous talent and delicious sense of humour (she was one funny lady!)

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/22/06 at 11:59am

I've known a few people who worked with Susan Johnson during her Broadway years: she was a real Broadway gypsy who worked her way up through the chorus ranks: her first job was as soprano understudy to Fiona in BRIGADOON. In something of a freak accident, during one performance both understudies for Meg Brockie were unable to go on and Susan was thrown into the part last minute. Nobody, including Johnson, apparently, knew that she was capable of that glorious belt, and certainly that moment changed her career entirely.

I heard Jo Sullivan-Loesser talk about Johnson once and she described her as delightful and bawdy with a deliciously dirty mouth. She cussed like a sailor and smoked like a chimney. The "life of the party." She was very well liked and her absence was definitely missed after she retired to Sacramento.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/22/06 at 12:23pm

I saw Susan Johnson in The Most Happy Fella, a couple of times, Oh Captain! and Donnybrook! She was fine but nowhere near the performer that those who never saw her make her out to be. On the other hand, in retrospect she was much better than most of the featured performers of today are (and many of today's stars, also). Johnson, like Barbara Cook, was someone who worked a lot during that era and didn't get the reputation, at the time, that others had. After all, this was the era of Merman, Martin, and Verdon.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/22/06 at 1:25pm

Tom14850 --- Interesting perspective. I'm glad you weighed in on this!

All we have to go on are the audio recordings... and that VOICE... man, oh man.

But experiencing a stage performance is an entirely different thing.

I saw her do one number, ten years ago at a benefit. She was terrific... but (obviously) way past her prime. She got a lot of laughs though... and you could hear that incredibly rich voice, still shining through.

It's funny, because I felt the exact opposite about Michael Crawford in Phantom of the Opera. I thought he was completely forgettable on the cast recording (which I heard first), but when I saw him live, it was pure magic.

Cast recordings are not always a good reflection of what was experienced in a theatre.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 8/22/06 at 1:32pm

I heard she was a slob! She always had oil all over her a dress.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/22/06 at 1:38pm

Did anyone else notice that those Sullivan discs include a performance of Dorothy Sarnoff from the original cast of The King and I singing "Something Wonderful"?

And a Carol Burnett comedy routine with songs.