Is there a staged version of "Too Many Girls"?

[soapguy17]

Posted: 5/6/06 at 4:08pm

I saw the movie on TMC yesterday and I was wondering.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 5/6/06 at 4:11pm

Yes, it's the show that made Desi Arnaz a star:

http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=13187

[leefowler]

Posted: 5/6/06 at 4:16pm

Too Many Girls was a stage show originally, so the answer would be yes. It opened at the Imperial theatre in 1939, and was directed by George Abbott, who also directed the movie. I don't know who owns the rights, but I would assume it's the Rodgers and Hammerstein people, since it's a Rodgers and Hart musical. If you put it on, you might consider cutting the song "Spic And Spanish", or you might get picketed!

By the way, I think Desi Arnaz ( who was in the Broadway version) met Lucille Ball while filming the movie version.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 5/6/06 at 7:36pm

"If you put it on, you might consider cutting the song "Spic And Spanish", or you might get picketed!"

Ya know, lee...I wonder if that's a reason this terrific show isn't done more often.

This film was among the fastest Broadway-to-Hollywood transfers. It had barely closed on Broadway and a good number of the original cast was whisked away to RKO to do the film, which was released to theaters within two or three months. In Desi's biography he particularly regretted the fact that Broadway's Diosa Costello ("and her fine Puerto Rican ass" quoth Mr. Arnaz) was replaced by Ann Miller. But Diosa was not forgotten by RKO, and popped up in the forgotten THEY MET IN ARGENTINA the following year (1941) with a surprisingly forgettable Rogers & Hart score.
TOO MANY GIRLS film

Updated On: 5/6/06 at 07:36 PM

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 5/6/06 at 7:41pm

Since, to my knowledge, the show has never had a major revival in about 60 years (but for the Equity Library Theatre production), I suspect the materials are no longer available or in a hideous state of disarray.




Ensign Lisa Minnelli
French Polynesia
Updated On: 5/6/06 at 07:41 PM

[soapguy17]

Posted: 5/6/06 at 8:03pm

"the show has never had a major revival in about 60 years"
So I'm guessing no one on this board has seen it.

[annamann]

Posted: 5/6/06 at 8:42pm

my college (pace univ. in pleasantville, ny) did a production- sort of- in 1976 or 77. I remember the director (one of the faculty) saying that the script was part of the pace library in new york. the score we worked off of were very murky photo copies.