ON YOUR TOES 1936-1937 FINAL PHOTOS POSTED- Page 2

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 6:39pm

These were very expensive tickets for 1936, which was still in the Depression. $2.20 for the front of the Balcony is a sure sign the show was a hit.

Updated On: 4/19/08 at 06:39 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 6:47pm

One of the curious features of the show was that the cover artwork was reworked by Bonel, the same artists who did the Broadway souvenir program. The boobs were left intact (in fact, perhaps even more fleshy) but the detail was removed. Not sure why they did this.

These programs are very rare (as are any from the period due to age and the massive paper drives of the 1940s which apparently recycled 75% of ALL paper in America.). I paid almost two hundred dollars on eBay for the Broadway program, one week after an ABSOLUTELY mint, unopened copy was sold by a guy I know for almost five hundred. He was stunned when the bidding went that high.

I was stunned to get mine for less than half that price.

Updated On: 4/19/08 at 06:47 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 6:56pm

Here is the original artwork for Hirschfeld's illustration of the OBC. That's Ray Bolger in the fg, over Tamara Geva. It's hard to see from the scan but there is a thin blue ink wash over the artwork which was translated by the Times printers into a ben-day pattern of gray dots to represent the spotlight.

Updated On: 4/19/08 at 06:56 PM

[thatgirl712]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 7:04pm

This is really wonderful


Diane

[ahmelie]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 7:19pm

Wow! These are beautiful. I've always learned of On Your Toes being an important landmark in the history of musical theatre, with Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.

These pictures are so beautiful, and I absolutely adore the artwork of the souvenir program.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 7:42pm

Here's a snapshot taken of young Ray Bolger during the run of the show. Note all the hair.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 7:47pm

And this is Tamara Geva, the first woman to play Vera Barnova. This shot was taken while she was starring in Balieff's "Chauvre-Souris" which was basically a phony "Russian" production, "Straight from The Volga" which featured the talents of expatriot Russian stars.

In reality, many of the "stars" were obscure actors who gave themselves Russian names to sound authentic.

One was Eva Brigitta Hartwig from Germany. She changed her name to Vera Zorina.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 7:51pm

Here's a wonderful and rare candid shot taken by one of the cast from the wings, stage right, during a run-through. Bolger as Junior Dolan is in the center, dressed in blackface (the joke is, he was pulled in to sub for an ailing dancer and nobody told him he's be dancing in just shorts, so his black makeup ends at his neck).

Over Bolger's left shoulder, watching from the opposite wing, is young George Balanchine.

Oh, and as you can see, the striped tights worn by the women in a previous photo are now worn by the men kneeling in the right.

Updated On: 4/19/08 at 07:51 PM

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 7:55pm

Thanks so much for these photos! I adore Ray Bolger, and it's terrific to see these pictures from such an early point in his career.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 8:06pm

I heard a great story about Tamara Geva. Apparently she decided not to do the tour following Broadway. Another actress was hired and rehearsed. Tamara showed up on opening night, backstage, in full costume and had to be physically restrained from going on.

I'll bet she was a bundle of fun.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 8:06pm

An older Jack Whiting was in Jule Styne's unsuccessful 1953 musical HAZEL FLAGG which played the Mark Hellinger. It had a disappointing score, but Whiting's song "Every Street's A Boulevard in Old New York" was a hit, and deservedly so.

Your photos are just plain wonderful.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 8:09pm

Thanks for the compliment. I have many more to come.

[folkyboy]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 8:26pm

looking at these pictures makes me think of another famous Ray Bolger show: By Jupiter. do you happen to have anything from that show to share?

these pictures are AMAZING! i am a bit obsessed with this period on Broadway and love reading about it. Ethan Mordden talks quite a bit about it in his book about 30s musicals. i just got done reading his book on the 40s musicals and he spoke so eloquently about By Jupiter and it made me wanna learn more

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 8:36pm

I'll look and see what I have on later R&H (1) shows when I get down to the storage locker.

Here's a great profile of Tamara Geva

[folkyboy]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 8:37pm

i'm so jealous!

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 8:56pm

Never been able to get a copy of this one. And I have over one hundred different copies, but no "On Your Toes."

Updated On: 4/19/08 at 08:56 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 9:02pm

But I do have this.

There is only a small ad for the show inside.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 9:08pm

Here's the ad

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 9:21pm

These images are absolutely incredible, allofmylife.

Thanks SO much for sharing them!

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 9:26pm

Here's the cover of the original program on Broadway, before it moved to The Majestic.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 9:28pm

I'm going to go off and do the writing I get paid for (hey, it pays for the scanners) and then I'll bring this to a great finale with all the British stuff and the other souvenir pages.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 11:38pm

We're taking the souvenir program home, Abner!

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 11:39pm

Notice the gratuitous pretty girl on each page. All Rodgers and Hart shows (and most other "sophisticated" show of the 30s ) did this.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 11:40pm

Pucker up, you lucky so-and-so

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 11:41pm

"It's got to be love...."