ON YOUR TOES 1936-1937 FINAL PHOTOS POSTED- Page 3

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 11:42pm

Notice the wonderful painted scenery with built-in three dimensional props. This was an economical time to do a show this big

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/19/08 at 11:43pm

and more boobs on the back cover.

And really no shots of "Slaughter" which was probably being rehearsed separately (or costumed) when all the show photos were taken).

Updated On: 4/19/08 at 11:43 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 1:38am

Here's the sheet music for the Broadway production. The original copies will have no price. Later editions have 25 or 60 cent prices printed on them

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 1:42am

meanwhile back in London:

The show opened, got good and excellent revies and closed after a few weeks. They went out on the road and then came back into London. They only lasted 81 performances.

Nobody could be certain why it failed. There were tons of tourists in town for the Royal Coronation, tourism itself was up in 1937, but the British stayed away. Apparently they wanted something more frothy.

Like "Me and My Girl."

Lambeth beat Tenth Avenue hands down.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 1:44am

Jack Whiting had done many shows as second lead on Broadway. In England, he specialized in lead roles in American transfers (like "Anything Goes.")

He got great reviews for "On Your Toes."

Those glasses....

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 1:47am

Two different young ladies played Frankie Frayne, the girl who loves Junior even when he gets tangled up with that Russian woman. The first was Gina Malo (and personally they were both much prettier than Doris Carson who played the role on Broadway).

Updated On: 4/20/08 at 01:47 AM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 1:50am

When Jack Whiting was cast for the lead, they needed a ballet star to play Vera Barnova. A young woman had caught one of the creator's eye (I leave it to you to figure that out) and she was shipped over to London with the orchestra parts.

Vera Zorina was beautiful even before Hollywood replucked her eyebrows, changed her hairline and fixed her teeth.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 1:52am

This is what she looked like after Hollywood got their hands on her

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 1:54am

Vernon Kelso was no Montey Woolley but Olive Blakeney was a good substitute for Luella Gear. They shipped her back to Hollywood with the scripts, scenic designs and yes, the orchestra parts.

Updated On: 4/20/08 at 01:54 AM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 1:59am

Her teeth were seriously capped in Hollywood.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 11:27am

The pulse pounding conclusion tonight, including the curtain calls!!!!

[Scripps2]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 1:20pm

The 80s Broadway revival also transferred to London where the show had much greater success than its original London outing. Much was made of George Abbott coming over to direct and the media accorded massive respect to him.

I saw the production and found Slaughter on Tenth Avenue astounding; the score terrific as it moved from the serious to the light hearted ("the King and his cronies, took cocktails at Tony's") and as I recall, the star entrance of the ballerina (I saw Makarova's understudy, which is still a bit of a disappointment today) from beneath the papers scattered over the bed, was astonishing.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 1:52pm

Thanks for all of these, AllofMyLife! I'm fascinated by Tamara Geva.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 2:04pm

I saw Makarova as Vera Barnova several times in New York and once in London. The London production was spot on, and, at the Palace Theatre, played just where it had fifty years earlier. I was living in London at the time and I often walked by the theatre, which had, if I'm not too hazy, a huge sign made of the title letters.

There is youtube footage of a portion of the ballet with Lara Teeter and Makarova, but it in no way does justice to seeing her in the incredibly zero-body-fat flesh.

Remeber she defected in 1960, so by the early 80s, she'd been dancing a long time. In retrospect, she reminds me of Tamara Toumanova's hilarious turn as Madam Petrovka in Billy Wilder's "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" which, BTW, I cannot reccommend highly enough. If you haven't seen this wonderful, bittersweet film, get your hands on a copy. It's funny and knowing and sad and breathtaking at the same time.

Adam Cooper's revival of the show a couple of years ago was okay, but he rechoreographed the Slaughter number (and most of the others) so that there was little authentic. In addition, there were no sets - a la "Encores" so it paled next to the original and the 83 version.

The movie with Eddie Albert SUCKS. HE CAN'T DANCE!!!! The Slaughter ballet is terrible EXCAPT, of course, for Zorina (note the one word name by then. Shades of Topol!)

However, the Pincess Zenobia ballet is fabulous because it is the pure Balanchine choreography and the pas de deux is an amazing swirl of interlocking arm gestures that floors me every time I watch it.

Here's a few photos from the movie.....

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 2:05pm

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 2:06pm

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 2:07pm

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 2:08pm

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 2:21pm

By the time the film came out, Zorina was being built up as a big star. Ads screamed "Are you ready for Zorina?"

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 2:23pm

Later tonight, Vera kisses Jack! and the finale....

Updated On: 4/20/08 at 02:23 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 6:55pm

There are no matching photos of a great deal of these shots in the New York production, so this is a chance to see things we've never seen before, including this backstage shot.

And Vera planting a big one on Jack who seems to be more excited than when Tamara kissed Ray...

Updated On: 4/20/08 at 06:55 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 6:58pm

Apparently a meeting of the Al Jolson Appreciation Society.

I have photos of my parents appearing in a minstrel show in the early 50s. Wow have times and attitudes changed.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 6:59pm

The four leads. When the magazine was published, Gina Malo had been replaced by Ms. Browne.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 7:03pm

Here's a clear shot of the Rooftop scene with the dancers during "Quiet Night."

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/20/08 at 7:04pm

As you can see, Vernon Kelso has adopted the same "Frankenstein Villager" stick that Monty Woolley used to prod Morrosine.

Updated On: 4/20/08 at 07:04 PM