Pal Joey '78 - Lena Horne

[Carlos Danger]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 10:15am

 

This one's for the grown-ups:

I just got wind of an updated all-black version of "Pal Joey" re-titled "Pal Joey '78" which starred Lena Horne as "Vera", Clifton Davis as "Joey" and Josephine Premice as "Melba".

From what I've read this production was a mess from start to finish. The show's original director Gower Champion quit - or was fired, depending on the source. Lena was in full scale "Diva" mode - having the show specifically tailored to her and having Premice's songs cut in fear that she would be upstaged. Clifton Davis was in full blown "coke" mode at this point in his career, a fact he has admitted to.

The show's book and dialogue were heavily "jived up" in an effort to give it some "soul" which in the end came out not only forced but inauthentic.

The musical arrangements by Motown veteran Gil Askey were also given a do-over.

It got mercilessly panned and never made it to New York.

Did anyone here get to see it? Was it as misguided as the accounts I have read have made it out to be?

Updated On: 8/28/17 at 10:15 AM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 10:23am

You intrigued me so I googled.

What I found, however, is that Premice played not Gladys but Melba.  Melba ordinarily only has one song, "Zip."  So this makes me wonder if perhaps the buzz that Horne played Diva (was that her reputation? I never heard that) to cut Premice's songs might just be gossip.

[Carlos Danger]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 10:56am

henrikegerman said: "You intrigued me so I googled.

What I found, however, is that Premice played not Gladys but Melba.  Melba ordinarily only has one song, "Zip."  So this makes me wonder if perhaps the buzz that Horne played Diva (was that her reputation? I never heard that) to cut Premice's songs might just be gossip.

 

Thanks for the correction re: Premice's role.

I found some info from the Lena Horne biography "Stormy Weather". Premice co-starred with Horne in the Broadway musical "Jamaica", I think their differences - - - or Horne's dislike of her started there. In the bio it says that Horne initially tried to bar Premice's hiring and then thought better of it. She also requested that Premice's solo, "Zip" be changed to a duet between herself and Premice as to not be upstaged. 

She also (according to the bio) threw her long time friend Claude Thompson - - - the show's choreographer under the bus, which got him fired and then she gave him the cold shoulder treatment which effectively put an end to their 20+ year friendship.
 

Updated On: 8/28/17 at 10:56 AM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 11:02am

Thanks for the update, Carlos.

On a not all that related note, kind of cool that June Havoc was the original Gladys, and that Melba's song, "Zip," is about an interview with Havoc's real life sister, Gypsy Rose Lee.  

Updated On: 8/28/17 at 11:02 AM

[Carlos Danger]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 12:39pm

henrikegerman said: "Thanks for the update, Carlos.

On a not all that related note, kind of cool that June Havoc was the original Gladys, and that Melba's song, "Zip," is about an interview with Havoc's real life sister, Gypsy Rose Lee.  

In researching and re-acquainting myself with the show I came across that bit info and got a chuckle out of it. Very cool indeed.

 

[David10086]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 3:19pm

Though I was only 14 at the time, I would have loved to have seen this. This and "Lady and Her Music" - but that was a good 10-15 years before I fully appreciated the magic of Broadway.