Question re: ANYONE CAN WHISTLE Related Print I Got At The Flea Market

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/26/11 at 9:41am

I bought this print at the flea market because I'd never seen it before and when I talked him down from $50 to $10, I thought "what the hell" (and I think it's really rather beautiful). I was told it was a print of a drawing made after the reviews for ANYONE CAN WHISTLE came out and given to Sondheim and the cast. The artist Jim Pearsall was the man who did the artwork for CHINATOWN, however I'm not sure his affiliation with WHISTLE. I tried googling but nothing came up...

You can't really tell in this picture but the arrow going through the heart is actually a string of critics names - Walter Kerr, John Chapman, Richard Watts & Howard Taubman.

Furthermore, I was told at the Flea Market that there are only 2 of the actual art pieces in existence and this was very rare for a print to be made of them. I have absolutely no idea how true this is and for all I know everyone and their mother could have this but I was curious if anyone here knew a little history on it...


Updated On: 9/26/11 at 09:41 AM

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 9/26/11 at 10:04am

Am not familiar with the print, which is pretty cool. The show, which opened to the critics on Saturday night, April 4, 1964, after 12 previews, received a majority of pans from the then seven daily newspapers: the Herald Tribune (Walter Kerr, arguably the most important critic of the day), the Daily News (Chapman), the Post (Watts) and the all-important Times (Taubman). Thus, the arrow through the heart is most appropriate. Its best notices came from two now-forgotten afternoon dailies, the World Telegram (Norman Nadel) and Journal American (John McClain), but the die was cast, and the show closed after 9 regular performances on Saturday night, April 11.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/26/11 at 6:09pm

Nobody else?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/27/11 at 2:59pm

God, this is killing me! Nobody really knows any history of this?? I'm dying to know what his affiliation with this show was!

[newintown]

Posted: 9/27/11 at 3:00pm

You should find Harvey Evans and ask him. He's a sweet guy who would help, I bet.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/27/11 at 3:02pm

What's his screen name on Grindr?

[newintown]

Posted: 9/27/11 at 3:04pm

Hogeye.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/27/11 at 3:06pm

Wasn't that a character on M*A*S*H?

[newintown]

Posted: 9/27/11 at 3:08pm

No, he was an agent of S*M*E*R*S*H.

[andsym9001]

Posted: 9/27/11 at 10:19pm

I bought this print also. I dont know if this means we both got duped but the guy said there were only three copies made and that the one he gave me was supposed to go to arthur laurents but he is no longer with us so he was selling it at the flea market.