References to Movie Stars in Lyrics of Musicals

The threads on Hollywood stars on the off-topic board got me to thinking of how many references there were to movie stars in the lyrics of musicals. Quite a few. Here are some I've come up with. Perhaps others can add to the list.

Valentino- Homesick Blues (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)
Autograph Song (Hazel Flagg)
The Great Lover Tango (Irene revival)
Mary Astor- The Truth (Little Me)
Fred Astaire- Do It the Hard Way (Pal Joey)
James Cagney- Broads Ain't People (Let It Ride)
Gina Lollobrigida- Italy (Ankles Aweigh)
Mae West- They Couldn't Compare to You (Out of This World)
Clara Bow - Chop Suey (Flower Drum Song)
Sandra Dee- I'm Blue Too (Henry, Sweet Henry)
John Wayne- Masculinity (La Cage aux Folles)

"You're the nose on the great Durante." ("You're the Top" from Anything Goes)

"I cook like Betty Crocker and look like Donna Reed." ("Somewhere That's Green" from Little Shop of Horrors)

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Clara Bow comes back a 3rd time (at least) in "Picture Show" in BONNIE AND CLYDE.
Popular girl, and easy to rhyme.

"Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee" from GREASE mentions Sandra, Annette, Troy Donahue, Sal Mineo, Doris Day and Rock Hudson, and the intro to "Beauty School Dropout" refers to Debbie Reynolds.

Rock popped up earlier in a song from BAJOUR called, I think, "Words, Words, Words" and Doris was referred to in "What Do We Do, We Fly" from DO I HEAR A WALTZ?

"Drop That Name" from BELLS ARE RINGING mentions too many people to mention. Jose Ferrer, Lucille Ball, Vivien Leigh, Roz Russell, Anthony Quinn, Elia Kazan...too many to mention!

"I Want It All" from BABY mentions Lauren Bacall, Katharine Hepburn, Lucille Ball and Donna Reed. (Donna McKechnie, too, although she is not exactly a movie star.)

Updated On: 12/7/14 at 11:03 AM

'All to Pieces' from Violet (and of course, other songs in the score) immediately come to mind. Gene Tierney, Eva Gardner, Cyd Charisse, the list goes on...

Sandra Dee, Bobby Darin and Clara Bow are mentioned in the lyrics for "Chop Suey" in the movie version of FLOWER DRUM SONG.

Updated On: 12/7/14 at 12:00 PM

Troy Donahue is mentioned in "Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love" from A CHORUS LINE.

Though technically not a "movie star" so was Robert Goulet

- National tour version of the Addams Family: "Was rehab right for Charlie Sheen?"

- In Honeymoon in Vegas I remember they mention Celine Dion and Elvis.

- Also in "Sandra Dee" from Grease they mention Elvis.

- Hedwig mentions Farrah Fawcett.

- Next to Normal: "I ain't no Frances Farmer kind of find for you!"

^ Mae West as well!

Little Shop of Horrors - ".. and I cook like Betty Crocker, and I look like Donna Reed."

"..tooling around like I was James Dean."

Anything Goes - "You're the top, you're Garbo's Salary... you're the nose on the great Durante... you're the nimble tread of the feet of Fred Astaire"

Applause - "I feel part Tijuana, part Boston; partly Jane Fonda and partly Jane Austen but alive" (But Alive), "With her falsies, leading Lew Ayers astray" ("Who's that Girl?", and "She got up early and pulled a Shirley MacLaine" (She's No Longer a Gypsy)

Saturday Night - "Look what's coming Valentino" and "You can start with a bagel and end up with Conrad Nagel on the screen", among others ("In the Movies")

Pal Joey - Zip "I've interviewed Leslie Howard, I've interviewed Noel Coward," "Zip, Rip Van Winkle on the screen would be smart
Zip, Tyrone Power will be cast in the part," in addition to the song's subject "Miss [Gypsy Rose] Lee"

The Truth About Ruth: The Musical Memoirs of a Bearded Lady, which played at the Actors Playhouse in 1994 had a wonderful song called "You're Unique" (lyrics by Peter Morris, music by Brad Ellis); I wish I could find the lyrics as they were very good and included references to at least one 30s movie star (can't recall but I think one was George Brent)

Garbo and Deitrich are mentioned in "The Most Beautiful Girl" from Jumbo

"I am unworthy of your love, Jodie, Jodie" - Assassins

Mack and Mabel is full of references to movie stars (besides Mabel Normand, of course) especially "Movies were Movies"

Debbie Reynolds is mentioned in "Why do the Wrong People Travel Travel Travel" from Sail Away

Updated On: 12/7/14 at 02:28 PM

I just heard Brad Pitt's name in Honeymoon in Vegas...

Think of Meryl Streep - Fame