Ruby Keeler/"I Want To Be Happy"/No No Nannette

[Flippancy]

Posted: 4/8/08 at 1:36pm

Does anyone know if there is any archival video footage of Keeler and company doing the "I Want To Be Happy" number?

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 4/9/08 at 5:10am

I think they did this routine on the 1972 Tony awards. Van & Gallagher did the You Can Dance with Any Girl routine and I think Keeler and Company did the Happy tap.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/9/08 at 7:32am

I still have the 1972 show on VHS. I'll look for the No No Nannette segment and put it on YouTube.

[Flippancy]

Posted: 4/9/08 at 8:52am

Pal,

THANKS SO MUCH for putting the Happy tap number on youtube! I don't know why, but I've always been curious to see it. It sounds so exciting on the cast album. I recently got the book "The Making of No No Nannette" from the library for a little light reading, and it reawakened those "yearning" feelings to see the number. Thanks again.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 4/9/08 at 8:56am

I <3 The Making of No, No, Nanette. It was def. the best of my Christmas presents last year.

[puppetman2]

Posted: 4/9/08 at 1:40pm

The number was terrific in the theater. There was a long staircase on both sides of the set. Miss Keeler entered at the top and started down. You could head the taps on her shoes and everyone sort of sat up knowing what must be coming. Then she got to stage level and started the number. Of course it stopped the show.
I checked Blue Gobo site and there is no clip of it there.

Updated On: 4/12/08 at 01:40 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/9/08 at 2:41pm

One of the highlights of my theatre-going life. Bobby Van WOW and Ruby Keeler - electric. The audience really did sit up and lap it up when she danced.

I knew Harry Rigby, who conceived the production and had it, shall we say - appropriated out from under him. He was as interesting as the whole show.

Oh well, he made a fortune a few years later with "Irene" and "Sugar Babies" so it all evened out.

And nobody's mentioned the amazing program, with illustrations by Hilary Knight ("Eloise"). That's a collector's item.

Updated On: 4/10/08 at 02:41 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/9/08 at 2:41pm

oh and where's the youtube stuff?

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/9/08 at 4:18pm

On youtube.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/9/08 at 5:21pm

Well. Confirmed. The following was performed at the 1972 Tony Awards:

From NO, NO NANETTE: A medley was performed -- Helen Gallagher and Bobby Van performed "You Can Dance With Any Girl" and Ruby Keeler and company performed "I Want To Be Happy".

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/9/08 at 9:53pm

Gee, CPD, did you hire writers for that clever reply?

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 4/10/08 at 12:11am

allofmylife, when did she go to prison and for what?

I know that after "Nanette" she produced the flop "Doctor Jazz" with many of the creative team from "Nanette" and wasn't there a production of an old Gershwin musical that closed out of town?

But what happened then?

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/10/08 at 2:45am

Sondheimboy2, Ooopps. That was two different messages fused together by accident.

I have no idea how that happened. So sorry.

Hope nobody takes offense.

Updated On: 4/10/08 at 02:45 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/10/08 at 11:36pm

Okay found the tape--wow! What a treasure trove of a show that was! The 25th anniversary of the Tonys, all those stars recreating their famous numbers, Sondheim wins his first awards (one for music, one for lyrics) and Elaine Stritch LOSES...

...to Helen Gallagher?!?!?

Now I have to find the Ruby Keeler number.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/11/08 at 12:17am

Sounds like you have a collection to rival Miles Kruger.

Updated On: 4/11/08 at 12:17 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/11/08 at 12:28am

Who knows? This tape might have come from him!

I'm up to Maureen Stapleton winning for Best Actress--but no Ruby Keeler number yet...

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/11/08 at 12:37am

Just watched the whole show.

No Ruby Keeler number.

[alterego]

Posted: 4/11/08 at 3:13am

Shouldn't it have been the 1971 Tony's? It opened January 1971.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/11/08 at 3:17am

I guess I'll be unhappy,
Til Pal you make me happy.
Try looking at 1971 too.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 4/11/08 at 4:26am

It's not the 1971 show that the NANETTE scenes were on...it was the following year (1972) where FOLLIES loses Best musical to TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA.

No, NO NO was not even a nominee that year but they devoted air time to it anyhow....and not a note from FOLLIES!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/11/08 at 7:48am

Well this was the Tonys at which Helen Gallagher beat Elaine Stritch and Raoul Pene Du Bois and Donald Saddler won.

Ruby Keeler came out and gave an award to someone.

But there were no performances from the nominated shows--just the incredible aprade of 25th Anniversary performances and the actual awards.

Perhaps they performed on some other award show...or maybe this videotape, which I received from a collector years ago, had those numbers from nominated shows removed for some reason.

Anyway...it was fun to see Sondheim win--twice!

[Smaxie]

Posted: 4/11/08 at 8:05am

PalJoey, did you see the message above from Front Row? The Nanette performance is on the '72 broadcast. It's good, but it looks a bit smaller than how it was performed in the show. Plus, since they just perform in front of a backdrop, you miss that crazy moment where the dancers come rushing in from every corner of the house for the company tap section.

[nmartin]

Posted: 4/11/08 at 8:23am

The Making of No, No, Nannettte is such a great book. Harry Rigby, Cyma Rubin, Patsy Kelly and Busby Berkeley..what's not to love?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/11/08 at 9:29am

Oh well, sorry. I don't have that show.

[alterego]

Posted: 4/11/08 at 10:40am

Someone somwhere must have it. I remember seeing the truncated NANETTE numbers and something from VERONA. As I said, someone somewhere?

Thanks for your trouble anyway PalJoey.