Elisberg Industries
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Products
    • Books
    • Movies
  • About Elisberg Industries
    • Our Corporate Board
    • Information Overstock
    • Elisberg Industries Entertainment Information
    • Elisberg Statistical Center of American Research
    • Consultancy Service
  • Contact
    • How to Find Us
  • Kudos
  • Good Things to Know
    • The BOB Page
    • Sites You Might Actually Like
Decent Quality Since 1847

The Flip Side of Berlin

9/6/2014

2 Comments

 
Okay, now that I'm in Berlin, you've likely noticed that -- since I'm sort of swamped with the IFA tech trade show -- I do try to keep posting, and so I like to put up stories here about Berlin.  And so it is today, as well, of course.  So, here's another story about Berlin -- though this one perhaps a bit different, since it's Irving Berlin.

Back on the fourth of July, I wrote a story here about a quintessential flag-waving Irving Berlin song, "This is a Great Country, was the last original Irving Berlin song heard in a musical on Broadway.  And as such, a great way to go out.

It turns out that while I was correct in spirit, I wasn't correct in reality.  What I was thinking of was the last original Irving Berlin musical, which was Mr. President.  But as a new reader here -- who we shall refer to as R -M, because that's how the comment is signed, and who are we to argue? --belatedly noted, Irving Berlin actually wrote a new song for the 1966 revival of Annie Get Your Gun.  Not only that, but R-M said that it was a quintessential Irving Berlin song and a great way to go out.  And so it is.

The song is "Old-Fashioned Wedding."  And what makes it such an Irving Berlin song is its use of counterpoint, something he loved to write -- and write so wonderfully -- in songs such as "You're Just in Love" and "Play a Simple Melody," among others.

So, here, is the last original Irving Berlin song heard on Broadway, albeit in a revival.  This video is from a revival of that revival, this done in 1999 with Bernadette Peters and Tom Wopat (yes, from The Dukes of Hazzard), with a short version of "Old-Fashioned Wedding."  It's from the 53rd Tony Awards, and don't mind the subtitles from Japanese television, which is clearly where this video was posted from.

As a bonus, if you'd like to hear the original and full version of the song from that 1966 Lincoln Center revival with Ethel Merman -- re-creating her original role from the 1950 production -- here it is.  This is from the TV production done a year later, with Merman and Bruce Yarnell, who had also starred in the Lincoln Center revival.

This TV production is infamous for apparently being lost to the ages.  Only one video that I'm aware of exists, which I posted here a while back.  But here's the audio of "Old-Fashioned Wedding," which includes Ethel Merman going hilariously (and it sounds intentionally) Ethel Merman-crazy at the 3:39 mark.
2 Comments
R-M Sarilo
9/8/2014 04:26:56 am

Oh, wow -- now I suddenly feel almost famous myself! I take the joke (and possible clandestine chastisement) in good grace: one of course should sign properly at a blog like this, and I’ve now added my surname as well.

On a counterpoint note (heh): thank you for the two clips. I’ve a slight preference for the Merman version, mainly because I never really liked the 1999 orchestrations. I mean, if you’ve got the nerve to revamp Robert Russell Bennett, make sure you’re better -- and he’s a tough act to follow.

There is a tangential anecdote about Berlin, and after a bit of rummaging I managed to find it in Laurence Bergreen's biography of Berlin (<i>As Thousands Cheer,</i> p. 398):

’George Gershwin’s counterpoint song, ”Mine,” happened to come over the radio, and Stone [Ezra Stone, director of 'This Is the Army'] automatically said, ”That’s my favorite song.” He wanted to bite his tongue as soon as he spoke, but it was too late: ”I could feel the blast and the chill.”

”Why?” Berlin asked. ”Why is it your favorite song, Ezra?”

Stone fumbled for an answer. ”Well, I guess because it has two melodies and two sets of lyrics, and it’s unique.”

”It’s an old trick. I’ve used it many times.” And with that he dismissed Stone’s—and Gershwin’s—challenge to his primacy.’

I’ve often marvelled at Berlin’s skill at counterpoint: some of Sondheim’s counterpoint songs sound clumsier, and his musical education is approximately 3.9 fantastillion times more thorough than Berlin’s. Small wonder they said that ”Irving Berlin is American music.”

As said, since this was the last Berlin song the world came to know, he went out with a high note. Probably only Oscar Hammerstein II can compare with ’Edelweiss,’ which is also something of an encapsulation of a Rodgers & Hammerstein song.

However, a mention of this one last song of its composer’s is curiously fitting right now as you’ve come from Berlin to Los Angeles, namely Kurt Weill’s 'This Time Next Year'. Not perhaps a representative Weill song, but it acquires a certain tragic irony when its melancholy hopefulness is contrasted by the composer suffering a massive and fatal heart attack soon after while working with Maxwell Anderson on a musical version of Huckleberry Finn (which probably would have been a stinker, given Anderson’s penchant for archness).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gJjvrTW0wU

Sorry about the excessive length of this -- and welcome back!

Reply
Robert Elisberg
9/8/2014 05:17:25 am

R-M, After reading this website, if you think I would ever chastise someone for writing things that are long, you are quite mistaken. Long and interesting is far preferable to short and empty. Your note was terrific, thanks.

(And no deep chiding was meant about no last time. While I prefer full, real names, I was mainly just making clear why I was simply referring to someone as "R-M".)

There's a wonderful BBC special from maybe 20 years ago about George Abbott well-worth tracking down if it's possible. "Mr. Abbott's Broadway." There's a wonderful story Russell Nype tells about Berlin being asked to write a counterpoint song for "Call Me Madam" because the show needed a boost. He came back with "You're Just in Love." (And the show then mixes together a lovely version of Nype today singing with old footage of Merman "re-doing" the song together.)

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Elisberg Industries gets a commission if you click here before shopping on Amazon.
    Picture
    Follow @relisberg

    Author

    Robert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. 

    Elisberg is a two-time recipient of the Lucille Ball Award for comedy screenwriting. He's written for film, TV, the stage, and two best-selling novels, is a regular columnist for the Writers Guild of America and was for
    the Huffington Post.  Among his other writing, he has a long-time column on technology (which he sometimes understands), and co-wrote a book on world travel.  As a lyricist, he is a member of ASCAP, and has contributed to numerous publications.



    Picture
           Feedspot Badge of Honor

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    Audio
    Audio Land
    Books
    Business
    Chicago
    Consumer Product
    Education
    Email Interview
    Entertainment
    Environment
    Fine Art
    Food
    From The Management
    Health
    History
    Huffery
    Humor
    International
    Internet
    Journalism
    Law
    Los Angeles
    Media
    Morning News Round Up
    Movies
    Music
    Musical
    Personal
    Photograph
    Piano Puzzler
    Politics
    Popular Culture
    Profiles
    Quote Of The Day
    Radio
    Religion
    Restaurants
    Science
    Sports
    Technology
    Tech Tip
    Theater
    The Writers Workbench
    Tidbits
    Travel
    Tv
    Twitter
    Video
    Videology
    Well Worth Reading
    Words-o-wisdom
    Writing

    RSS Feed

© Copyright Robert J. Elisberg 2023
Contact Us    About EI    Chicago Cubs
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Products
    • Books
    • Movies
  • About Elisberg Industries
    • Our Corporate Board
    • Information Overstock
    • Elisberg Industries Entertainment Information
    • Elisberg Statistical Center of American Research
    • Consultancy Service
  • Contact
    • How to Find Us
  • Kudos
  • Good Things to Know
    • The BOB Page
    • Sites You Might Actually Like