Musical (1955)


Musique: Sammy Fain
Paroles: Dan Shapiro
Livret: Guy Bolton
Production à la création:

The plot centers on Hollywood starlet Wynne, who violates a clause in her contract by marrying Navy flyer Bill while filming a movie in Sicily. With the aid of her sister Elsey and two of her husband's service buddies, Wynne disguises herself as a sailor and stows away on his ship. When they reach Morocco, Bill finds himself accused of participating in an espionage ring, and he and his bride must find a way to absolve him of the charges so they can live happily ever after.

An unusually hectic and hilarious honeymoon centres on a Hollywood starlet, Wynne, who, while on location in Sicily and in defiance of her contract, is secretly married to Navy flyer Bill Kelley who is on manoeuvers in the Mediterranean. The actress, with the aid of her sister and stand-in, Elsey, and two of the lieutenant's pals, Dinky and Spud disguises herself as a sailor and stows away on his ship, the U.S.S. Alamo. When the ship sails for Morocco, Wynne and Kelley find themselves in the midst of a spy ring. Lucia, Kelley's old Moroccan flame and now the mistress of the leader of the spy ring, still harbours a grudge against the flyer for marrying someone other than herself. As revenge, she has him implicated in the espionage case. In the end he is absolved and winds up a hero, with the comic help of the two sisters and Dinky and Spud.

1 Ankles Aweigh peut-être considéré comme un Flop musical


By 1955, audiences had become accustomed to book musicals that seamlessly integrated dialogue scenes with musical numbers, so this throwback to vaudeville-style entertainment, complete with burlesque jokes, chorus girls, and impersonations of Marlene Dietrich and Zsa Zsa Gabor, was an anomaly for the times. Rodgers and Hammerstein invested in the show but made no creative contributions. During rehearsals, lead comic Myron McCormick was replaced by Lew Parker, and Sonny Tufts was fired in New Haven. Jerome Robbins spent two weeks revamping the show in Boston, to little avail.
The Broadway production, directed by Fred F. Finklehoffe and choreographed by Tony Charmoli, opened on April 18, 1955 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre, where it ran for 176 performances. The cast included real-life sisters Jane and Betty Kean as Wynne and Elsey, Mark Dawson as Bill, and Thelma Carpenter as featured singer Chipolata.
The producers immediately posted the closing notice, but Mark Hellinger owner Brady Farrell decided to keep the show running with his own financing. Broadway columnists Walter Winchell and Ed Sullivan's glowing reports failed to generate much business, and when salaries were cut to keep losses to a minimum, most of the major players quit in protest. After struggling for five months, the show finally closed at a loss of $340,000, $65,000 more than its initial investment.


01.Italy - Boys, Girls
02.Old Fashioned Mothers - Elsey, Wynne
03.Skip the Build-Up - Elsey, Dinky
04.Nothing At All - Wynne, Bill
05.Walk Like a Sailor - Wynne, Dinky, Spud, Girls, Elsey, Dancers
06.Headin' For the Bottom - Chipolata, Girls, Patrons of Nightspot
07.Nothing Can Replace a Man - Wynne, Boys
08.Here's to Dear Old Us - Elsey, Dinky, Spud
09.His and Hers - Wynne, Bill
10.La Festa - Natives, Boys, Girls, Soloist
11.Ready Cash - Croupiers, Gamblers
12.Kiss Me and Kill Me With Love - Wynne, Bill
13.Honeymoon - Elsey, Girls
14.The Villain Always Gets It - Boys, Girls
15.The Code - Joe's Henchmen
16.Walk Like a Sailor (reprise) - Dancing Boys, Girls
17.Eleven O'Clock Song - Elsey, Wynne
18. Finale - Entire Company

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Ankles Aweigh

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Ankles Aweigh


Version 1

Ankles Aweigh (1955-03-23-Shubert Theatre-New Heaven)

Type de série: Pre-Broasway Try Out
Théâtre: Shubert Theatre (New Heaven - Etats-Unis)
Durée :
Nombre :
Première Preview : 23 March 1955
Première: 23 March 1955
Dernière: 26 March 1955
Mise en scène : Jerome Robbins • Fred F. Finklehoffe
Chorégraphie : Jerome Robbins • Tony Charmoli
Producteur :
Star(s) :
Avec: Elsey - Betty Kean / Wynne - Jane Kean / Lt. Bill Kelley - Mark Dawson / Dinky - Lew Parker / Captain Zimmerman - Mark Allen / Chipolata - Thelma Carpenter / Pizza Cart Man - Frank Conville / Tommy - Bill Costin / Spud - Gabriel Dell / Tony - Herb Fields

Version 2

Ankles Aweigh (1955-03-29-Shubert Theatre-Boston)

Type de série: Pre-Broasway Try Out
Théâtre: Shubert Theatre (Boston - Etats-Unis)
Durée : 1 semaine
Nombre :
Première Preview : 29 March 1955
Première: 29 March 1955
Dernière: 10 April 1955
Mise en scène : Jerome Robbins • Fred F. Finklehoffe
Chorégraphie : Jerome Robbins • Tony Charmoli
Producteur :
Star(s) :
Avec: Elsey - Betty Kean / Wynne - Jane Kean / Lt. Bill Kelley - Mark Dawson / Dinky - Lew Parker / Captain Zimmerman - Mark Allen / Chipolata - Thelma Carpenter / Pizza Cart Man - Frank Conville / Tommy - Bill Costin / Spud - Gabriel Dell / Tony - Herb Fields

Version 3

Ankles Aweigh (1955-04-Mark Hellinger Theatre-Broadway)

Type de série: Original Broadway
Théâtre: Mark Hellinger Theatre (Broadway - Etats-Unis)
Durée : 5 mois
Nombre : 176 représentations
Première Preview : Inconnu
Première: 18 April 1955
Dernière: 17 September 1955
Mise en scène : Jerome Robbins • Fred F. Finklehoffe
Chorégraphie : Jerome Robbins • Tony Charmoli
Producteur :
Star(s) :
Avec: Elsey - Betty Kean / Wynne - Jane Kean / Lt. Bill Kelley - Mark Dawson / Dinky - Lew Parker / Captain Zimmerman - Mark Allen / Chipolata - Thelma Carpenter / Pizza Cart Man - Frank Conville / Tommy - Bill Costin / Spud - Gabriel Dell / Tony - Herb Fields

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