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Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer, known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and for leading roles in musical theatre.Obituary '' Variety'', February 22, 1984. She has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage". Over her distinguished career in theater she became known for her performances in shows such as '' Anything Goes'', '' Annie Get Your Gun'', '' Gypsy'', and '' Hello, Dolly!'' She is also known for her film roles in '' Anything Goes'' (1936), '' Call Me Madam'' (1953), '' There's No Business Like Show Business'' (1954), and '' It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' (1963). Among many accolades, she received the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in '' Call Me Madam'', a Grammy Award for '' Gypsy'' and Drama Desk Award for '' Hello, Dolly!'' Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are " I Got Rhythm" (from '' Girl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous city and the most extensive city in the state of Colorado, and the 40th-most populous city in the United States. It is the principal city of the Colorado Springs metropolitan area and the second-most prominent city of the Front Range Urban Corridor. It is located in east-central Colorado, on Fountain Creek, south of Denver. At the city stands over above sea level. Colorado Springs is near the base of Pikes Peak, which rises above sea level on the eastern edge of the Southern Rocky Mountains. History The Ute, Arapaho and Cheyenne peoples were the first recorded inhabiting the area which would become Colorado Springs. Part of the territory included in the United States' 18 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the music industry worldwide. It was originally called the Gramophone Awards, as the trophy depicts a gilded gramophone. The Grammys are the first of the Big Three networks' major music awards held annually, and is considered one of the four major annual American entertainment awards, alongside the Academy Awards (for films), the Emmy Awards (for television), and the Tony Awards (for theater). The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4, 1959, to honor the musical accomplishments of performers for the year 1958. After the 2011 ceremony, the Recording Academy overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012. History The Grammys had their origin in the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
You're The Top
"You're the Top" is a Cole Porter song from the 1934 musical '' Anything Goes''. It is about a man and a woman who take turns complimenting each other. The best-selling version was Paul Whiteman's Victor single, which made the top five. It was the most popular song from ''Anything Goes'' at the start with hundreds of parodies. The lyrics are particularly notable because they offer a snapshot as to what was highly prized in the mid-1930s and demonstrate Porter's rhyming ability. Some of the lyrics were re-written by P. G. Wodehouse for the British version of ''Anything Goes''. People and items referenced in the song ''The following is a list of the references used in the version recorded by Cole Porter on November 26, 1934:'' * Colosseum * Louvre Museum * Melody from a symphony by Strauss * Bendel bonnet * Shakespeare's sonnets * Mickey Mouse * The Nile * The Tower of Pisa * The smile on the Mona Lisa * Mahatma Gandhi * Napoleon Brandy * Purple light of a summer night in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Get A Kick Out Of You
"I Get a Kick Out of You" is a song by Cole Porter, which was first sung in the 1934 Broadway musical '' Anything Goes'', and then in the 1936 film version. Originally sung by Ethel Merman, it has been covered by dozens of prominent performers, including Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, and Ella Fitzgerald. A cover by Mel Tormé won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocal(s) for arranger Rob McConnell, while a duet version by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga was nominated for three awards at the 2022 ceremony, including Record of the Year. Alterations to the song The lyrics were first altered shortly after being written. The last verse originally went as follows: After the 1932 Lindbergh kidnapping, Porter changed the second and third lines to: In the 1936 movie version, alternative lyrics in the second verse were provided to replace a reference to the drug cocaine, which was not allowed by Hollywood's Production Code of 1934. The original ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Du Barry Was A Lady
''Du Barry Was a Lady'' is a Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, and the book by Herbert Fields and Buddy DeSylva."'Du Barry Was a Lady'" sondheimguide.com, accessed February 15, 2010 The musical starred Bert Lahr, and , and the song "Friendship" was one of the highlights. The musical was made into a 1943 film '' [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red, Hot And Blue
''Red, Hot and Blue'' is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It premiered on Broadway in 1936 and introduced the popular song " It's De-Lovely," sung by Ethel Merman and Bob Hope. The musical has no connection to the 1949 film musical of the same name with songs by Frank Loesser. Today it may be most famous as one of the first instances of creative resolution of top billing on posters and marquees. Stars Jimmy Durante and Ethel Merman refused to accept second billing. The producers devised a compromise in which their names formed an X-shaped cross, drawing the observer’s eye in two directions. The third star, Bob Hope, settled for his name in bold under the cross. Synopsis Nails O'Reilly Duquesne is a newly wealthy young widow. Loud and brassy, Nails is a former manicurist. She organizes a benefit for her favorite cause, the rehabilitation of ex-convicts. Together with her sidekick (an "ex-con" himself), Policy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
It's De-Lovely
"It's De-Lovely" is one of Cole Porter's hit songs, originally appearing in his 1936 musical, '' Red Hot and Blue''. It was introduced by Ethel Merman and Bob Hope. The song was later used in the musical ''Anything Goes'', first appearing in the 1956 film version (when it was sung by Donald O'Connor and Mitzi Gaynor); in the 1962 revival where it was sung by Hal Linden and Barbara Lang, and in the 2004 biographical film ''De-Lovely'', where it was performed by Robbie Williams. The hit records in late 1936 and early 1937 included versions by Leo Reisman, Eddy Duchin, Shep Fields, and Will Osborne. The song played with words that have the prefix "de", which leads to the creation of the neologism "de-lovely": "It's de-lightful, it's de-licious, it's de-lovely." Other recordings * 1936 Kitty Brown also recorded the song with Les Brown and His Duke Blue Devils. * 1949 Dinah Shore - for her album ''Dinah Shore Sings''. * 1949 Ethel Merman - included in the album ''Songs She ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, Porter defied his grandfather's wishes for him to practice law and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn to musical theatre. After a slow start, he began to achieve success in the 1920s, and by the 1930s he was one of the major songwriters for the Broadway musical stage. Unlike many successful Broadway composers, Porter wrote the lyrics as well as the music for his songs. After a serious horseback riding accident in 1937, Porter was left disabled and in constant pain, but he continued to work. His shows of the early 1940s did not contain the lasting hits of his best work of the 1920s and 1930s, but in 1948 he made a triumphant comeback with his most successful musical, '' Kiss Me, Kat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rose's Turn
"Rose's Turn" is a song from the musical '' Gypsy''. It has been performed by such actresses as Bette Midler, Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, and Imelda Staunton. The song is often regarded as the pinnacle of the eleven o'clock number. Synopsis The song "occurs at the point when Mama Rose realizes the frustrations of having little to show for the sacrifices that have left her with two seemingly ungrateful children." At this point in the show, Mama Rose is "a character whose dreams were too strong and whose heart held her own feelings hostage to make those dreams come true." She "finally drops her facade and admits her frustration and despair." ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' argues the "unmasking of her psyche" takes place during the song. Production The song was written by Jule Styne with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. As the finale, it contains a number of callbacks to songs from earlier in the show. Bette Midler, who performed the show in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Everything's Coming Up Roses
"Everything's Coming Up Roses" is a song with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, written initially for the 1959 Broadway musical '' Gypsy.'' Introduced in the show's inaugural production by Ethel Merman, "Everything's Coming Up Roses" became one of Merman's signature songs. Overview According to Sammy Cahn, the song had its genesis in the 1947 musical ''High Button Shoes'', for which he was the lyricist. Cahn wrote lyrics to Jule Styne's music for a song titled "Betwixt and Between", to be sung by a female character who cannot decide between two men. The director of ''High Button Shoes'' decided the song did not fit well into the show and removed it. When composing ''Gypsy'', Styne decided to re-use the music for what became "Everything's Coming Up Roses", with new lyrics by Sondheim. It took Sondheim a week to come up with the title; the lyricist recalled: "The point was to oina phrase that sounded as if it had been in the language for years but was in fact in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Girl Crazy
''Girl Crazy'' is a 1930 musical by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in the first production and co-lead Ginger Rogers became an overnight star. Rich in song, it follows the story of Danny Churchill who has been sent to fictional Custerville, Arizona, to manage his family's ranch. His father wants him there to focus on matters more serious than alcohol and women but Danny turns the place into a dude ranch, importing showgirls from Broadway and hiring Kate Forthergill (Merman's role) as entertainer. Visitors come from both Coasts and Danny falls in love with the local postmistress, Molly Gray (Rogers' role). Three subsequent film adaptations adjusted the plot. The most notable, in 1943, starred Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, with the latter playing a combined Kate and Molly. Productions The musical opened at the Alvin Theatre on October 14, 1930 and closed on June 6, 1931 after 272 performan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Got Rhythm
"I Got Rhythm" is a piece composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and published in 1930, which became a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as the " rhythm changes", is the foundation for many other popular jazz tunes such as Charlie Parker's and Dizzy Gillespie's bebop standard "Anthropology (Thrivin' on a Riff)". Composition The song came from the musical ''Girl Crazy'', which also includes two other hit songs, " Embraceable You" and " But Not for Me", and has been sung by many jazz singers since. It was originally written as a slow song for ''Treasure Girl'' (1928) and found another, faster setting in ''Girl Crazy''. Ethel Merman sang the song in the original Broadway production and Broadway lore holds that George Gershwin, after seeing her opening reviews, warned her never to take a singing lesson. The four-note opening riff bears a striking resemblance to the opening melody of the third movement of William Grant Still's ''Symphony No. 1,'' "Afro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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