''The Conquering Hero'' is a musical with a music by Mark Charlap, lyrics by

Norman Gimbel Norman Gimbel (November 16, 1927 – December 19, 2018) was an American lyricist of popular songs, television and movie themes. He wrote the lyrics for songs including " Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Ready to Take a Chance Again" (both wit ...

, and book by

Larry Gelbart Larry Simon Gelbart (February 25, 1928 – September 11, 2009) was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series ''M*A*S*H'', and as co-writer of the B ...

. The musical was based on Preston Sturges's 1944 film ''

Hail the Conquering Hero ''Hail the Conquering Hero'' (1944) is a satirical comedy-drama film written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring Eddie Bracken, Ella Raines and William Demarest, and featuring Raymond Walburn, Franklin Pangborn, Elizabeth Patterson ...

''. The musical ran for only eight performances on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 1961.

Production

The musical was originally staged and choreographed by

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...

, who was replaced during previews by Albert Marre as director and Todd Bolender as choreographer. ''The New York Times'' reported that Fosse quit over a disagreement "over the direction of the show's book." Settings and lighting were by

Jean Rosenthal Jean Rosenthal (born Eugenia Rosenthal; March 16, 1912May 1, 1969) is considered a pioneer in the field of theatrical lighting design. She was born in New York City to Romanian-Jewish immigrants. northern.edu, retrieved May 20, 2009Fippin, CaroBio ...

. Produced by

Robert Whitehead Robert Whitehead (3 January 1823 – 14 November 1905) was an English engineer who was most famous for developing the first effective self-propelled naval torpedo. Early life He was born in Bolton, England, the son of James Whitehead, ...

and Roger L. Stevens, the musical opened on January 16, 1961 at the ANTA Playhouse, where it ran for eight performances. Featured in the cast were

Tom Poston Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

and

Lionel Stander Lionel Jay Stander (January 11, 1908 – November 30, 1994) was an American actor in films, radio, theater and television. He is best remembered for his role as majordomo Max on the 1980s mystery television series '' Hart to Hart''. Early ...

. The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reviewer noted that neither the director nor the choreographer was listed in the program, and went on to write "Whoever mixed the ingredients failed to produce freshness or excitement." The reviewer did note that the first act ended with "an extended dance number that has speed and spirit." During out-of-town tryouts in Philadelphia, Gelbart was quoted as saying "If Hitler's alive, I hope he's out of town with a musical."Rothstein, Mervy
"Is There Life After 'M*A*S*H'?"
''The New York Times', October 8, 1989

Songs

;Act I * "Girls! Girls!" * "Five Shots of Whiskey" * "Hail, the Conquering Hero!" * "Must Be, Given to You" * "Wonderful, Marvelous You" * "Truth" * "Won't you Marry Me?" * "The River Bank" * "Only Rainbows" * "The Campaign" Act II * "One Mother Each" * "I’m Beautiful" * "Rough Times" * "Yours, All Yours" * "What I Mean to Say"

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conquering Hero, The 1961 musicals Broadway musicals