''Inside U.S.A.'' is a musical

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

Arthur Schwartz Arthur Schwartz (November 25, 1900 – September 3, 1984) was an American composer and film producer, widely noted for his songwriting collaborations with Howard Dietz. Biography Early life Schwartz was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New ...

(music) and

Howard Dietz Howard Dietz (September 8, 1896 – July 30, 1983) was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist, best remembered for his songwriting collaboration with Arthur Schwartz. According to historian Stanley Green, Dietz and Schwartz were "most cl ...

(lyrics). It was loosely based on the book '' Inside U.S.A.'' by

John Gunther John Gunther (August 30, 1901 – May 29, 1970) was an Americans, American journalist and writer. His success came primarily by a series of popular sociopolitical works, known as the "Inside" books (1936–1972), including the best-sell ...

. Sketches were written by Arnold M. Auerbach,

Moss Hart Moss Hart (October 24, 1904 – December 20, 1961) was an American playwright, librettist, and theater director. Early years Hart was born in New York City, the son of Lillian (Solomon) and Barnett Hart, a cigar maker. He had a younger brother ...

, and Arnold B. Horwitt. After a tryout in Philadelphia at the Shubert Theatre in March 1948, the revue opened 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 Stre ...

at the

New Century Theatre The New Century Theatre was a Broadway theater in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, at 205–207 West 58th Street and 926–932 Seventh Avenue. Opened on October 6, 1921, as Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, the theater was desi ...

the following month and transferred to the

Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to: Australia * Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished *Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed by ...

in September. It closed in February 1949 after a total of 399 performances. It returned to Philadelphia in March 1949.

Production

After a three week tryout in Philadelphia at the Shubert Theatre starting with the world premiere on March 29, 1948, the revue opened on

at the

on April 30, 1948, transferred to the

on September 23, 1948, and closed on February 19, 1949 after a total of 399 performances.''Inside U.S.A.''
playbillvault.com, accessed May 16, 2015. The show then returned to Philadelphia for two weeks at the Shubert Theatre, with Beatrice Lillie and Jack Haley, starting March 14, 1949. The sketches were directed by Robert H. Gordon, dances and Musical numbers were staged by Helen Tamiris, the production design was by

Lemuel Ayers Lemuel Ayers (January 22, 1915, New York City, New York - August 14, 1955, New York City) was an American costume designer, scenic designer, lighting designer, and producer who had a prolific career on Broadway from 1939 until his death from can ...

, costume design was by Eleanor Goldsmith, Beatrice Lillie's costumes and gowns were by Castillo and mask design was by John Robert Lloyd. The cast included

Jack Haley John Joseph Haley Jr. (August 10, 1898 – June 6, 1979) was an American actor, comedian, dancer, radio host, singer, drummer and vaudevillian. He was best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and his farmhand counterpart Hickory in the 193 ...

Beatrice Lillie Beatrice Gladys Lillie, Lady Peel (29 May 1894 – 20 January 1989) was a Canadian-born British actress, singer and comedy performer. She began to perform as a child with her mother and sister. She made her West End debut in 1914 and soon gain ...

, Valerie Bettis,

Talley Beatty Talley Beatty (22 December 1918 – 29 April 1995) was born in Cedar Grove, Louisiana, a section of Shreveport, but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He is considered one of the greatest of African American choreographers, and also bears the titles da ...

Jack Cassidy John Joseph Edward Cassidy (March 5, 1927 – December 12, 1976) was an American actor, singer and theatre director. He received multiple Tony Award nominations and a win, as well as a Grammy Award, for his work on the Broadway production of th ...

, John Tyers, Jane Lawrence,

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, author, comedian, director and screenwriter whose career spanned seven decades. He was the List of awards and nominations received by Carl Reiner, recipient of many awards and ...

, and Nellie Hill. The show's production cost of $235,000 was paid off in 29 weeks. From each week's gross receipts, $500 was paid to author

for the use of his book's title.

Synopsis

The revue consists of a number of sketches related only in that they generally focus on a particular State. The opening is a serenade to the United States by the company ("Inside USA"). Lillie provides a "mocking madrigal" that praises the industry in Pittsburgh ("Come, Oh Come to Pittsburgh"). A woman loses her boyfriend to the horses at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

("Blue Grass"). In one sketch, a superstitious maid unnerves an actress on a Broadway opening night, using a

ouija The Ouija ( , ), also known as a Ouija board, spirit board, talking board, or witch board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", and occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along ...

board and numerology (written by Moss Hart). New Orleans is featured in "At The Mardi Gras", with Lillie as the Queen. Wisconsin is featured in "First Prize At The Fair." Lillie and Haley, costumed as New Mexico Indians, declare "We Won't Take It Back." The romantic "Rhode Island Is Famous For You" turns into a ragtime number and names the most famous products of various states. In the Western number "My Gal Is Mine Once More" a cowboy celebrates remarriage to his first wife. Haley teaches apprentice waiters to make dining customers unhappy. Lillie is the "priggish, unimaginative leader of a choral society" and a mermaid with a strange romantic life.

Herb Shriner Herbert Arthur "Herb" Shriner (May 29, 1918 – April 23, 1970) was an American humorist, radio personality, actor, and television host. Shriner was known for his homespun monologues, usually about his home state of Indiana. He was frequently co ...

, without harmonica, provides a wry Western themed monologue as "A Feller from Indiana."

Songs (partial)

Sources: Playbill Vault; *Inside USA - Company *Leave My Pulse Alone (Any Town, Coast-to-Coast) - Carl Reiner, Jack Haley and company *Come, Oh Come to Pittsburgh - Beatrice Lillie *Forty Winks (Miami Beach) - Jack Haley, William LeMassena, Louis Nye, Carl Reiner *Blue Grass (Churchill Downs, Kentucky) - Thelma Carpenter (singer), Albert Popwell (dancer) and company *A Song to Forget (Chillicothe, Ohio) - Beatrice Lillie, Carl Reiner and company *Rhode Island Is Famous For You - Estelle Loring and Jack Haley *Haunted Heart (San Francisco) - John Tyers (singer), Valerie Bettis and company (dancers) *Massachusetts Mermaid - Beatrice Lillie *A Feller From Indiana - Herb Shriner *First Prize At The Fair (Wisconsin) - Beatrice Lilly and Jack Haley; Jane Lawrence and Ray Stephens; Estelle Loring and Jack Hawthorne; William LeMassena *At The Mardi Gras *My Gal Is Mine Once More *Atlanta *Protect Me (cut) The biggest success from the musical was ''Haunted Heart'', with which

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

and

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical tr ...

had hit recordings. It was also the title track of a 2005 album by Renee Fleming.

Blossom Dearie Margrethe Blossom Dearie (April 28, 1924 – February 7, 2009) was an American jazz singer and pianist. She had a recognizably light and girlish voice. Profile at AllMusic/ref> Dearie performed regular engagements in London and New York City ov ...

recorded "Rhode Island is Famous For You" as did Rebecca Kilgore, among others."

Critical response

Reviews were favorable from

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theater critic. He worked for ''The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of his ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' ("keen and impeccable") and Robert Coleman of the ''Daily Mirror'' ("a handsome hit"). However, the only song that became a hit was ''Haunted Heart''. A strike by

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

delayed the recording and radio play from the show, which may have been the reason for the lack of more hit songs. The ''Time Magazine'' reviewer wrote that the revue was the "least enjoyable Bea Lillie show in a long time. Not that it is really bad or botched: it is all thoroughly professional. It is also thoroughly unoriginal and unexhilarating; it not only fails to shed light of its own, but even dims the cherished Lillie luster.""The Theater: New Revue in Manhattan, May 10, 1948"
''Time Magazine'', May 10, 1948

Awards and nominations

*1948 Theatre World Award :Valerie Bettis (winner) :Estelle Loring (winner)

Television

A television show titled '' Inside U.S.A. with Chevrolet'', was based on this revue, with music, comedy, and dance that showed different states. The TV show aired on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

network from September 29, 1949 through March 16, 1950, with Schwartz and Dietz providing original music and

Peter Lind Hayes Peter Lind Hayes (born Joseph Conrad Lind Jr.; June 25, 1915 – April 21, 1998) was an American vaudeville entertainer and film and television actor. Early life Hayes was born in San Francisco, the son of Joseph Conrad Lind Sr., a railroad man ...

the Master of Ceremonies, with name guest stars.

Margaret O'Brien Angela Maxine O'Brien (born January 15, 1937), known professionally as Margaret O'Brien, is an American actress. Beginning a career in feature films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at age four, O'Brien became a child star and received a Juvenile Acade ...

was the first guest and

Joan Blondell Rose Joan Blondell (August 30, 1906 – December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years. Blondell began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on a film career, estab ...

the last, with

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...

and

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann; January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American singer and actress. Known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and her leading roles in musical theatre, musical theater,Obituary ''Variety Obitua ...

also guesting.

Recording

''Inside U.S.A.s original cast recording was recorded before the production was fully cast in order to beat the 1948 ASCAP strike. The 1948 musical revue 'Inside U.S.A.' was commemorated with a 78 rpm album consisting of four records released by RCA Victor Records featuring the show's principals, Beatrice Lillie and Jack Haley, as well as performances by non-cast member Billy Williams and Perry Como's hit recording of "Haunted Heart." Russ Cass and his Orchestra provided the music.

References

External links

''Inside U.S.A.'' at Internet Broadway Database''Inside U.S.A. with Chevrolet'' at Internet Movie Database
{{Arthur Schwartz Revues 1948 musicals Musicals by Arthur Schwartz Musicals by Howard Dietz Musicals set in the United States