Customer Reviews

All American (1962 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

All American opened in New York during a city-wide newspaper strike so no one heard about it and it didn't last long. It deserved better with its bright score, including some tunes that have entered the popular domain such as "Once Upon A Time". It has excellent dancing and a theme which is still timely: an imigrant professor on an American college campus learning what it means to be an American and falling in love with the dean of women. You'll hum and whistle its tunes once you get to know them.

I played the male lead in this wonderful muscial when my high school presented it over 20 years ago. I fell in love with the girl who had the female lead and we have been together ever since (through college, law school, marriage and kids!). It is a great collection of songs, as well as a great script. It is a shame it never did well on Broadway. I have always thought it would make a great musical for the big screen in the same genre of "Music Man" or "Grease". Maybe someday, but for now the songs are worth listening to if you like musicals, especially the type that came out in the early 1960's.

I love the music in this musical!!! We did this for our high school musical in 2002, and it was fabulous!! The music in it is great! The songs are humorous and melodic. They go with the musical quite well. This cd recording of it is okay i wouldn't call it the best because the woman playing Elizabeth can't sing without an annoying vibrato. Other than that the cast does an excellent job of it.

As with their previous hit, "Bye, Bye Birdie", this show was a satire. Unfortunatley, this was not a hit. It may have been because of a newspaper strike, but more likely because of it's book. It tried to be too many things, and as a result the story telling became distorted.



The score is a different story. From the great overture, to the wonderful comedy numbers, to the lovely ballads, the score always has your attention. Performance wise, it does have it's share of flaws. Ray Bolger (Wheres Charley?), does a good job, though it is nothing to get excited about. Eileen Herlie, who play the dean, has an annoying vibrato. Just skip through her tracks and the rest is smooth sailing. Ron Hussman was allowed to appear on this columbia record, but he did have a contract with capitol records. He gives a wonderful performance as the love-struck college student.

All in All, a cd that would be worth your investment, because it looks like it is slowly going out of print. Pick yours up today.

I can't stop wondering why this show did not succeed. The score is better than the most of Strouse's scores at that time (it's even better than Bye Bye Birdie). There isn't one song that doesn't urge you to hum itself and songs like "Melt us", "We speak the same language", "Nightlife" or "I've just seen her" are songs of a quality Broadway hasn't brought forth for maybe 20 years. Of course at that time (early sixties) there were more great musicals on Broadway and when "All American" opened there was strong competition with shows like "How to succeed..." and "A funny thing happened..." but could that be the reason to not even give it a tony best score nomination. Well,....

ALL AMERICAN, Charles Strouse and Lee Adams' follow-up to their highly successful BYE BYE BIRDIE had everything going for it: a book by Mel Brooks (based on the novel "Professor Fodorski" by Robert Lewis Taylor), Ray Bolger ("The Wizard of Oz," WHERE'S CHARLEY?) in the leading role; support from the wonderful Eileen Herlie (Tony nominee for TAKE ME ALONG), Ron Husmann (Theatre World Award Winner/Tony nominee for TENDERLOIN), Anita Gilette (also a Theatre World Award Winner and Tony nominee), and Theatre World/Drama Desk/Tony winner Fritz Weaver. It had great Broadway-style orchestrations by Robert Ginzler and solid conducting by John Morris. But it ran for only 80 performances.

So, what went wrong?

In two words: Joshua Logan. Even though Logan was "the biggest director on Broadway with a string of incredible hits," his concept for the show clashed mightily with that of its creators. In his liner notes, Didier C. Deutsch remarks that "Many times, later on, he [Logan] told me he felt he had put his finger into the show in the wrong way. . . . [the characters'] physicality became more important than the satirical point of view we had initially envisioned."

Too bad. It reminds me of other times "Directors with a capital D" applied their lead-footedness to light musical comedy, especially in films: John Huston's "Annie," Francis Ford Coppola's "Finian's Rainbow," and - although not a "light" musical - Mr. Logan's "Camelot."

Also too bad because the score for ALL AMERICAN is really quite good and deserves an audience. From the opening immigration and naturalization rag ("Melt Us") through the final number ("Which Way?"), there's not a bum song in the lot. ("Have a Dream" is terribly dreadful, I'll admit, but I'm positive it's meant to be a parody of all the inspirational graduation songs ever sung by high school and college choirs and/or written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, like "Climb Every Mountain.") And the show boasts what is one of the finest songs every written for the Broadway stage, "Once Upon a Time," delivered impeccably by Mr. Bolger and Ms. Herlie. Oh, I could have done without "The Real Me" - likewise its counterpart from 110 IN THE SHADE, "Raunchy" - but it's kind of fun to hear Ms. Herlie let her hair down. I'll also admit I'm a sucker for immigration and naturalization scenes ("Moscow on the Hudson") and songs, ever since our son and daughter stood with other new Americans and took their vows in 1985.

ALL AMERICAN is a lesser known musical with book by the prince of comedy, Mel Brooks (BLAZING SADDLES, THE PRODUCERS, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN), lyrics by Lee Adams and music by Charles Strouse. Though, it isn't the strongest musical (in terms of plot, or even music), there are some great songs featured here. What's more, it stars Ray Bolger (best known for his role as Scarecrow, in THE WIZARD OF OZ), as a newly arrived Hungarian professor, who has just set foot on the Southern Baptist Institute of Technology campus. There is a juxtaposition of sports analogies and science terminology, and Professor Fodorski (Bolger) must reach out to the athletes and the co-eds, to help them reach their potential, academically, as well as in terms of touchdowns and astroturf.

The cast is a mixed bag here. While Ray Bolger shines in songs like "What A Country," some of the singers really should have been dubbed. Oh wait, they couldn't have been, since this was a "live" recording. Oh well. Also, this story isn't entirely about Fodorski. It's also about the young people he encounters, as well as an older (potential) love interest for him! I still think that this is worth a spin in your CD player. I first heard an old vinyl recording of this music. I can't honestly say I can really hum any of these songs, but they are pleasant to listen to!

Having seen the OBC tryout in Philadelphia in the early 60s, I felt a need to add this to my collection. It is not a memorable score, with the possible exception of "Once Upon a Time." Too bad the CD does not also include the dialog, as it would be fun to recall the Mel Brooks work of that time period.

Ray Bolger is always fun to watch and listen to. This musical. however, is not very memorable. A couple of the songs, like Once Upon a Time and Physical Fitness are fun . The show did not do well, whether or not due to a newspaper strike, who knows! Certainly with Josh Logan as director and Ray Bolger, Eileen Eckart and Fritz Weaver in the cast it might be better. But it is interesting to note the failures Logan has been associated with. Still the music and lyrics of this show are better than this year's Tony winner.

This is a good show with excellent music by Charles Strouse. Sad to say, on this recording the songs are poorly performed by the leads. "Once Upon a Time", a beautiful song, is especially badly performed.