Customer Reviews

Damn Yankees (1955 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

So begins one of Broadway's most delightful (and successful) musical offerings of the early 50's, DAMN YANKEES, based on the popular novel 'The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant' by Douglass Wallop.

With its immortal, zippy score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, the musical starred the legendary triple-threat Gwen Verdon (in her first leading role following her debut in CAN-CAN) and also featured Ray Walston as the snide 'Devil in Disguise' Mr Applegate.

The cast includes Stephen Douglass (THE GOLDEN APPLE) as well as Rae Allen, who sings the show-stopping "Shoeless Joe From Hannibal, Mo.". Gwen Verdon, in the role of scene-stealing seductress Lola, gets several choice numbers including her now-legendary "Whatever Lola Wants", as well as "A Little Brains, A Little Talent", "Who's Got the Pain?" and "Two Lost Souls". Shannon Bolin (PROMENADE) sings the plaintive cry for attention, "Six Months Out of Every Year".

Although immortalised on screen as well as being revived for Broadway in the 90's, nothing can ever top the original 1955 cast album of DAMN YANKEES in terms of perfection and excitement. Highly-recommended.

Douglas Wallop's novel "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant" was turned into the successful musical "Damn Yankees" by the creative team that had produced "The Pajama Game." Featuring music & lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, both hits were directed by George Abbot and Choreographed by Bob Fosse. For good measure, one of the producers was Harold Prince. All of the above won Tony Awards in 1956 when "Damn Yankees" was named Best Musical, along with Gwen Verdon as Lola for Best Actress, Ray Walston as Mr. Applegate for Best Actor and Russ Brown as Van Buren the Manager for Featured Actor. For Verdon this was her first featured role on Broadway (and second of four Tony Awards), while the devilish Applegate was Walston's signature role for most of his career until he returned to the public's consciousness as Judge Henry Bone on television's "Picket Fences" (The less said about "My Favorite Martian" the better).

"Damn Yankees" combines the Faust myth with the reality of baseball in the 1950s, which meant the New York Yankees where always winning the pennant (they had just won five World Series in a row) while the standard joke about the Washington Senators was that "Washington was first in war, first in peace and last in the American League." Disheartened Senators fan Joe Boyd makes a deal with Mr. Applegate: in exchange for his soul he is transformed into 22 year old Joe Hardy, who will lead his team to the pennant. However, since he is a real estate salesman, Joe works an escape clause in the contract: before September 24th he can change his mind and get his soul back (a whole new meaning to the Trading Deadline I suppose). Applegate sends the lovely Lola to seduce Joe to seal the bargain, and when her attempt fails Applegate has to take more desperate measures to make sure he keeps Joe's soul. The conclusion offers a fair amount of twists and turns before we get to the requisite happy ending.

My major "complaint" about this album is that you if you are not seeing Gwen Verdon strut her stuff when she does her signature song "Whatever Lola Wants," you are simply being shortchanged. Same thing with "A Little Brains--a Little Talent." The woman came alive on stage. Thankfully her performance in this legendary role is captured on film. The score has its fair share of fun tunes, from the well-known "Heart" to "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo." and "Six Months Out of Every Year." Of the more sentimental tunes, only "Two Lost Souls" stands out. I am always surprised Walston does not have more numbers than "Those Were the Gold Old Days." Applegate is just too good of a character to have only one song. "Damn Yankees" is a fun musical but not a great one, where the performances of the two stars get everything they can from the material and more. Final Notes: Jean Stapleton has a role as one of the Baseball Fans and the film version of "Damn Yankees" is somewhat unique because with the exception of Tab Hunter replacing Stephen Douglass as Joe Hardy the Broadway cast shows made it to Hollywood.

DAMN YANKEES! is a fun show. Not one of the very best ever written - the plot IS full of holes - but still a great deal of fun on stage.

The Adler-Ross score holds up well, though the ballads get a bit dreary. "Heart" and "Whatever Lola Wants" were the big hits but Ray Walston's "Good Old days" and the duet "Two Lost Souls" are enjoyable.

RCA Victor did the cast album, taping the whole score (except the song "Not Meg" which was cut after opening night never to be heard again) and including some dialogue. The album is slightly marred by the flat boxy sound that pervades most of the label's early cast albums. Still it preserves the performances of Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston.

They also appeared in the 1958 film version with Tab Hunter replacing Stephen Douglas as the star ball-player. The soundtrack album (also on RCA) makes changes to the lyrics and drops three songs, adding a new ballad "There's Something about an empty Chair" that is even more dreary than the song it replaces.

The 1994 Broadway revival (on Mercury) offers a more thorough recording, but the performances on this original cast disc can't be beat.

The 50s were arguably one of the best decades in terms of musical theater; it seems like every show to debut during the period is now a standard. Well, maybe not. But Damn Yankees is certainly one of the most consistently popular shows to come out of the era. The show is dumb but fun - the story doesnt make any sense at all, but its great to watch. The score is not really groundbreaking; musically its not very interesting; but it is consistentl;y catchy, bouncy, and brassy, just what's required. I am no fan of The Pajama Game, which makes it all the more surpriseing that Adler and Ross came up with this terrific score so soon after. And let there be no doubt; this is the recording to have, not the revival, which although possessing better sound quality totally lacks the presence of great characters. (Incidentally, if you start to hate a show just because the orchestra scores are difficult, you would find yourself with very few left to like; even a trashy show like Adler & Ross's own Pajama Game has a ludicrously difficult score to play. Believe me.) Anyway, I should point out one more thing. IT always seemed to me like this songwriting team's music often seems highly reminiscent of the work of others. In Pajama Game, for instance, the New Town song near the beginning sounds exactly like the far superior Lonely Town from On the Town. And here, Goodbye Old Girl sounds EXACTLY the same as Joey, Joey, Joey from The Most Happy Fella' - right down to the lyrics! But in any case, this is a terrific bit of broadway nostalgia, and a definite must for any collection.

One can't go wrong with this one. A classic, which according to the well written liner notes was recorded 3 days after opening night. And, a pit orchestra that sounds like a pit orchestra...before the days of electronic music.

This was one of the best musicals of the 50's. I saw the 94 revival and loved it as well. I prefer the revival cast recording because it is more complete and sounds infinetly better than the original. Still, Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston are wonderful to hear. DO NOT make the mistake I did and buy the DVD of the film version. They totally butchered it, editing out the majority of the score, leaving in about 4 songs. It is so awful, scenes and major plot points are gone, it doesn't always make sense. I've seen the film before and know there is soooo much more to it. Not on the DVD. Hopefully someday a restored version will be released.

Gwen Verdon...need I say more????
The whole cast is great.
The show is great
The best recording of the show

So, I just bought this version, after owning the revival cast, and being in it recently. There are definitly good things about this recording. The music is beautiful and Old Joe has a beautiful voice. Also, Joe Hardy is better on this recording than the revival. Unfortunately Lola is not the greatest in this cast, I much perfered the revival's Lola. SO which version should you get? Collectors, should get both, people who perfer a more classical musical theater should get this version. Other than that, the new version, is better, and a better value. Favorite Song: "Goodbye, Old Girl"

Musical based on a story of a diehard Washington Senator fan, who sells his soul to the devil (with a catch) for a chance to beat the hated NY Yankees. Great music! Will play over and over again.

I saw this musical only on film, was too young to see it when on Broadway. When I was 10, I was in a production of the Musical and was one of the baseball boys singing "You've Got To Have Heart". It is really a fun and up lifting movie!