Customer Reviews

Miss Liberty (1949 Original Broadway Cast)

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"Miss Liberty" is proof that art can't be made to order (and neither can hit B'way shows). I mean, if theatre legends Irving Berlin (songs), Moss Hart (direction), and Jerome Robbins (choreography), not to mention three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist Robert Sherwood (book), couldn't make magic happen (and they didn't), then there's just no recipe for such things.

That said, the 1949 musical about a reporter's search for the model for the Statue of Liberty has a certain (dated) charm and at least one really catchy tune ("Let's Take an Old-Fashioned Walk"). In addition, the original cast recording (not that "Miss Liberty" was ever revived) gives one a chance to hear stage veteran Eddie Albert (still a decade and a half from "Green Acres," and in fine voice) as the humble hero, along with brash up-and-comer Mary McCarty (great pipes) as the girl who doesn't snag him. Fun.

About the item: Amazon's Product Details say there are two CDs, and the thing does come in a double CD case, but I found just one disc (containing all 13 of the promised tracks) inside. Oh, well; that left plenty of room for the generous CD booklet, which has some nice pictures.

I bought this album because it brings back memories of seeing
this show on the stage when I was in my 20's (several years ago!)
Sadly, the songs are dated exept for "Old fashioned walk' But
the leads with Eddie Albert and his love interest were enjoyable.
Unless it holds memories for you, you might let it pass.

Irving Berlin is not necessarily known for his musicals. His idea of patriotism went out of style after Watergate and Vietnam. This musical about the model of the statue of Liberty combines some hoaky, musical conventionals, but also some funny and sentimental numbers. "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor" captures the spirit of the Lazarus poem and is inspirational. "Let's Take an Old-Fashioned Walk" is an old-fashioned number, but easy to sing along with. Eddie Albert isa not the greatest singer, but can carry a tune. Allyn Ann McLerie is the best singer on this album, while Mary McCarty is the conventional good old girl friend who sacrifices herself for the man she loves. Her voice is not quite on a par with McLerie's, but fits her "Homework" and "Falling Out of Love Can be Fun" numbers. This musical is something that collectors will want.

MISS LIBERTY was Irving Berlin's first big show following ANNIE GET YOUR GUN. Needless to say, expectations were very high and Berlin felt obligated to deliver another blockbuster.

MISS LIBERTY wasn't a blockbuster. It featured an average score and ran a disappointing 308 performances. Though its cast included several great names including Allyn Ann McLerie (REDHEAD, CALAMITY JANE), Mary McCarty (CHICAGO), Eddie Albert and Ethel Griffies.

The slight plot involves a designer who decides to go to Paris in order to track down the girl who served as the model for the Statue of Liberty. The supremely-talented Mary McCarty was relegated to the role of the plain 'best friend', who never gets her man.

The score includes a few gems including "What Do I Have to Do to Get My Picture Took?", "Let's Take an Old-Fashioned Walk" (which, later on, became a big hit for Doris Day), "You Can Have Him" and "Housework". Ethel Griffies sings what became the musical's bonafide showstopper "Only For Americans", while Allyn Ann McLerie led the stirring finale: a sung version of "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor".

MISS LIBERTY is a cute vintage musical for Broadway buffs.

"To come right out and say so in public, MISS LIBERTY is a disapointing musical comedy" wrote New York times critic Brooks Atkinson.

He was right. You will never wonder why the show is seldom revived.

There isn't anything terribly wrong with the show -but there's nothing terribly right about it either. The story is not factual and not terribly interesting. The score is pleasant but unexceptional. This is from the same man who three years earlier wrote ANNIE GET YOUR GUN? "Just One way to Say I love You" has a soaring melody but the lyrics are embarassingly bad! Several songs have little to do with the plot, including one of the lovliest "Paris Wakes Up and Smiles."

The cast also seems underpowered. Only Ethel Griffies singing "Only For Americans" injects any life into the proceedings.

The short playing time (37 minutes) is due to the fact that this album was originally issued as a set of 6 ten-inch 78 Rpms.

The CD, however, uses several different takes than were on the original release. The take of "The Most Expensive Statue in the World" features a lead singer show voice is tired and gives out completely in a few places. There are other subtle differences in many of the other tracks on this CD edition, so collectors may want to hold onto their Lps.

Coming on the heels (sort of) of Berlin's vastly superior Annie Get Your Gun, this musical was a minor success at best. The story is corny--a reporter goes to France to look for the woman who posed for the Statue of Liberty, but brings back the wrong girl--and the music, while pleasant enough in a fluffy way, has only a few memorable moments, such as the aforementioned "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor" and "Let's Take an Old-Fashioned Walk."

Considering the other musicals that came out not too long before this one (Street Scene, Finian's Rainbow, Brigadoon, Kiss Me Kate, and South Pacific, to name a few), Miss Liberty must have sounded quaint (i.e., dated) even back then. Today it sounds positively archaic, especially in "You Can Have Him," where the female reporter sings that her REAL desire in life is to give up working, get married, and "submit meekly" to her husband. <cough><snort> Anyway, this one's for the hardcore musical fan who wants to hear everything, for Berlin fans, and for people who prefer the very old-fashioned Broadway.