Customer Reviews

Of Thee I Sing (1952 Revival Cast)

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

 

 

Ethan Mordden sited this recording as the finest of all Gershwin show recordings, and I would be hard-pressed to disagree with him.

Even though this was first recorded (and flopped) in 1952, when I put this CD on it still has the ability to crack me up in 2004. There is so much fun and character throughout the all the performance (including the orchestra) that it becomes so easy to forgive all of the musical... well... musical "weaknesses," let's call them.

Everything from the "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine supreme court judges" to the number about taxation is hilarious. The chorus is insane and inspired. And Leonore Lonergan as beauty contest winner Diana Devereaux is really the star of this recording. As Marc Kirkeby stated in his liner notes for the Broadway Angel reissue of this recording, "a southern accent was clearly beyond her." However, I have a soft spot for her off-the-wall performance, and although her voice cracks at times ("Ah could throw mah arms right around yo' necks!") and at other times she is merely reduced to screaming ("Oh, jitled AM I!"), she has completely won me over.

Don't miss this recording. At like other reviewers have pointed out, the recording is of the perfect length so as to be funny but never get old.

It pains me to say this, but I have absolutely NOTHING positive to say about this CD of the poorly casted, weakly orchestrated, unsuccessful 1952 revival of the Gershwin Brothers' masterpiece "Of Thee I Sing". The score is severely truncated and the tempo seems to be rushed in order to fit as many songs as possible on the original LP. References to 1950s politics were added to the text to contemporize the book, but now seem hopelessly outdated. The singing is remarkably unspectacular all around, but one singer in particular, Lenore Lonergan as Diana Devereaux (who only got the part because she was married to one of the producers), is absolutely awful! (One critic perfectly described her singing sounding "like Bernadette Peters with her finger stuck in a light socket". It also doesn't help that her Southern accent comes and goes throughout the CD.) Do youself a favor and find the 1987 concert recording of "Of Thee I Sing/Let Them Eat Cake" no matter the cost, and skip the 1952 revival CD without another thought!

I would love to get this play on DVD. This is a wonderful politial satire. You miss some of the jokes by only having the soundtrack. However since it is not out on DVD, the CD is great to have. The gershwin music and lyrics are great.

This cast recording of the 1952 revival of this landmark musical is not perfect, but it has a lot going for it.

Unlike the later recording on Sony (now out of print), this one documents a full production of the show, not a concert version. While the Sony recording has many virtues (most of all that it contains the entire score, including the exciting overture, and that it uses the original orchestrations), many of the performers do sound like they've only performed the show in concert. In contrast, this 1952 recording conveys (as Ethan Mordden wrote in his book "Broadway Babies") "a theater performance to the life." Although this recording suffers from cuts to the score, there is a liveliness and sense of conviction here that I feel is missing a bit on the Sony recording.

The orchestrations for this production (credited to Don Walker) are fine if not quite as delightful and appropriate as the original orchestrations.

Describing Lenore Lonergan's performance on this recording, another customer reviewer here quotes the liner notes for the earlier CD issue of this recording (the line about her singing sounding like Bernadette Peters with her finger in a light socket). What that reviewer doesn't mention is that those liner notes go on to state, "Listen to her sing 'Now my hot southern blood is boilin',' and tell me you don't love her, at least a little bit." Well, I love her a lot on this recording, though I do admit she makes a few spectacularly bizarre sounds. It did take me two listenings to love her, but once I got used to her, I thought she was a hoot.

For my taste, Jack Carson and Betty Oakes as John and Mary are preferable to Larry Kert and Maureen McGovern on the Sony recording. While Kert had a better voice than Carson, by the time of the Sony recording it was starting to go a bit. Kert seems to be singing rather carefully, while Carson sings out here, throwing caution to the winds. Among other things, I think this conveys the character more effectively than Kert does.

In addition, I find McGovern's voice somewhat cold on the Sony recording, while Oakes's voice is much warmer.

Also, the chorus here is spectacular, with a combination of great voices and vigor, as opposed to the well-prepared but slightly staid concert chorus heard on the Sony recording.

The negative reviewer on this page says, "References to 1950s politics were added to the text to contemporize the book, but now seem hopelessly outdated." Whatever changes were made to the book are irrelevant when it comes to this recording as you can't hear those changes here. Some changes were also made to the lyrics for this production, and those can be heard here, but they were made by the original lyricist, Ira Gershwin, and they are not problematic at all.

If you are going to have only one recording of "Of Thee I Sing," you probably do want the Sony. For one thing, you also get the equally great score for "Let 'Em Eat Cake," though you do have to pay for two CDs. (As of the date I'm writing this, the Sony recording is available from amazon sellers for very reasonable prices.) Also, the other recording has the entire score and uses the original orchestrations. This recording is primarily a supplement to the Sony recording. Still, on its own terms, it's a worthwhile supplement that has a lot to recommend it. I'm very glad that both recordings exist.

OF THEE I SING was the first musical ever to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1931. There were no original cast recordings made at that time and no movie version was ever produced. In 1952 Broadway revived the piece but the revival was not a success. It did run long enough to get a cast recording. Long out-of-print it is finally back in circulation.

It's a mixed blessing. The Gershwin songs are great and the lyrics are very funny. The cast is ... well lets say the voices are loaded with "character." Jack Carson does indeed sound like a president. It is not the most musical voice, but then most of the score is sung by the chorus and here the recording has a good one. The score has been given many tiny cuts and trims but these only serve to move it along faster. Some of the lyrics have been re-written and updated for 1952: "Propserity is just around the corner" becomes "The President is going to be a Daddy." (It actually makes the song more plot related.)

Those in search of the original 1931 version should seek out the CBS set that pairs OF THEE I SING with th sequel LET 'EM EAT CAKE. Although it uses the original text and orchestrations, it is a rather dull recording and the cast is somewhat lifeless. Despire the porrer singing this old album is actually much more enjoyable and sounds vividly theatrical with little snatches of dialogue to help explain the story. At 43 minutes it never overstays its welcome.