Flahooley (1951 Original Broadway Cast)

Sammy Fain (Artist), E.Y. Harburg (Artist), Barbara Cook (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Drg
• ASIN: B0001CNR1Q
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #98,086 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Show music collectors: DON'T MISS IT THIS TIME !!!, March 25, 2004

By	Mark Andrew Lawrence "Theatre Reviewer" (Toronto) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

FLAHOOLEY has had a checkered career in record company catalgues. The musical was a flop that folded after 5 weeks (40 performances) in the spring of 1951. Capitol records issued the cast album on June 18th ..2 days after the show had played its final performance. With the show no longer playing, interest was minimal and the Lp was deleted in 1955. Since very few copies had been sold, collectors who wanted the score had a difficult time tracking down the album. By the early 1970s its estimated value in collectors circles was $300. Finally in 1977...22 years after the album had left the catalogues, Capitol brought it back. A mid-priced ($6.98) reissue that duplicated the original album cover. The reissue was short-lived, for beyond harcore show music collectors there was no mass market for FLAHOOLEY and the Lp was deleted again.

In 1993 EMI launched a major Cd reissue campaign called Broadway Angel transferring 40 of the Capitol cast albums to CD, including FLAHOOLEY. This time the liner notes were expanded to include a history of the show, a detailed synopsis and an interview with Barbara Cook.

The CD again was bought mainly by collectors and was deleted in 1996. You would think that after 3 go-rounds, this would have been the end of FLAHOOLEY. But Noooooooooo... now DRG has brought it back.

The score by Sammy Fain and Ey.Y Harburg has several charming numbers: "Here's to your Illusions", "The World is Your Balloon"
and "The Springtime Cometh." None of the songs became hits, and FLAHOOLEY is never revived... not even in concert format.

Don't miss out on a chance to own a copy of FLAHOOLEY before it gets deleted for the 4th and final (?) time.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WORTHY REISSUE OF CAST ALBUM WITH A WEIRD HISTORY . . ., July 21, 2004

By	J. T Waldmann "yaakov98" (Carmel, IN, located just north of Indianapolis in Hamilton County.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's pointless comparing FLAHOOLEY with lyricist E.Y. (Yip) Harburg's masterpieces, FINIAN'S RAINBOW and THE WIZARD OF OZ. Although sometimes clever, the lyrics are just not up to the level of those shows. And, although Sammy Fain has written plenty of fine tunes ("You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me," "That Old Feeling," the score for CALAMITY JANE), the ones in this show are no match for OZ's Harold Arlen or FINIAN'S Burton Lane. Judging from a synopsis of the plot with its emphasis on social and political satire and supernatural magic, Harburg was trying to come up with another FINIAN, but just didn't pull it off.

However, that doesn't mean FLAHOOLEY is not a worthy show. It would be interesting to see how it would play to modern audiences, although the idea of a U.S. corporation making a deal with Arabians might be a bit touchy. And puppets played a major role in the action, long before AVENUE Q.

The show contains some lovely songs for the always-wonderful Barbara Cook in her Broadway debut, three numbers featuring the phenomenal voice of Yma Sumac, and some lively ensemble pieces. So, musically it's got quite a few things going for it. If you haven't listened to it yet, after reading the following commentary from musicalheaven.com you'll see what a daring show this was for 1951. And if you've already heard this original cast recording but were not aware of the show's history, listen again with new ears.

"For almost 25 years, the original Broadway cast recording of Flahooley, released by Capitol Records shortly after the show opened in 1951, was among the most difficult to find of all show LP's. The album disappeared quickly, and collectors shops that held on to copies charged exorbitant prices for the privilege of actually owning one of the rarest of all Broadway records. A Fantasy with underlying contemporary social and politcal satire; the targets are big business and conformity, and the show's "genie hunts" and "doll burnings" were aimed directly at the witch hunts of McCarthyism.

"With divided reviews and the release of the classic musicals The King and I, South Pacific and Kiss Me Kate which were all playing on the same block, it was annouced that the show was closing for the summer but would re-open in the fall. Flahooley never reopend having lost $160,000.

"In August and September of 1952 a revised version under a new name called Jollyanna and was presented in San Francisco and Los Angeles Civic Light Operas. New material was created by William Friml and Burton Lane and most of the political spoofing and social significance were jettisoned."

Enjoy! (Thank you, DRG.)

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A resounding success for a resounding flop, July 6, 2004

By	Ghettoelf "makirollofdoom" (New Haven, CT) - See all my reviews

Flahooley, if you've read some of the other reviews, has got to be the most (in)famous flop, next to "Carrie". I bought this album because I am an avid collector of showtunes, but I was quite pleased with the recording. The sound quality is quite good, as the manufacturer opted (thankfully) to update the sound to stereo format.

Barbara Cook sounds wonderful on this recording, but the award goes to Yma Sumac for having the most memorable songs. Sure she has no actual purpose in the show's plot, but the album is worth every cent just to hear her sing two notes in different octaves at the same time. A truly memorable performance from an otherwise generic 1950's show.

Old-time Broadway fun at it's best and floppiest.