Call Me Madam
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| Call Me Madam | |
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| Original Broadway Playbill | |
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| Music | Irving Berlin |
| Lyrics | Irving Berlin |
| Book | Howard Lindsay Russel Crouse |
| Productions | 1950 Broadway 1953 film |
| Awards | Tony Award for Best Score |
Call Me Madam is a musical with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.
A satire on politics and foreign affairs that spoofs America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to needy countries, it centers on Sally Adams, a well-meaning but ill-informed socialite widow who is appointed US Ambassador to the fictional European country of Lichtenburg. While there, she charms the local gentry, especially Cosmo Constantine, while her press attache Kenneth Gibson falls in love with Princess Maria.
The musical was inspired by the 1949 appointment of Washington, D.C. hostess and Democratic Party fundraiser Perle Mesta as the Ambassador to Luxembourg, although the Playbill distributed at each performance humorously noted that "neither the character of Mrs. Sally Adams nor Miss Ethel Merman resemble any person living or dead."
After a tryout period in New Haven, Connecticut, the Broadway production, directed by George Abbott and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, opened on October 12, 1950 at the Imperial Theatre, where it ran for 644 performances. The original cast included Ethel Merman, Paul Lukas, Pat Harrington, Sr., Russell Nype, and Lilia Skala. Merman's understudy Elaine Stritch later starred in the national tour.
In a highly unusual situation, two LP albums of the score were released simultaneously. The recording rights had been granted to RCA Victor, but Merman was under contract to Decca Records, which refused to allow her to record the original cast album. As a result, the RCA recording replaced her with Dinah Shore, while Merman was featured with Dick Haymes on a Decca release on which she sang not only her songs, but those written for other characters as well. A 1995 Broadway concert cast album, featuring Tyne Daly, Lewis Cleale, Christopher Durang, Ken Page, and Melissa Errico, is available on the DRG label.
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[edit] Film adaptation
The 1953 film, with a screenplay by Arthur Sheekman directed by Walter Lang, starred Merman, Donald O'Connor, Vera-Ellen, Billy DeWolfe, George Sanders, and Walter Slezak. The film replaced "Washington Square Dance" with the older "International Rag", and added a new song by Irving Berlin, "What Chance Have I With Love?" (sung and danced by Donald O'Connor). A soundtrack album was released by Decca as a 10-inch LP, but it has never been released on CD although the numbers "The Hostess with the Mostes'" and "You're Just in Love" are included on the Rhino Records CD set Irving Berlin in Hollywood. The film was out of circulation for many years but was issued on DVD in 2004.
Merman won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. Alfred Newman won the Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, and Irene Sharaff was nominated for her costume design. Lang was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures by the Directors Guild of America and the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and Sheekman's screenplay was nominated Best Written American Musical by the Writers Guild of America.
[edit] Song list
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[edit] Recordings
RCA Victor negotiated the rights to make an original cast recording, but Ethel Merman was under exclusive contract to Decca Records, who planned a Call Me Madam album of their own. Decca rushed out a 10-inch Lp of Ethel Merman songs from the musical. Victor proceeded by making the cast album but replacing Merman with Dinah Shore. Decca responded by withdrawing their 10-inch disc and released an expanded 12-inch album of Ethel Merman in 12 songs from the show. On this disc, Merman was supported by Dick Haymes, Eileen Wilson and the Gordon Jenkins orchestra. Victor's album sold poorly and was soon withdrawn, but Decca's release is still available on CD.
Decca also issued the movie soundtrack album with Merman, Donald O'Connor and George Sanders.
A 1995 Encores! concert version was recorded and released by DRG.
[edit] Awards
- Tony Award for Best Original Score
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Merman)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Nype)
- Tony Award for Best Stage Technician
- Theatre World Award (Nype)
