Kander & Ebb 101Class 1 • Early Careers & Flora, The Red Menace (1965)

OLLI Fall Term 2020 • Alan Teasley, Instructor

Today’s Opening Number

Kaye Ballard , 2010 Benefit for Animal Protection of NM

John Kander & Fred Ebb (1962-2004)

• 15 Musicals • 40 Tony Awards • 14 Academy Awards • 6 Emmys • 1 Grammy • Kennedy Center Honors

Goals of the Course: You Will . . .

Be familiar with the team’s fifteen stage musicals—as well as some of their work for film and television

Understand their versatility with both “integrated” and “concept” musicals.

Meet some of their amazing collaborators

Recognize the varied themes and spirit of their work

Enjoy Kander and Ebb’s many contributions to the Great American Songbook John Kander, Fred Ebb

Recurring Themes about their Work Together

• Developed remarkably amiable and productive work habits—and valued their collaborators

• Succeeded with both “integrated” and “concept” musicals, which featured a variety of both “book songs” and “pastiche numbers”

• Though their work is often seen as dark or cynical, they embraced themes of uplift and survival.

John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Greg Lawrence, Colored Lights:

Forty Years of Words and Music, Show Biz,

Collaboration, and All That Jazz (2003)

Recommended Text:

Course Web Site: www.musicals-101.com

Preferred email address for questions: alanteasley@yahoo.com

A Word about the “Culminating Project”

Before the final class, compile a list of (at most) 20 Kander & Ebb songs you would include on your own “Essential K&E” playlist, album, concert, or revue.

Today’s Focus

You will know about: The early work of Kander & Ebb, including “special material,” industrial musicals, and pop songs Their breakthrough musical: Flora the Red Menace

You will understand: How Flora previews some of the themes we’ll be exploring

You will hear some great music!

Early Careers

Before 1962 Education & early creative work

First Song Together A pop hit right out of the gate!

Special Material Kaye Ballard, Liza Minnelli

Industrial Musicals Go Fly a Kite!

John Kander (b. 1927)

• From Kansas City, Missouri • Fell in love with opera at 9 • Studied music/composition at

Oberlin and Columbia • Early work in New York:

• Rehearsal pianist for West Side Story (1957)

• Dance arrangements & rehearsal pianist for Gypsy (1959)

• Dance music for Irma La Douce (1960)

John Kander (b. 1927)

• In 1962, wrote score for A Family Affair in collaboration with James & William Goldman

• That show ran for 65 performances, despite being directed by Hal Prince

• Was introduced to Fred Ebb in 1962 by their mutual music publisher Tommy Valando

Fred Ebb (1928-2004)

• Born in Manhattan • Degrees from NYU & Columbia

(English literature) • Wrote songs with Phil Springer

that were recorded by Carmen McRae and Judy Garland

• Wrote songs with other composers as well, both for pop singers (Eddy Arnold) and for musical revues

Fred Ebb (1928-2004)

• Early work in musical theatre: • Contributed lyrics to From A to

Z (revue, 1962), which ran for 21 performances

• With Phil Klein, wrote his first book musical— Morning Sun (1963)—which ran for 6 performances off-Broadway.

• Was introduced to John Kander in 1962 by their mutual music publisher Tommy Valando

And Then They Wrote …

“My Coloring Book” Written initially for Kaye Ballard, who performed it in her cabaret act but was not allowed to sing it on Perry Como’s television show Notable other versions include those by Kitty Kallen and Barbra Streisand Here Ebb introduces the song and Kander sings the beginning of it.

Kitty Kallen had a hit with “My Coloring Book”

These are the eyes that watched him as he walked away,

Color them grey.

This is the heart that thought he would always be true,

Color it blue.

“Special Material”

For Kaye Ballard “Maybe This Time” “My Coloring Book”* “Sara Lee”

A Dare at a Party “I Don’t Care Much”*

*Recorded by Barbra Streisand

A Quick Detour into Industrial Musicals

What are they? Big corporations hiring musical theater folk to write entertainment for their annual conventions Their heyday was the 1950s-1970s

Kander & Ebb wrote at least 2: Go Fly a Kite! (General Electric, 1966) Action ’68 (Ford Motor Company, 1967)

Kander & Ebb Apply Their Genius to Industrial Musicals

Here is one of two songs I could find online from Go Fly a Kite (General Electric, 1966)

“Be Direct with Me” [1:14] The other?

“PDM (Power Distribution Management) Can Do”

For Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Industrial Musicals

Bathtubs Over Broadway (dir. Dava Whisenant, 2018)

A feature-length documentary about a collector of [rare] recordings of industrial musicals. Available on Netflix (included) or Amazon Prime (rental)

Flora, The Red Menace (1965)

• Amazing collaborators for a couple of newcomers: • Harold (Hal) Prince (producer) • George Abbott (director—his 105th

show, age 78) • A “star is born” mment for a talented

19-year-old (not Abbott’s first choice) • Some good songs (and two GREAT

ones!)

Flora, The Red Menace: Creative Team

• Producer: Hal Prince • Director: George Abbott • Music: John Kander • Lyrics: Fred Ebb • Book: George Abbott & Robert Russell • Source: Lester Atwell’s novel Love is

Just Around the Corner • Cast: Liza Minnelli,* Bob Dishy, Mary

Louise Wilson

*Tony Award, Best Actress in a Musical, 1965

Flora, The Red Menace: Story & Songs

• Set in New York in 1933

• Young Flora Meszaros, graduates high school and dreams of being a fashion designer.

• While applying for a job (“All I Need Is One Good Break”), she meets Harry, and they fall in love.

• Later he convinces her to join the Communist Party (“Sign Here”).Liza Minnelli & Bob Dishy

Flora, The Red Menace: Story & Songs (cont’d)

• Flora is offered a job for a huge salary of $30 a week (“A Quiet Thing”).

• Flora catches Harry with another girl.

• Someone plants a copy of the Daily Worker in Flora’s locker, and she is fired (“Sing Happy”).

• Flora is later cleared, though she doesn’t end up with Harry.

Flora, The Red Menace: Songs (1965 Cast Recording)

Act I • Prologue/“Unafraid” • “All I Need (Is One Good Break)” • “Not Every Day of the Week” • “Sign Here” • “The Flame” • “Palomino Pal” • “A Quiet Thing” • “Hello, Waves” • “Dear Love”

Flora, The Red Menace: Songs (1965 Cast Recording)

Act II • “Express Yourself” • “Knock, Knock” • “Comrade Charlotte’s Ballet” • “Sing Happy” • “You Are You”

Flora, The Red Menace: “Sign Here”

Lenora Nimetz as Flora & Lawrence John Moss as Harry “The Songs of Flora, The Red Menace”

Camera Three, 1978

Flora, The Red Menace: “A Quiet Thing”

Fred Ebb tells how the song came to be written. Kander sings some of it. Someone else sings it, too.

Flora, The Red Menace: 1987 Off-Broadway Revival

Produced by the Vineyard Theatre Directed by Scott Ellis Choregraphed by Susan Stroman New book by David Thompson (took Communism and the Depression more seriously) 3 Songs cut 4 Songs added

Flora, The Red Menace: Aftermath

Got mixed reviews Was not a hit—ran for only 87 performances No Tony nominations other than the one for Liza Minnelli BUT: It solidified the relationship between Kander & Ebb and two people who would figure prominently in their careers—Hal Prince and Liza Minnelli.

Preparation for Classes 2 & 3

Refresh your memory of Cabaret

Read Colored Lights, Chapter 3