Vernon Duke "A VAGABOND HERO" George Houston / Ruby Mercer 1940 FLOP Playbill

Description

This is a rare January 1st, 1940 playbill from the out-of-town tryout of the CHARLES O. LOCKE, SAMUEL D. POKRASS and VERNON DUKE musical "A VAGABOND HERO" at the Nixon Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (The production opened December 26th, 1939 at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. as "THE WHITE PLUME" and ran for one week. The musical was retitled "A VAGABOND HERO" before opening January 1st, 1940 at the Nixon Theatre and ran for one additional week before falling into obscurity.) ..... Based on the Edmond Rostand classic, "Cyrano de Bergerac", the musical starred GEORGE HOUSTON as "Cyrano" and RUBY MERCER as "Roxane" and featured ERIC MATTSON, ROBERT CHISHOLM, HAL FORDE, EVELYN CASE, BELITA, TRUMAN GAIGE, WESLEY BENDER, DOUGLAS LEAVITT, JOSEPH HOLLAND, ZELLA RUSSELL, EDWARD ROECKER, EARL McVEIGH, DRISKILL WOLFE, LOUIS A. DMITRI, HOPE EMERSON, NINA OLIVETTE, CORNELL WILDE, FRED SHERMAN, HUBERT GUBELMAN, BILL JOHNSON, BETTI DAVIS, THOMAS MITCHELL and 90 others ..... Side note: Producers LEE and J. J. SHUBERT had mounted an unsuccessful musical version of "CYRANO de BERGERAC" in 1932 with music by SAMUEL D. POKRASS and lyrics by CHARLES O. LOCKE. During its initial tour, the production's title was briefly changed from "CYRANO de BERGERAC" to "ROXANE", but the show closed quickly on the road. In 1939, the Shubert brothers decided to remount the production, dusted off the original sets and costumes and hired VERNON DUKE to supplement the score. This version, even with a revised title and new songs lasted only two weeks ..... CREDITS: Book adapted by CHARLES O. LOCKE from the EDMOND ROSTAND play "Cyrano de Bergerac"; Music by SAMUEL D. POKRASS and VERNON DUKE ("Garrick Gaieties", "Ziegfeld Follies", "At Home Abroad", "Cabin in the Sky", "Banjo Eyes", "Sadie Thompson", "Two's Company", "Sweet Bye and Bye", "The Pink Jungle"); Lyrics by CHARLES O. LOCKE; Sets designed by WATSON BARRATT; Costumes designed mostly by ERNEST SCHRAPPS; Choreographed by Mme. NATALIE KAMAROVA; Directed by GEORGE HOUSTON; Produced by the Messrs. LEE and J. J. SHUBERT ..... DETAILS: The eight page playbill measures 5 1/4" X 8 1/2" inches and includes full production credits, cast list, synopsis of scenes, list of musical numbers and wonderful vintage advertising, but no cast photos or bios. The front cover features JOHN BARRYMORE who would be starring the following week in the comedy "MY DEAR CHILDREN", following a record-breaking run in Chicago ..... CONDITION: With the exception of a light vertical crease, this rare playbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.
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