Of V We Sing Explained

Of V We Sing is a Broadway musical revue with lyrics by Alfred Hayes and a book by Mel Tolkin, Sam Locke, and Al Geto.^{[1] [2]} It premiered at the Elysee Theatre on February 11, 1942, and ran for 76 performances before closing on April 25 that year. The show marked the Broadway debuts of both Betty Garrett and Phil Leeds.^{[3] [4]}

Production

The show was originally put on by the American Youth Theatre under the name V For Victory in September 1941 at the Malin Studio Theater.^[5] By October, it was running under the name Of V We Sing.^{[6] [7]}

The Broadway production was directed by Perry Bruskin and produced by Alexander H. Cohen.^[8]

A condensed version of the show, with a cast of ten people, played at the La Conga Club in New York City for two weeks in September 1942.^{[9] [10] [11]} Four members of the original cast performed in this version: Eleanor Bagley, Lee Barrie, Connie Baxter, and Adele Jerome. New cast members were Kay Dowd, Ty Kearney, Ray Long, Marty Ritt, and Shelley Winters.

Synopsis

The show consisted of two acts of songs and sketches. Some of the show's content addressed World War II, while other parts touched on topics closer to home, like unions, Mother's Day, and the Brooklyn Dodgers.^[12]

Act I

• "You Can't Fool the People"
• "News Story"
• "NBC Goes to Broadcast"
• "Sisters Under the Skin"
• "Rhumba"
• "One Way Passage"
• "Red, White and Blues"
• "Mother Love"
• "Brooklyn Cantata"
• "Take a Poem"
• "Victory Conga"

Act II

• "Priorities"
• "News Story (Again)"
• "Ivan the Terrible"
• "Queen Esther"
• "Hy'a Joe"
• "Gertie, the Stool Pigeon's Daughter"
• "You've Got to Appease with a Strip Tease"
• "Belinda Blue"
• "We Have a Date"
• "Juke Box"
• "Prologue to Finale"
• "Of V We Sing"

Broadway cast

• Eleanor Bagley
• Lee Barrie
• Connie Baxter
• Perry Bruskin
• Curt Conway
• Lou Cooper
• Diane Davis
• John Fleming
• Ann Garlan
• Betty Garrett
• Adele Jerome
• Phil Leeds
• Byron Milligan
• Daniel Nagrin
• Susanne Remos
• Robert Sharron
• Letty Stever
• Mary Titus
• John Wynn
• Buddy Yarus

References

1. Book: Dietz, Dan . The Complete Book of 1940s Broadway Musicals . 2 February 2015 . 978-1-4422-4528-0 . 99–100 . en-US . 903014625.
2. Web site: Of V We Sing (Broadway, Elysee Theatre, 1942) . 21 April 2023 . Playbill.
3. Web site: Pesselnick . Jill . 1998-08-21 . Phil Leeds . 2023-04-21 . Variety . en-US.
4. Carbone . Nick . 2011-02-13 . Betty Garrett, Laverne and Shirley Actress and Broadway Star, Dies at 91 . en-US . Time . 2023-04-21 . 0040-781X.
5. News: 1942-04-21 . Of V We Sing' Ends Its Run Saturday; Topical Revue Is Closing at the Concert Theatre -- Gertrude Lawrence Year in Part; Pal Joey' in New Home; Begins in Brooklyn Tonight -- Sponsorship of 'Broken Journey' Is Arranged . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-04-21 . 0362-4331.
6. News: L.C. . 1941-10-26 . Of V We Sing' Offered; Musical Revue Is Presented by the American Youth Theatre . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-04-21 . 0362-4331.
7. News: 8 February 1942 . 'Of V We Sing' Makes Brooklyn Youngsters Pros on Wednesday . 36 . The Brooklyn Daily Eagle . 21 April 2023.
8. Book: McLaughlin, Robert L. . Broadway Goes to War: American Theater During World War II . 2021 . 978-0-8131-8094-6 . 1190853602.
9. 12 September 1942 . N.Y. Clubs Buy Lots of Talent For New Season . Billboard . 11.
10. Denis . Paul . 19 September 1942 . LaConga, New York . Billboard . 12.
11. 31 October 1942 . Better Comedy Floorshow Units Get Plenty of Bookings as the Quickies Drop Out; Philly Boom . Billboard . 11.
12. Book: Jones, John Bush . Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social History of the American Musical Theater . 2003 . Brandeis University Press, published by University Press of New England . 978-1-61128-223-8 . Hanover . 135 . en-US . 654535012.