Ethel Merman "HUMPTY DUMPTY" ("Take a Chance") Cut Song 1932 Tryout Sheet Music

Description

This is a rare piece of sheet music for the song "I'M WAY AHEAD OF THE GAME" which was cut during the
Pre-Broadway tryout and WORLD PREMIERE engagement of the B. G. "Buddy" DeSYLVA and LAURENCE SCHWAB musical comedy about a revue "HUMPTY DUMPTY" at the Nixon Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (The production opened September 12th, 1932 and played only five performances in Pittsburgh before closing for revisions. After considerable rewrites, the show returned to the road retitled "TAKE A CHANCE", eventually opening November 26th, 1932 at the Apollo Theatre in New York City and running for 243 performances.) ..... The cast included ETHEL MERMAN, EDDIE FOY, Jr., SID SILVERS, LOU HOLTZ, JUNE KNIGHT, LISA SILBERT, DORIS GRODAY, DOUGLAS WOOD, J. C. NUGENT, WILLIAM LYNN, WALTER ARMIN, HARRY T. SHANNON, OSCAR RAGLAND, SARA JANE, VERNON BIDDLE, TONI CHASE, EDITH SPEARE, O. J. VANASSE, TOM DIAMOND, MARY DAY, BOBBY DAY, THOMAS LADD, JACK ARMSTRONG, BUDD KELHNER, PAUL PEGUE, EDWARD DELRIDGE, NEIL EVANS, CHET BREE and WILLIAM H. STAMM
..... Side note:
Humpty-Dumpty
was a thinly plotted musical comedy about a theatrical family backing a musical revue concerning great moments in American history featuring a cast that included
LOU HOLTZ,
SID SILVERS,
EDDIE FOY, Jr
. and
ETHEL MERMAN
(in only her third musical). After a disastrous five-performance run in Pittsburgh,
Humpty-Dumpty
closed for repairs. The sketches were reduced, VINCENT YOUMANS was brought in to beef up the score, and all of the principal cast members, save MERMAN and SILVERS were replaced. The new line-up would feature JACK WHITING and JUNE KNIGHT as the backer and the star (in a romance of course) and JACK HALEY as another comic. Retitled
Take a Chance,
the show finally opened in November and was a surprise hit ..... CREDITS: Book and Lyrics by
LAURENCE SCHWAB and B. G. DeSYLVA; Music by NACIO HERB BROWN and RICHARD WHITING; Sets designed by CLEON THROCKMORTON; Costumes designed by KIVIETTE and CHARLES LeMAIRE; Musical Arrangement for Miss Merman by ROGER EDENS; Choreographed by GEORGIE HALE; Directed by LAURENCE SCHWAB; Produced by LAURENCE SCHWAB and B. G. De SYLVA
..... DETAILS: The oversized eight page piece of sheet music measures approx. 9" X 12" inches and is copyrighted 1932 by B. G. DeSylva through Harms, Inc., New York City ..... CONDITION: With the exception of the start of a split at the bottom seam, a light vertical crease and minor soiling, this rare piece of sheet music 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 sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.