It was in 1935 that George Gershwin’s American folk opera Porgy and Bess was first performed, still played.
In 1931 Congress designated “The Star Spangled Banner” as the national anthem.
In 1938 Kate Smith sang Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” and made the song her own. There have been many proponents of making this the national anthem, replacing the hard to sing “Star Spangled Banner”.
In the same year a young Mary Martin captivated theatergoers with her rendition of “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” in Cole Porter’s Leave It to Me.
(hi Ma)