[Publius]

THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK

JEROME KERN

ROBERTA

Jerome once again teamed with Otto Harbach for this 1933 Broadway show. It starred Bob Hope in his first major role, George Murphy, Fred MacMurray and Sydney Greenstreet. A significant success, it ran for a year.

In 1935, RKO filmed it and recast it completely as a vehicle for Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott. The film went on to become a major success for the studio. Three songs from the Broadway show were dropped and two new songs inserted, one from a Kern show that had previously flopped.

”I’LL BE HARD TO HANDLE“

Fred and Ginger rehearsed this for nine weeks before getting it in one take. Ginger’s Russian accent is hilarious, and when the tap dancing starts, it becomes sublime. “La La Land” notwithstanding, this clip from the film gives you a hint of just what we’ve lost over 83 years.

Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers: “I’ll Be Hard to Handle”

[Kathy in Alaska]

More great tunes by Jerome Kern. Thanks, Publius, for sharing his story with us. ((HUGS))