Dark Monday • Vivian Blaine • Adelaide's Lament

On November 24, 1950, a new Broadway musical opened at the 46th Street Theater, and was an instant hit for theatergoers and critics alike. 'Guys and Dolls' had music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. The story was based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon, as well as pulling a couple of characters from a few other of Runyon's works. It starred Robert Alda as Sky Masterson, Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit, Isabel Bigley as Sister Sarah Brown, and Vivian Blaine as Adelaide. The show was nominated for five Tony Awards, and won them all, including Best New Musical. 'Guys and Dolls' was selected as the winner of the 1951 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. However, because of writer Abe Burrows' troubles with the House Un-American Activities Committee, the gutless Trustees of Columbia University vetoed the selection, and no Pulitzer for Drama was awarded that year.

Of the four leads from Broadway, Vivian Blaine was the only one to revive her performance. She joined Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, and Jean Simmons on screen, once again to good notices. Adelaide was a night club performer, and in a relationship with Nathan Detroit, hoping to get a ring. While thinking about it, she reads an article about the effects waiting for a proposal can take on a person. The song is "Adelaide's Lament", and it remains one of the most popular from the great score of 'Guys and Dolls'. This performance was recorded during the 1971 Tony Awards, when they offered highlights of previous years. There is a wonderful introduction by the late Jerry Orbach, who played Sky Masterson in a 1965 revival. This is Vivian Blaine singing "Adelaide's Lament" from 'Guys and Dolls'.

In 1983, Blaine became the first star to make a public service announcement for AIDS-related causes, including AIDS-Project Los Angeles. In fact, she donated the royalties from several recordings to the group. On December 9, 1995, Vivian Blaine died of congestive heart failure. She was 74 years old.

Carpenters • What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

I couldn't let the holiday go without a little tribute to the brother-sister duo, Carpenters. I just love what they did with "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve", the great song written by Frank Loesser in 1947. While Loesser was known for his songs written for stage and screen, this song was written for neither, and was first sung by The Orioles. Thirty-seven years later, the song was recorded by Richard and Karen, and I just love it. This is the Carpenters singing "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve".

Happy New Year!

Dark Monday • Betty Hutton Sings "Can't Stop Talking About Him"

When Paramount Pictures decided to go ahead with the musical 'Let's Dance',they put their top talent behind it. Their #1 box office female star was the wonderful Betty Hutton, and they paired her with Fred Astaire, a man who starred in countless hits before. They also had Frank Loesser to write the music, as he had with so many hits. That would include the toungue-twisting song "Can't Stop Talking About Him", a great number for Hutton to bring to the screen. It featured her comedic talents, as well as her unique singing style. And the dancing is pretty amazing, too. Well, check out "Can't Stop Talking About Him" for yourself.

'Let's Dance' did fine at the box office, but not close the the expectations of the studio. Instead, it was always in the shadow of 'Annie Get Your Gun', the MGM musical that was to star Judy Garland. That was not meant to be, and shortly after filming began, Judy was released from the picture. MGM made a deal with Paramount to 'borrow' their star, Betty Hutton, to play Annie Oakley. MGM ended up with the huge hit of 1950, while 'Let's Dance' remained a footnote for the year.

Dark Monday • Never Will I Marry

"Never Will I Marry" was a song written by Frank Loesser for the Broadway musical 'Greenwillow'. Loesser might be more well known for a few other Broadway scores her wrote, including 'Guys and Dolls' and 'How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying'. He also won an academy Award for his charming seasonal classic, "Baby, It's Cold Outside". However, the show was not warmly received by the critics nor the audience, and closed after just under 100 performances. It did star Anthony Perkins, who was the one who introduced the song. But, to be honest, I might never have known of the song if not for my preoccupation with the music of Barbra Streisand. I know it might come as a surprise, but as a young teen, I was not only buying Barbra's current music, I was also going back and buying older music as well. That would include 'The Third Album', released in 1964. On it, she sings many songs spectacularly, including "Never Will I Marry". Pretty remarkable for a young woman just beginning her twenties.

You can purchase the original Broadway Cast album on iTunes and Amazon. You can also purchase Barbra Streisand's 'The Third Album' on iTunes and Amazon. To this day, it still remains one of my favorite Streisand albums.