I'd Rather Be Right
Encyclopedia
I'd Rather Be Right is a musical
with a book by Moss Hart
and George S. Kaufman
, lyrics by Lorenz Hart
, and music by Richard Rodgers
. The story is a Depression
-era political satire set in New York City
, about Washington politics and political figures, such as President Franklin Roosevelt. The plot centers on Peggy Jones (Joy Hodges) and her boyfriend, who needs a raise in order for them to get married. The President steps in and solves their dilemma.
It premiered on Broadway
at the Alvin Theatre on November 2, 1937, produced by Sam H. Harris, and transferred to the Music Box Theatre
, and ran for 290 performances. It starred George M. Cohan
as Franklin Roosevelt. Cohan, playing FDR, danced in such pieces as "Off the Record", not possible in real life for the disabled President.
The musical is prominently featured in the 1942 Cohan biopic Yankee Doodle Dandy
, where it serves as a narrative bookend. James Cagney
, playing Cohan, after meeting FDR in the Oval Office, performs a joyous tap dance as he walks back down the stairs of the White House. In the film, we also see Cagney as Cohan performing "Off the Record" during the show's run. (Because the film was made during World War II, the film also anachronistically added some morale-boosting lyrics at the end of the song as part of Warner Bros.
' wartime propaganda).
H. G. Wells
wrote enthusiastically about the musical, and Cohan's performance as Roosevelt, in an article "The Fall in America 1937", published in Collier's on 28 January 1938 and reprinted in his World Brain
(1938).
Act II
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with a book by Moss Hart
Moss Hart
Moss Hart was an American playwright and theatre director, best known for his interpretations of musical theater on Broadway.-Early years:...
and George S. Kaufman
George S. Kaufman
George Simon Kaufman was an American playwright, theatre director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals, notably for the Marx Brothers...
, lyrics by Lorenz Hart
Lorenz Hart
Lorenz "Larry" Milton Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart...
, and music by Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
. The story is a Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
-era political satire set in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, about Washington politics and political figures, such as President Franklin Roosevelt. The plot centers on Peggy Jones (Joy Hodges) and her boyfriend, who needs a raise in order for them to get married. The President steps in and solves their dilemma.
It premiered on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the Alvin Theatre on November 2, 1937, produced by Sam H. Harris, and transferred to the Music Box Theatre
Music Box Theatre
The Music Box Theater is a Broadway theatre located at 239 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.The once most aptly named theater on Broadway, the intimate Music Box was designed by architect C. Howard Crane and constructed by composer Irving Berlin and producer Sam H. Harris specifically to...
, and ran for 290 performances. It starred George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
as Franklin Roosevelt. Cohan, playing FDR, danced in such pieces as "Off the Record", not possible in real life for the disabled President.
The musical is prominently featured in the 1942 Cohan biopic Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle Dandy is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owns Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Rosemary DeCamp and Jeanne Cagney.The movie was written by...
, where it serves as a narrative bookend. James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
, playing Cohan, after meeting FDR in the Oval Office, performs a joyous tap dance as he walks back down the stairs of the White House. In the film, we also see Cagney as Cohan performing "Off the Record" during the show's run. (Because the film was made during World War II, the film also anachronistically added some morale-boosting lyrics at the end of the song as part of Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
' wartime propaganda).
H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
wrote enthusiastically about the musical, and Cohan's performance as Roosevelt, in an article "The Fall in America 1937", published in Collier's on 28 January 1938 and reprinted in his World Brain
World Brain
World Brain is a collection of essays and addresses the English science fiction pioneer, social reformer, evolutionary biologist and historian H. G. Wells written during the period 1936-38...
(1938).
Musical numbers
Act I- "A Homogeneous Cabinet"--Cabinet Members
- "Have You Met Miss Jones?Have You Met Miss Jones?"Have You Met Miss Jones?" is a popular song that was written for the musical comedy, I'd Rather Be Right. The music was written by Richard Rodgers and the lyrics by Lorenz Hart. The song was published in 1937....
"--Peggy Jones and Phil Barker - "Take and Take and Take"--The Judge's Girl and Ensemble
- "Spring in Vienna"--Tony
- "A Little Bit of Constitutional Fun"--The Judge's Girl and Ensemble
- "Sweet Sixty-Five"--Peggy Jones and Phil Barker
- "We're Going to Balance the Budget"--The President of the United States and Company
Act II
- "American Couple"--Ensemble
- "Labor Is the Thing"--James B. Maxwell and Ensemble
- "I'd Rather Be Right"--Peggy Jones, Phil Barker, The Judge's Girl, The President of the United States and Ensemble
- "Off the Record"--The President of the United States
- "A Baby Bond"--The Secretary of the Treasury