The Five O'Clock Girl
Encyclopedia
The Five O'Clock Girl is a musical
with a book
by Guy Bolton
and Fred Thompson
, music by Harry Ruby
, and lyrics by Bert Kalmar
. It focuses on wealthy Beekman Place
playboy Gerald Brooks and impoverished shopgirl Patricia Brown, who become acquainted with each other via a series of anonymous 5 o'clock phone conversations.
The original Broadway
production opened at the 44th Street Theatre
on October 10, 1927. On April 16, 1928, it transferred to the Shubert Theatre
, where it completed its total run of 280 performances on June 2. Directed by John Harwood and choreographed by Jack Haskell, it starred Oscar Shaw
as Gerald Brooks, Mary Eaton
as Patricia Brown, Pert Kelton
as Susan Snow, and Danny Dare
as Ronnie Webb. Costume design
was by Charles LeMaire
, and Norman Bel Geddes
was the scenic design
er.
A West End
production opened at the London Hippodrome on March 21, 1929.
The musical was staged at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut
and the Walnut Street Theatre
in Philadelphia before returning to Broadway, where it ran for six previews and 14 performances at the Helen Hayes Theatre
between January 22 and February 8, 1981. Directed by Sue Lawless and choreographed by Dan Siretta, the cast included Lisby Larson
, Richard Ruth, Roger Rathburn, Dee Hoty
, and Pat Stanley
. In his review in the New York Times, Frank Rich
called it "amiably silly" and said it "is not without passing interest as an arcane footnote to theatrical history, but as entertainment in 1981 it's a pretty slim affair." He added, "The show's book is tiresomely long, and its gags are unshucked corn. Pretty soon we're living just for the songs, and very few of them prove to be worth living for."
Act II
Act II
and Joel McCrea
starred in a screen adaptation directed by Robert Z. Leonard
for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
, but it never was released, possibly because William Randolph Hearst
objected to his mistress Davies portraying a common shopgirl in her first sound film
.
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
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Guy Bolton
Guy Bolton
Guy Reginald Bolton was a British-American playwright and writer of musical comedies. Born in England and educated in France and the U.S., he trained as an architect but turned to writing. Bolton preferred working in collaboration with others, principally the English writers P. G...
and Fred Thompson
Fred Thompson (writer)
Frederick A. Thompson, usually credited as Fred Thompson was an English writer, best known as a librettist for about fifty British and American musical comedies from World War I to World War II. Among the writers with whom he collaborated were George Grossmith Jr., P. G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton and...
, music by Harry Ruby
Harry Ruby
Harry Ruby was a Jewish American songwriter and screenwriter.After failing in his early ambition to become a professional baseball player,...
, and lyrics by Bert Kalmar
Bert Kalmar
Bert Kalmar was a Jewish American lyricist.He was born in New York, New York. He ran away from home at the age of 10 to become a magician at a tent show, and retained an interest in magic all his life. He never got much of an education, but decided to make a career in show business...
. It focuses on wealthy Beekman Place
Beekman Place (Manhattan)
Beekman Place is a small street located on the east side of Manhattan, New York City. The street runs from north to south for approximately two blocks and is situated between the eastern end of 51st and 49th streets. Beekman Place is also used to refer to the residential neighborhood that surrounds...
playboy Gerald Brooks and impoverished shopgirl Patricia Brown, who become acquainted with each other via a series of anonymous 5 o'clock phone conversations.
The original 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...
production opened at the 44th Street Theatre
44th Street Theatre
The 44th Street Theatre was a New York City Broadway theatre from 1912 to 1945 in the United States of America. It was located on Broadway, at West 44th Street. Architect was William A. Swansea. Built by the Shuberts, and first named Weber and Fields' Music Hall, its name was changed when the...
on October 10, 1927. On April 16, 1928, it transferred to the Shubert Theatre
Shubert Theatre (Broadway)
The Shubert Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 225 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan, New York, United States.Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts, it was named after Sam S. Shubert, the second oldest of the three brothers of the theatrical producing family...
, where it completed its total run of 280 performances on June 2. Directed by John Harwood and choreographed by Jack Haskell, it starred Oscar Shaw
Oscar Shaw
Oscar Shaw , was a stage and screen actor and singer...
as Gerald Brooks, Mary Eaton
Mary Eaton
Mary Eaton was a leading stage actress, singer, and dancer in the 1910s and 1920s. A professional performer since childhood, she enjoyed success in stage productions such as the Ziegfeld Follies and early sound films such as Glorifying the American Girl and The Cocoanuts, but found her career in...
as Patricia Brown, Pert Kelton
Pert Kelton
Pert Kelton was an American vaudeville, movie, radio and television actress. She was the first actress who played Alice Kramden in The Honeymooners with Jackie Gleason and was a prominent comedic supporting film actress in the 1930s...
as Susan Snow, and Danny Dare
Danny Dare
Danny Dare was an American choreographer, actor, director, writer, and producer of the stage, screen, and film....
as Ronnie Webb. Costume design
Costume design
Costume design is the fabrication of apparel for the overall appearance of a character or performer. This usually involves researching, designing and building the actual items from conception. Costumes may be for a theater or cinema performance but may not be limited to such...
was by Charles LeMaire
Charles LeMaire
Charles LeMaire was an American costume designer. Despite his French sounding name, he was born in Chicago.LeMaire's early career was as a vaudeville performer, but he became a costume designer for such Broadway productions as Ziegfeld Follies and The Five O'Clock Girl. By 1925 he turned to the...
, and Norman Bel Geddes
Norman Bel Geddes
Norman Melancton Bel Geddes was an American theatrical and industrial designer who focused on aerodynamics....
was the scenic design
Scenic design
Scenic design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers have traditionally come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but nowadays, generally speaking, they are trained professionals, often with M.F.A...
er.
A West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production opened at the London Hippodrome on March 21, 1929.
The musical was staged at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut
East Haddam, Connecticut
East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,333 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
and the Walnut Street Theatre
Walnut Street Theatre
The Walnut Street Theatre , located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 825 Walnut Street, is the oldest continuously operating theatre in the English-speaking world and the oldest in the United States...
in Philadelphia before returning to Broadway, where it ran for six previews and 14 performances at the Helen Hayes Theatre
Fulton Theatre/Helen Hayes Theatre
The Fulton Theatre was a Broadway Theatre located at 210 West 46th Street in New York that was opened in 1911. It was re-named the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1955. The theatre was demolished in 1982...
between January 22 and February 8, 1981. Directed by Sue Lawless and choreographed by Dan Siretta, the cast included Lisby Larson
Lisby Larson
Lisby Larson is an American actress, perhaps best known for her work on soap operas. She has made a number of appearances in television, theater, and film, including multiple appearances on Law & Order. Her daytime roles include Texas and Guiding Light as Calla Matthews, from 1985-1986...
, Richard Ruth, Roger Rathburn, Dee Hoty
Dee Hoty
Dee Hoty is an American musical theatre actress. Over the course of her career, she has appeared in numerous high-profile Broadway productions and earned multiple Tony nominations for her performances.-Biography:...
, and Pat Stanley
Pat Stanley
Pat Stanley is an American actress, dancer and singer.-Family:She was married to songwriter Johnny Burke, and later to writer William Hanley with whom she had two daughters, Nell and Katherine. She has three granddaughters Darsen, Sophia, and Mabel.Since 1980 she had been married to third...
. In his review in the New York Times, Frank Rich
Frank Rich
Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
called it "amiably silly" and said it "is not without passing interest as an arcane footnote to theatrical history, but as entertainment in 1981 it's a pretty slim affair." He added, "The show's book is tiresomely long, and its gags are unshucked corn. Pretty soon we're living just for the songs, and very few of them prove to be worth living for."
1927 song list
Act I- I'm One Little Party
- We Want You
- Thinking of You
- Happy Go Lucky
- Up in the Clouds
- Any Little Thing
- Following in Father's Footsteps
- Lonesome Romeos
- Tea Time Tap
- Thinking of You (Reprise)
Act II
- Who Did?
- Society Ladder
- Tell the World I'm Through
- Up in the Clouds (Reprise)
- Who Did? (Reprise)
1981 song list
Act One- In the Old Neighborhood
- Keep Romance Alive
- Thinking of You
- I'm One Little Party
- Up in the Clouds
- My Sunny Tennessee
- Any Little Thing
- Manhattan Walk
Act II
- Long Island Low Down
- Who Did? You Did!
- Any Little Thing (Reprise)
- Nevertheless
- All Alone Monday
- Dancing the Devil Away
- Up in the Clouds (Reprise)
Film adaptation
In 1928, Marion DaviesMarion Davies
Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
and Joel McCrea
Joel McCrea
Joel Albert McCrea was an American actor whose career spanned 50 years and appearances in over 90 films.-Early life:...
starred in a screen adaptation directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Robert Z. Leonard
Robert Zigler Leonard was an American film director, actor, producer and screenwriter.He was born in Chicago, Illinois...
for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, but it never was released, possibly because William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
objected to his mistress Davies portraying a common shopgirl in her first sound film
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
.