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George M. Cohan -- the only known recording of him in a play
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- Опубликовано: 6 авг 2014
- This is the only known recording of George M. Cohan performing in a play -- one of his own plays, in fact: "Dear Old Darling." It opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on March 2,1936, where it closed after just 16 performances. Prior to that, it played tryout engagements in Pittsburgh (where it opened on Dec. 30, 1935), Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo, Rochester, Utica, Philadelphia, Washington (Feb. 10) and Boston (Feb. 17).
It was apparently Dec. 29, 1935 when this recording was made, given that Cohan and the play's director, Sam Forrest, keep referring to the fact that the play opens "tomorrow night." (Nixon Theatre, Pittsburgh.)
This recording is part of an hour-long weekly broadcast that ran from 1935-1939 called "The Magic Key" -- a rather bizarre title that refers to the concept that RCA had various stations all over the country and the world, and "Magic Key" would turn every few minutes to a particular RCA station for some cultural treat: a pianist, singer, chorale, etc. In this case, it was George M. Cohan.
One can glean a few key Cohan stage traits that have been described in various books over the years. First, he apparently called everyone "kid," and you can hear this during the introduction when the announcer mistakenly refers to the city as Chicago: you can hear a voice in the background (Cohan) say, "We're in Pittsburgh, kid."
You can also hear what many of his colleagues described as his uncanny ability to make it sound as if he is saying the words for the first time, despite the fact that they are rehearsed. Notice how his actual real-life interactions with the announcer and Sam Forrest have the same off-the-cuff style found in the scenes. Famous author J.D. Salinger, who witnessed Cohan in a play, remarked that it was "the first un-stagey acting I'd ever seen in my life."
Finally, one can hear the vaudeville-style repartee Cohan wrote and performed with ease, along with some expert 1930's character acting by the detective. Sam Forrest, the director, was a longtime Cohan associate, having staged many of the writer/actor/producer's shows since 1912. Peers have said that Forrest would usually stage the shows himself, and then Cohan would come in near the end of the process to give them his special "magic touch." This broadcast finds Cohan and Forrest near the end of their 28-year association, and one can get a sense of their push-and-pull collaboration. Forrest staged Cohan's last Broadway appearance in the flop 1940 play, "The Return of the Vagabond."
Though Cohan was very active during the early years of recorded sound, there is surprisingly little of him that one can hear. That is what makes this recording a curiosity worth cherishing.
Here is the Harvard Crimson's review of the play, the week before the show moved to New York:
"Dear Old Darling" is the perfect medium for the bland, effervescent personality of the American stage actor, George M. Cohan. Besides that, it is an evening's worth of high-tension excitement, with astonishingly little remission. After you have left the theatre, however, your task--the spectator's task--is done. There is nothing to brood over in melancholy moments. "Dear Old Darling" makes no pretensions beyond those of good, solid entertainment.
Mr. Cohan's peculiar virtue must be that he always gives the impression of not having learned his lines. It doesn't matter whose dialogue he is voicing, it is always beyond dispute his own. Fortunately his talk is never too brilliant to lose its smack of complete spontaneity, and it is a revelation to see the wealth of aptness and humor that he can put into a stock rejoinder like "You'd be surprised." Mr. Cohan is not a versatile actor; his own identity is too strong for that. But in the part of the mundane business man who quails and blusters; who loses face, his head, and his temper, but remains lovable and richly human throughout, George Cohan is a lasting delight."
And finally, here is a link to the Broadway playbill. Be sure to turn the pages and read Cohan's bio. Very revealing, and written by the man himself, no doubt.
www.playbillvau...
Special thanks to Jack Foley (whom I've never met) who stumbled across the mention of DEAR OLD DARLING on an old recording and led me to it with this posting:
www.thealsoprev...
Cohan had a reputation for being smart, and "sassy" when he had to be, along with a bit of an ego, which of course, isn't ego if you can back it all up. He could, and he did, even when his shows had short runs or flopped outright. You can hear it all here, and it's simply marvelous!.
Judging from his voice, Cagney was perfection.
Yes I agree Mr Cagney does a perfect imitation of George M Cohan. I love the movie Yankee Doodle Dandy a classic ❤️😊
Fascinating piece of radio history. It's obvious to me that every word of it - and not only the excerpt of the play - was scripted and rehearsed prior to the broadcast. Such a practice was very common in those days even for seemingly spontaneous "reality" programs (as well as newsreels), much like we would see later in the scripted banter between host and guest on a TV variety show.
I've been gripped by all things Cohan since a boy in the Fifties when I first saw Yankee Doodle Dandy on TV. That led to tap dancing lessons. Later, for my sixteenth birthday, my parents bought me tickets to see George M! on broadway starring Joel Grey and Bernadette Peters. Thanks for sharing this.
Same here but I was 24 the first time I say any James cagney portrayal of George M Cohen
Thank you SO much for posting this! COOL. Cagney has been my favorite actor since teenhood (ok: 46 yrs. ago, i was 16, so ... lol ... u can Do the Math) - this is a GEM! Thank you SO MUCH, again - George M. here is FANTASTIC, of course! What a TREAT! xo, VCH & Midlantic Theatre Co., Newark, NJ PS: I'm TRYing to find, here on RUclips, the supposed footage that still exists of George M. Cohan dancing -- Someone, at the bottom of the comments on Cagney's "Give My Regards to Broadway" number in 1942's Yankee Doodle Dandy, said there is footage here ? - If anyone here knows: I'd be much obliged! Thanks! - Anyway -- Stay safe and well, All, meanwhle -- VCH.
You're very welcome! To clarify, the only footage of George M. Cohan dancing can be found in only 2 places. The first is in the 1932 film THE PHANTOM PRESIDENT, in which he does a patriotic number ("Maybe Someone Ought To Wave the Flag" by Rodgers & Hart). Unfortunately, the director (or studio) had him do it in blackface -- which was a genuine misstep because -- unlike Jolson -- Cohan was not known for blackface and there's no record of him doing so as part of the most famous "Four Cohan" sketches (which the film YANKEE DOODLE DANDY gets wrong) or his B'way career starting in 1901. So it's terribly misleading and, obviously, makes the sequence problematic to watch today for anything other than a record of his actual dancing style. You can see, however, many of the trademark Cohan steps, including dancing up the proscenium arch. It is occasionally available on RUclips, but get the DVD an you'll have it for yourself. The second is in rare home-movie footage of his 1937 appearance as FDR in I'D RATHER BE RIGHT. A few seconds of this was used in a documentary narrated by Julie Andrews and can be seen on RUclips ("PBS Broadway George M. Cohan: All the Gang at 42nd St"). There is more of this show's footage featuring Cohan, but it is privately owned by a man in L.A., Miles Kreuger, and he has not yet released it for others to view.
Brian--
Fascinating! I can't say I've never heard George M's voice before now. Thanks.
BTW, later today I'm posting a Cohan related 78 side on my channel. The song is "You Remind Me Of My Mother", by Colin O'More. It's from LITTLE NELLIE KELLY.
Cool!!!
A reporter named Kennedy is reporting from a theater named Nixon! ;o)
lol
Is the first announcer Milton J. Cross ?
stiltoncheesewright: Cross was the host-announcer of “The Magic Key” radio program.