DREAM GIRL
June 23, 1947
On this date in 1947, Lucille Ball opened in DREAM GIRL, produced at McCarter Theatre, Princeton, New Jersey for the Princeton Festival. The comedy had originally opened on Broadway on December 14, 1945, starring Betty Field and written and directed by Elmer Rice (then married to Ms. Field).
In 1937, Lucille Ball had performed on the McCarter Stage in the play HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE opposite Conway Tearle. The play launched a short tour headed to Broadway, but Tearle’s illness forced it to close in Washington DC, postponing Lucille’s Broadway debut. That would have to wait until 1960′s Wildcat.
Lucille Ball was the Queen of Comedy long before television. In this DREAM GIRL program bio, she continues the fib that she was born in Butte, Montana, finding it more exotic than Jamestown, NY.
Ball played the role of Georgina Allerton, a daydreaming bookshop owner. Subsequently, she toured the show, playing Boston, Detroit, Toronto, San Francisco, Oakland, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.
SYNOPSIS ~ Twenty-two year-old debutante Georgina is the owner of a small unsuccessful bookstore. She also writes novels. She has an overactive imagination and regularly escapes reality by means of her romantic daydreams about three men in her life, which are acted out on stage. The play's time span covers a single day of Georgina's life, during which several successive extravagant and often comic daydreams are portrayed.
The play’s fantasy sequences seemed tailor-made for Ball’s style and comic wit. In a way, Georgina was a prelude to the “Lucy” character on TV, who is dreaming her way out of her suburban life - and sometimes succeeding. In the play, Georgina’s imagination takes her to:
A balcony in Mexico...
The maternity ward of a hospital...
A stage where she plays Shakespeare’s Portia
A street where she is a ‘woman of the night’ in a scarlet red dress.
On two notable occasions, Lucy Ricardo’s fantasy or dream life manifested itself on our TV screens. In “Ricky’s Old Girlfriend” (ILL S3;E12) Lucy dreams of what her life would be like if Ricky left her to go on tour with his former partner, sexy Carlotta Romero.
In “Lucy Goes To Scotland” (ILL S5;E17) Lucy dreams of visiting her ancestral home in Scotland while visiting London. Having just come from seeing a West End Musical, she dreams in the musical comedy format!
In “Lucy and the Dummy” (ILL S5;E3), after MGM offers Lucy a contract, she imagines fame and fortune but is fully awake. Lucille Ball pantomimes the joys and sorrows of stardom while a Theremin gives the sequence a dream-like, surreal quality. Lucy Ricardo is most like DREAM GIRL’s Georgina in this short reverie.
In “Lucy and the Monsters” (TLS S3;E18), Lucy Carmichael has a nightmare after watching a scary horror movie. The dream takes her and Viv to a haunted house where they encounter a variety of typical movie monsters and then turn into witches themselves - all before waking up.
DREAM GIRL CAST & CREW
Herbert Kenwith (Producer) later directed 14 episodes of “Here’s Lucy” between 1969 and 1970. Dede Ball warned Kenwith that her daughter was indeed the bitch everyone said she was. Lucille snapped back: “I am not! Only when I’m working.”
Jack Benny (to Herbert Kenwith, about Lucy): "Herbert, you ought to call a psychiatrist for her."
Jus Addiss (Director) was the life partner of DREAM GIRL actor Hayden Rorke. Barbara Eden (who, like Rorke, also guest-starred on “I Love Lucy”) later remembered that Addiss and Rorke were “unabashedly gay” and often invited the “I Dream of Jeannie” cast over for parties.
Jo Mielziner (Settings) had also done the scenery for the Broadway premiere of DREAM GIRL in 1945. From 1949 to 1970 Mielziner won 9 Tony Awards. His designs were adapted by Richard Burns for the tour starring Ball.
The play co-starred Scott McKay as the imaginative writer. McKay played the role of Wilbur in the 1958 pilot for TV’s “Mr. Ed” but was replaced on the series by Alan Young.
Hayden Rorke, best known as Dr. Bellows in “I Dream of Jeannie”, was also in the cast. Lucy later employed him to play the Ricardo’s new neighbor, whom she suspects to be a spy, on “I Love Lucy.” He later returned to play a judge on a 1971 episode of “Here’s Lucy.”
Barbara Morrison was an English-born actress who came to Hollywood in the late 1940s. She did two episodes of “The Lucy Show” and three episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”
Lela Bliss went on to play Mrs. Shellhammer in the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, which also starred William Frawley.
Andrew Duggan later did an episode of Desilu’s TV series “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1964). He is best remembered as the voice of the Father in Disney’s theme park attraction The Carousel of Progress.
Phil Arthur appeared on Broadway from 1948 to 1952, his last play with Henry Fonda (Lucy’s one-time boyfriend) and Frances Baviar (Aunt Bee on “The Andy Griffith Show”). He began on television in 1949 and his last job on the small screen was as a background player on “Perry Mason” from 1961 to 1966.
Dorothy Elder began doing television in 1950, but her career only lasted until 1955, as a regular on “True Romances”.
Alan Hewitt was a veteran of sixteen Broadway shows, including the original production of Death of a Salesman (1949) and Call Me Madam starring Ethel Merman (1950). From 1964 to 1966 he played Detective Brennan on “My Favorite Martian.” In 1964, he appeared on an episode of “The Lucy Show.”
The Newark Star-Ledger review of DREAM GIRL, June 24, 1947. [Thanks to Eric C. Schwarz, research librarian extraordinaire, for the review.]
POST PRINCETON!
In January 1948, Lucille got the opportunity to recreate the role in Los Angeles, but fell ill with a virus shortly after it opened and the show closed prematurely. Because Ball was known for her film roles, promotion often said that she was appearing “Live In Person” - which seems obvious in a live theatre production!
Handbill for the Los Angeles production that was cut short by Ball’s illness. Lela Bliss took over for Barbara Morrison.
Souvenir program from the Brooklyn engagement at Brandt’s Flatbush Theatre in July 1947. It includes an excerpt from a write-up by Hall Barnell for Actors Cues about the rehearsal he attended at Malin Studios and a sketch of Ball from that day.
Detroit Music Hall - signed program.
Boston Production at the historic Shubert Theatre - signed program.
San Francisco production at the Curran Theatre.
During this San Francisco engagement, Ball’s husband was not far away! Five blocks, to be exact. It is likely that Lucy and Desi stayed at the Palace Hotel while she was performing at the Curran. It is also likely that Desi’s performances were in lieu of a hotel bill for the couple!
"I have seen other productions of this play, but the only actress whose performance really delighted me was Lucille Ball. She lacked… tender wistfulness, but her vivid personality and expert timing kept the play bright and alive." ~ Edgar Rice, Playwright
It is pretty clear that this photo was an early version of photo shop. Although it was created during the time of the play, it is quite obviously a manipulated photo.
In August 1947, the show had finally reached what was known as “the subway circuit” - a group of New York City borough theatres that were not considered Broadway. Meanwhile, in Princeton, the summer season continued with yet another show produced by Kenwith and Kennedy, “Horace”. The Billboard review of August 30 was of the opinion that Lucille Ball was simply playing Lucille Ball, and that audiences were okay with that.
This sterling silver cigarette case was a gift to Lucy from the DREAM GIRL company and is engraved on the front: "With Grateful appreciation TO OUR 'DREAM GIRL' December 1947." The lid has the engraved signatures of the company, 17 in all, including actors Scott McKay, Guy Standing, and Andy Duggan. The item came up for auction after the death of Gary Morton.
While Lucy and the DREAM GIRL company were touring, they knew that a film adaption had been made and was awaiting release. It starred Betty Hutton and MacDonald Carey, but did not open to the public till later in 1948. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz took a chance on Hutton in 1959, giving her a CBS sitcom “The Betty Hutton Show” which ended after 30 episodes.
In 1955, while Lucille Ball was busy with “I Love Lucy,” NBC made DREAM GIRL into a TV film starring Vivian Blaine. It featured “Lucy” character actors Hal March and Ida Moore.
Ten years later, it was turned into a Broadway musical named Skyscraper, with the play adapted by Peter Stone (”1776″) and starred Julie Harris in her first musical. It earned five Tony nominations. Charles Nelson Reilly guest-starred on “Here’s Lucy” in 1970. Peter Marshall played Lucy’s brother-in-law Hughie on “The Lucy Show” in 1963. Choreographer Michael Kidd also did the dances for Wildcat starring Lucille Ball in 1960.
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MOTION PICTURES
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Parasite
HYAE JIN CHANG / Chung Sook
YEO JEONG CHO / Yeon Kyo
WOO SHIK CHOI / Ki Woo
HYEON JUN JUNG / Da Song
ZISO JUNG / Da Hye
JUNG EUN LEE / Moon Gwang
SUN KYUN LEE / Dong Ik
MYUNG HOON PARK / Geun Se
SO DAM PARK / Ki Jung
KANG HO SONG / Ki Taek
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Renee Zellweger, Judy
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
TELEVISION
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
The Crown
MARION BAILEY / Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
HELENA BONHAM CARTER / Princess Margaret
OLIVIA COLMAN / Queen Elizabeth II
CHARLES DANCE / Lord Mountbatten
BEN DANIELS / Lord Snowdon
ERIN DOHERTY / Princess Anne
CHARLES EDWARDS / Martin Charteris
TOBIAS MENZIES / Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
JOSH O’CONNOR / Prince Charles
SAM PHILLIPS / Equerry
DAVID RINTOUL / Michael Adeane
JASON WATKINS / Harold Wilson
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
CAROLINE AARON / Shirley Maisel
ALEX BORSTEIN / Susie Myerson
RACHEL BROSNAHAN / Midge Maisel
MARIN HINKLE / Rose Weissman
STEPHANIE HSU / Mei
JOEL JOHNSTONE / Archie Cleary
JANE LYNCH / Sophie Lennon
LEROY McCLAIN / Shy Baldwin
KEVIN POLLAK / Moishe Maisel
TONY SHALHOUB / Abe Weissman
MATILDA SZYDAGIS / Zelda
BRIAN TARANTINA / Jackie
MICHAEL ZEGEN / Joel Maisel
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon
STUNT ENSEMBLES
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
AVENGERS: ENDGAME
Marija Juliette Abney
Janeshia Adams-Ginyard
George “Gee” Alexander
Derek Alfonso
Nate Andrade
Christopher Antonucci
Randy Archer
Brandon Arnold
Steven S. Atkinson
Ben Aycrigg
Jennifer Badger
Christopher Balualua
Danya Bateman
Loyd Bateman
Kelly Bellini
Joanna Bennett
Carrie Bernans
Felix Betancourt
Gianni Biasetti, Jr.
Mike Bishop
Tamiko Brownlee
Troy Butler
Jwaundace Candece
Marc Canonizado
Janene Carleton
Elisabeth Carpenter
Sean Christopher Carter
Kevin Cassidy
Hymnson Chan
Courtney Chen
Anis Cheurfa
Fernando Chien
Alvin Chon
Tye Claybrook, Jr.
Marcelle Coletti
David Conk
John A. Cooper
Brandon Cornell
Thomas Joseph Culler
Jahnel Curfman
Gui Da Silva-Greene
Chris Daniels
Keith Davis
Martin De Boer
Robbert de Groot
Isabella Shai DeBroux
Holland Diaz
Josh Diogo
Jackson Dobies
Justin Dobies
Cory Dunson
Jessica Durham
Justin Eaton
Jared Eddo
Katie Eischen
Kiante Elam
Jazzy Ellis
David Elson
Jason Elwood Hanna
Tony Falcon
Guy Fernandez
Mark Fisher
Alessandro Folchitto
Colin Follenweider
Glenn Foster
Simeon Freeman
Shauna Galligan
Monique Ganderton
Johnny Gao
Jomahl Gildersleve
Denisha Gillespie
Daniel Graham
Ryan Green
Carlos Guity
Califf Guzman
Dante Ha
Akihiro Haga
Garrett Hammond
Lydia Hand
Daniel Hargrave
Kandis Hargrave
Sam Hargrave
Regis Andrew Harrington III
Thayr Harris
Zedric Harris
Jimmy Hart
Alex Hashioka
Zachary Henry
Danny Hernandez
Mark Hicks
Maria Hippolyte
Bobby Holland Hanton
JT Holt
Crystal Hooks
Niahlah Hope
Damita Howard
Justin Howell
Jacob Hugghins
Lindsay Anne Hugghins
Michael Hugghins
Tony Hugghins
Scott Hunter
James Hutchison III
Pan Iam
CC Ice
Sarah Irwin
Mami Ito
Duke Jackson
Michael Jamorski
Kirk Jenkins
Preshas Jenkins
Floyd Anthony Johns Jr.
Richard M. King
Ralf Koch
Khalil La’Marr
Matt LaBorde
Danny Le Boyer
Matt Leonard
William Leong
Bethany Levy
James Lew
Marcus Lewis
Jefferson Lewis III
Eric Linden
Scott Loeser
Rachel Luttrell-Bateman
Adam Lytle
Tara Macken
Dave Macomber
Julia Maggio
Ruben Maldonado
Richard Marrero
Rob Mars
Andy Martin
Aaron Matthews
Tim R. McAdams
Taylor McDonald
Kyle McLean
Crystal Michelle
Mark Miscione
Heidi Moneymaker
Renae Moneymaker
Chris Moore
Tristen Tyler Morts
William Billy Morts
Marie Mouroum
Spencer Mulligan
Travor Murray
Jachin JJ Myers
Anthony Nanakornpanom
John Nania
Nikolay Nedyalkov
Carl Nespoli
Paul O’Connor
Marque Ohmes
Olufemi Olagoke
Noon Orsatti
Rowbie Orsatti
Jane Oshita
Leesa Pate
Natasha Paul
Gary Peebles
Nathaniel Perry
Josh Petro
Lloyd Pitts
George Quinones
Taraja Ramsess
Greg Rementer
Antjuan Rhames
Meredith Richardson
Bayland Rippenkroeger
Ryan Robertson
Christopher Cody Robinson
Donny Rogers Carrington
Christopher Eric Romrell
Michelle Rose
Corrina Roshea
Marvin Ross
Elena Sanchez
Maya Santandrea
Matthew Scheib
Erik Schultz
Jordan Scott
Joshua Russel Seifert
Brandon Shaw
Bruce Shepperson
Joseph Singletary III
Tim Sitarz
Dominique Smith
Dena Sodano
Robert D. Souris
Jackson Spidell
Daniel Stevens
Jenel Stevens
Diandra Stoddard Milliner
Granger Summerset
Phedra Syndelle
Mark Tearle
Hamid-Reza Thompson
Tyler J. Tiffany
Aaron Toney
Amy Lynn Tuttle
Tony Vo
Todd Warren
Kevin Waterman
Amber Whelan
Aaron Wiggins
Joseph Williams
Matthew M. Williams
Thom Williams
Zola Williams
Mike Wilson
Tyler Witte
Michael Yahn
James Young
Marcus Gene Young
Woon Young Park
Casey Zeller
Keil Zeperni
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
GAME OF THRONES
Boian Anev
Mark Archer
Kristina Baskett
Ferenc Berecz
Richard Bradshaw
Michael Byrch
Andrew Burford
Yusuf Chaudhri
Nick Chooping
Jonathan Cohen
David Collom
Christopher Cox
Jacob Cox
Matt Crook
Matt Da Silva
Levan Doran
Dom Dumaresq
Daniel Euston
Bradley Farmer
Pete Ford
Vladimir Furdik
David Grant
Lawrence Hansen
Richard Hansen
Nicklas Hansson
Rob Hayns
Lyndon Hellewell
Jessica Hooker
Gergely Horpacsi
Paul Howell
Rowley Irlam
Erol Ismail
Troy Kechington
Paul Lowe
John Macdonald
Leigh Maddern
Kai Martin
Kim Mcgarrity
Carly Michaels
Nikita Mitchell
Chris Newton
David Newton
Jason Oettle
Bela Orsanyi
Ivan Orsanyi
Radoslav Parvanov
Oleg Podobin
Josh Ravenscroft
Andrej Riabokon
Zach Roberts
Doug Robson
Stanislav Satko
Paul Shapcott
Mark Slaughter
Sam Stefan
Jonny Stockwell
Ryan Stuart
Gyula Toth
Marek Toth
Andy Wareham
Calvin Warrington Heasman
Richard Wheeldon
Belle Williams
Will Willoughby
Leo Woodruff
Ben Wright
Lewis Young
WINS BY STUDIO
Disney – 1
Neon – 1
Netflix – 1
Roadside Attractions/LD Entertainment – 1
Sony Pictures – 1
Warner Bros – 1
WINS BY NETWORK
Amazon – 3
FX – 2
HBO – 2
Netflix – 1
Apple – 1
SAG Awards 2020 – Winners MOTION PICTURES Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Parasite HYAE JIN CHANG / Chung Sook…
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Fictional Boyfriend Tag
1. MOST ROMANTIC BOYFRIEND
David from Lick by Kylie Scott. He’s so romantic and Sexy. ;)
2. DARK AND MOODY BAD BOY WITH A GOOD SIDE
Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. He is defintlly dark and moody. But he loves jane.
3. PARANORMAL BOYFRIEND
Alcide from the Sookie Stackhouse Novels. Mmm <3
4. BOYFRIEND YOU WANT TO TAME (I don’t like to “tame” men)
But i would pick Eric Northman from the Sookie Stackhouse Novels. <3
5. BOY YOU FRIEND ZONED
Peeta from the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. He’s a little too cute for me. I llike bad boys. ;)
6. YOUR SOUL MATE
Thats tough! I love all my boys so much. I’d have to pick Rhysand from Acomaf. <3 Hes lovely!
7. BOYFRIEND YOU WANT TO ELOPE WITH
Penn from The Tearling Series. He’s great. <3
8. BOYFRIEND YOU’D VENTURE ANYWHERE WITH
Josh King from Loving Cara by Kirsten Proby. He’s owns a ranch i feel we good go on Horse rides together. <3
9. BOYFRIEND YOU’D WANT TO BE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH
Rowan Whitehorn from TOG by Sarah j. maas. Hes tough and can hunt & stuff. Also teach me that stuff. (can you tell i’ve never been hunting or camping? XD)
10. MOST BADASS BOYFRIEND
Aragon from LOTR. He’s wonderful. <3
OK thats it! I Tag anyone to do it & If you do this tag let me know and i will check it out! Love you guys <3
Links:
Goodreads
Pintrest
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