BLOOMER GIRL (Arlen/Harburg) Barbara Cook (DVD)

A live 1956 television production starring the magnificent Barbara Cook, Bloomer Girl boasts a glorious score by the legendary team of Harold Arlen and E. Y. “Yip” Harburg (the pair who wrote the songs for The Wizard of Oz). Songs in Bloomer Girl include the hilarious “It Was Good Enough for Grandma” and the beautiful “Right As the Rain.” The story, set at the brink of the Civil War, addresses issues of women’s rights and slavery, with some fun poked at organized religion along the way. For this production, the legendary Agnes de Mille re-staged her choreography for the original 1944 Broadway production, and assembled the original four principal dancers to re-create their roles. VAI’s DVD edition includes the original commercials as a separate viewing option.
B&W, Mono, 76 minutes, 4:3, All regions

BLOOMER GIRL
Book by Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy,
based on a play by Dan and Lilith James
Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by E. Y. “Yip” Harburg

Produced and Directed by Alex Segal
Dances and Ensemble Numbers staged by Agnes de Mille

Cast:
Evelina Applegate: Barbara Cook
Jeff Calhoun: Keith Andes
Dolly Bloomer: Carmen Mathews
Horatio Applegate: Paul Ford
Pompey: Rawn Spearman
Serena Applegate: Nydia Westman
Daisy: Patricia Hammerlee
Governor Newton: Paul McGrath
Hamilton Calhoun: Frank Overton
Sheriff: Heywood Hale Broun
Alexander: Brock Peters
Augustus: Leon Bibb
Governor’s Aide: Edward Hunt
Auctioneer: David Aiken
Deputy: Edwin Cooper
Deputy: George Ebeling
Applegate Sisters: Dorothy Lang, Margot Moser, Peggy O’Hara, Elise Rhodes, Paula Stewart
Brothers-in-Law: Stuart Harris, Seth Riggs, Jack Russell, Danny Scholl, Earl William

Dancers:
“The Returned Soldier” - James Mitchell*
“His Girl” - Lidija Franklin*
“The Widow” - Betty Low*
“The Needle Threader” - Emy St. Just*
*These artists recreate the roles they originated in the 1944 Broadway production

Dance Ensemble: Ray Barra, Virginia Bosler, Scott Douglas, Joan Eheman, Leslie Franzos, Cathrine Horn, Carl Luman,
Enrique Martinez, Christine Mayer, Darrell Notara, Robert Pagent, Felix Smith, Dusty Worrall
Singers: Virginia Curtis, Anita Darian, Elizabeth Doubleday, Betty Early, Van Hawley, Dean Parker, Jimmy Tushar

Live Telecast, May 28, 1956