Musicals of the 1940s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cabin the Sky

"Cabin in the Sky" opened on October 25, 1940, and ran until March 8, 1941. It ran for 156 performances. Vernon Duke wrote the music, John La Touche the lyrics, and Lynn Root the book.

"The General's Song" is the opening number of Act I. The Lawd's General (played originally by Todd Duncan) and the Saints sang it.

"My Old Virginia Home on the Nile" is sung in Act II. It is sung by Petunia (played by Ethel Waters) and "Little Joe" Jackson (played by Dooley Wilson).

Answer: False

"Best Foot Forward" ran in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway. However, she was not in it. The Broadway show starred June Allyson as Minerva.

In 1928, Lee and JJ Shubert, brothers who were huge theatrical producers back then, offered to make a theatre and name it after Barrymore as she was a household name, much like her great-niece, Drew Barrymore, is today.

Ethel Barrymore acted in her namesake theatre, however - in the very first production - a play called "Kingdom of God".

Answer: Jupiter

"By Jupiter" opened on June 3, 1942, and ran for 427 performances before it closed on June 12, 1943. The show takes place in ancient Greece, so the title is rather odd as Jupiter is the Roman god equivalent of the Greek god Zeus. The show has Greek characters, including Homer (the blind poet) and Hercules (demi-god) but no Zeus or Jupiter in the cast list.

Despite this, the very first song in the show is entitled "For Jupiter and Greece", which may be how the show got its name.

Answer: Oklahoma!

"Oklahoma!" opened on May 31, 1943. It was the first show of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It is considered the first fully-integrated show, which means the songs, the dancing, the dialogue, everything was written primarily for the show. In the past, shows would have some songs written for them, but often they took songs from other shows or popular songs of the times were just stuck in the show. Dancing also may not have fit with the show, but it was used occasionally.

After "Oklahoma!" opened, a new Broadway musical standard was set.

The show takes place in the Oklahoma territory, which is about to become "a brand new state" (which are lyrics in the title song). Curly (initially played by Alfred Drake) is a cowboy in love with Laurie (originally played by Joan Roberts). However, Jud (initially played by Howard Da Silva) wants to take Laurie to the dance, and while she initially agrees, she changes her mind and goes with Curly. Eventually, Curly and Laurie admit they are in love (in the reprise of "People Will Say We're in Love") and Jud becomes jealous and threatens Laurie. She fires him from working on her farm.

Later, Jud attacks Curly and tries to stab him with a knife. Curly manages to avoid it, but Jud falls on his knife and is killed. This is an excellent example of the integration, as early Curly and Jud sing "Poor Jud," a song about Jud's death and funeral.

Answer: New York

"On the Town" opened on December 28, 1944. The music for the show was composed by Leonard Bernstein (best known for "West Side Story"). Betty Comden and Adolph Green wrote the lyrics and book.

The show centers on three naval sailors getting a 24-hour pass. The men in the original cast were Cris Alexander (Chip), John Battles (Gabey), and Adolph Green (Ozzie).

Answer: False

"A Lady Says Yes" opened on January 10, 1945, and ran for only 87 performances. This was the only musical that Authur Gershwin wrote. Unlike his more famous brothers, George and Ira, he was not a professional musician. He was a stockbroker.

Answer: Ethel Merman

"Annie Get Your Gun" opened on May 16, 1946, and starred the incredibly talented Ethel Merman in the lead role. Ethel Merman was born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann on January 16, 1908. She was known for her powerful voice and originated many roles on Broadway, including Annie Oakley, Reno from "Anything Goes", and Mama Rose in "Gypsy". She was married and divorced four times. Her last husband was the actor Ernest Borgnine, and in her autobiography, "Merman", the chapter on him is one single blank page.

She was also well-known for her foul mouth and vulgarity. She once yelled a dirty joke across the room at someone during a formal party. She swore once while rehearsing when on the "Loretta Young Show". Young had a cuss jar and told her to pay a quarter. Merman, however, asked how much it would cost her to use a much worse curse word.

Sadly, in 1983 Merman learned she had glioblastoma (the worst form of brain cancer). It was inoperable, and she was given only eight months. She passed away at her home on February 15, 1984, at 76.

Answer: Brigadoon

"Brigadoon" was written by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner. Tommy (David Brooks) and Jeff (George Keane) are lost and up in the village of Brigadoon. They learn from Mr. Lundie (William Hansen) that 200 years ago, a minister was concerned about how the world was changing and prayed to God that Brigadoon would disappear, to protect them from contamination, returning only one day every 100 years.

They learn the people from Brigadoon can't leave the town, or it will never return, but if someone falls in love with someone in Brigadoon, they can stay there, but only for the love of a person, not of Brigadoon itself.

Answer: Taming of the Shrew

"Kiss Me, Kate" opened on December 30, 1948. Patricia Morison played the original Kate. She also played Lilli. "Kiss Me, Kate" is a play in a play. The cast is producing a musical version of "The Taming of the Shrew", so the play within the play greatly mirrors the play. Fred (originally played by Alfred Drake) is the director, producer, and male lead (Petruchio) in the show.

He is also the ex-husband of Lilli.

Answer: Miss Liberty

"Miss Liberty" opened on July 15, 1949, and ran for only 308 performances. Despite its brief run, Joe Lynn won the Tony Award for Stage Technician - he was the Prop Man.

Newspaper publisher James Gordon Bennett (originally played by Charles Dingle) hires Horace Miller (initially played by Eddie Albert) to find the woman who was the model for Bartholdi (initially played by Herbert Bergof) when he sculpted the Statue of Liberty. He thinks it's a woman named Monique DuPont (initially played by Allyn McLerie).

Meanwhile, a rival newspaper publisher, Joseph Pulitzer (played initially by Philip Bourneuf), learns that Bartholdi's mother was the model, not Monique, and claims Monique is a fraud.