Night and Day: A Cole Porter Quiz

Answer: Peru, Indiana

Cole was born on June 9, 1891, to Sam and Kate (nee Cole) Porter. His father was a druggist and his mother was a well educated daughter of a wealthy man. Being an only child, he was doted on and spoiled.

Cole's musical training started early, and by the age of six he could play violin, and wrote his first music score by the age of ten.

Answer: See America First

While attending Yale, Cole had written the music and lyrics for several shows, and the show "See America First" was an effort created with several classmates. It was intended as a spoof of a production by George M. Cohan.

The show opened at the Maxine Elliott Theatre on March 28, 1916, but it closed after 15 showings. The songs for this can be found at the Library of Congress, as well as many of his other compositions.

From the song "See America First"
"Of European lands effete,
A most inveterate foe,
My feelings when my camp I greet
Are such as patriots know.
Condemning trips across the blue
As dollars badly dispersed,
I hold that loyal men and true,
Including in the category all of you,
Should see America first,
Should see America first."

Answer: French Foreign Legion

There is much dissension about whether or not Cole actually joined the French Foreign Legion or even worked in a volunteer capacity for war relief. However, according to a couple of sources, the Legion claims that he was a soldier and has a museum display with his portrait.

Alternatively, the biography from "Song Writers Hall of Fame" website says "In July 1917, Cole moved to Paris. The First World War was raging, and Cole invented stories about joining the French Foreign Legion and performing numerous heroic exploits that were duly reported in the press back home and that remained part of Cole's official biography throughout his life. Not a word was true."

Answer: Linda Lee Thomas

Linda Belle Lee was born November 17, 1883. She married Edward Russel Thomas in 1901, but he was abusive and they divorced in 1912. Linda and Cole met at a Paris wedding (1918) and were married in 1919.

Cole was homosexual and continued with affairs throughout their marriage. Linda provided cover for his homosexuality at a time when it was taboo and, though she wanted him to be a classical composer, supported his musical efforts. By all accounts, they were the closest of friends.

Answer: Paris

Irene Bordoni, a French actress, was popular on Broadway stages. In the show "Paris" she introduced the Cole Porter standard "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)". The other songs had lyrics written by Howard Dietz and music by Jay Gorney.

The Broadway show ran for 195 performances. Warner Brothers created a film of the musical in 1929.

Cole himself changed some of the lyrics when he recognized that they were racially offensive.

From "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)"
"And that's why birds do it, bees do it
Even educated fleas do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love.

Cold Cape Cod clams, 'gainst their wish, do it
Even lazy jellyfish do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love."

Answer: Battle of Paris

This show was the first talkie for Gertrude Lawrence, a famous and very accomplished British stage actress. Most of the reviews did not have good things to say about this 1929 show, the performers, or the music.

Cole had two songs, "Here Comes the Bandwagon" and "They All Fall In Love" which was sung by Gertrude Lawrence.

From "They All Fall In Love"
"Each year, when spring, quite uninvited
Gives a garden party to the world united
Ev'ryone gets so excited
They don't know what they're thinking of
Folks who've spent the winter freezin'
Whiff the balmy breeze and simply lose their reason
They know it's the open season
For falling in love."

Answer: Gay Divorce

The song was written for Fred Astaire who performed it on stage with Clair Luce in his last Broadway show. In 1934 the show was filmed and released as "The Gay Divorcee", starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and all of Porter's songs were cut except "Night and Day".

"Night and day you are the one,
Only you beneath the moon or under the sun.
Whether near to me or far,
It's no matter darling where you are.
I think of you day and night, night and day."

The information that I found about the inspiration for the song varied on different sites. One claimed that it was inspired by an Islamic call to worship, another that it was written for choreographer Nelson Barclift (also cited as the inspiration for "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To").

The film "Night and Day" was a biopic released in 1946 and starring Cary Grant and Alexis Smith, though it was no secret that much of it was made up.

Answer: fall from a horse

Cole was horse riding in a New York park with Countess Edith di Zoppola. After his fall, the horse rolled over him. There was severe nerve damage and the doctors recommended amputation of his legs, but Cole and Linda did not allow that, hoping for recovery. Many of the sites claim that he suffered through more than 30 operations, and lived with a great deal of pain.

Cole claimed that he wrote some of the lyrics to "At Long Last Love" while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

From "At Long Last Love"
"Is it an earthquake or simply a shock?
Is it the good turtle soup or merely the mock?
Is it a cocktail, this feeling of joy?
Or is what I feel the real McCoy?"

Answer: Kiss Me Kate

The show debuted off-Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on December 2, 1948, before opening on Broadway on December 30. Cole had to be convinced to write the music and lyrics for this show as he originally didn't think his style would fit well with Shakespeare.

In addition, Cole had not been having a run of luck, and wondered if perhaps he had written all of his songs, but this proved to be his biggest hit.

From the song "Another Op'nin', Another Show" from "Kiss Me Kate"
"Another op'nin', another show
In Philly, Boston or Baltimo',
A chance for stage folks to say hello,
Another op'nin' of another show.
Another job that you hope, at last,
Will make your future forget your past,
Another pain where the ulcers grow,
Another op'nin' of another show."

Answer: Aladdin

"Aladdin" was seen on "The DuPont Show of the Month". This was Cole's only score written exclusively for television. Viewers' reviews vary widely, with most panning it as not "top" Cole Porter. I haven't seen the show, but the score is immediately recognizable as a Porter score.

From the song "Come to the Supermarket (in old Peking)" from "Aladdin"
"If you want a fancy fan
Or a turkey born in Turkey-stan
Or a slave that's awf'lly African
Or a Teapot early Ming,
Come to the supermarket in old Peking."

In April 1958, Cole had another surgery and this time his right leg was amputated. He was reputed to have said that "I felt I died that day."

He lived a secluded life until his death in 1964, even refusing to attend a "Salute to Cole Porter" or his 70th birthday bash.