The Great Magoo

The Great Magoo was an unsuccessful 1932 Broadway play written by Ben Hecht and Gene Fowler.[1][2]

A womanizing songwriter, Nicky, has fallen hard for Julie, a dancer and ambitious entertainer. Both lovers are Olympic-caliber boozers who swan dive into the gutter at the least hint of a romantic reversal.[3]

The Coney Island dancehall girl becomes, briefly, a celebrity as a singer on the radio with her boyfriend's song, "It's Only a Paper Moon". The song is frequently reprised by the voice of the leading lady.[1] The song's music is by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Yip Harburg and Billy Rose.[4][1]

The play debuted at the Selwyn Theatre on Broadway on December 2, 1932, produced by Billy Rose and directed by George Abbott, starring Claire Carleton and Paul Kelly but was not well received by critics and closed after 11 performances.[1][5][6] Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times praised the director and the performers but called it "rather stale and malodorous."[6]

The play was filmed as Shoot the Works in 1934 directed by Wesley Ruggles starring Jack Oakie, Ben Bernie and Dorothy Dell.[7]

References
  1. Gussow, Mel (November 21, 1982). "Theatre: 'The Great Magoo,' Comedy Revived". p. 70. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  2. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Conrad Thibault - It's Only a Paper Moon (1933). YouTube.
  3. "Vintage 'Great Magoo' is Thick with Sudsy Show-Biz Drama". Los Angeles Times. 12 October 1998.
  4. "It's Only a Paper Moon". jazzstandards.com. 2005. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  5. ​The Great Magoo​ at the Internet Broadway Database
  6. Atkinson, Brooks (December 3, 1932). "Big Romance of the Honkytonks in a Backstage Drama by Ben Hecht and Gene Fowler". p. 20. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  7. A.D.S. (July 7, 1934). "'Shoot the Works.' a Laundered Film Version of 'The Great Magoo,' at The Paramount - 'The Hell Cat'". p. 16. Retrieved February 6, 2021.


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