Musicals of the 1950s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mary Martin

"South Pacific" opened on Broadway on April 7, 1949. Richard Rodgers wrote the music, and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the lyrics. Hammerstein co-wrote the libretto with Joshua Logan. The musical was based on the book "Tales of the South Pacific" by James A. Michener. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1950.

Richard Rodgers wanted Mary Martin from the start. She had auditioned for Laurey when Rodgers and Hammerstein first made "Oklahoma!" and he remembered her. She was concerned about singing with the great opera singer Enzio Pinza. Rodgers told her she would not have to sing with him, and for the most part, he kept his promise; there were a few times they sang together.

Martin helped with her part as well. She was showering one day during a rehearsal (her character, Nellie, showers in one of the scenes). Martin had the idea of having Nellie shampoo her hair on stage. Rodgers and Hammerstein liked the idea and wrote the song, "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair."

The first time Martin sang "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy" was at Richard Rodgers' house. The last 26 words of the song were to be sung all in one breath. She did it and fell off the piano bench. Rodgers told her that it was perfect and not to change it. He said, "We must feel you couldn't squeeze out another sound."

Mary Martin played the role on Broadway until June 2, 1951. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a musical. In total, the show won ten Tony Awards in 1950. It was the first show to win all four acting awards.

Answer: Nathan Detroit

"Guys and Dolls" opened on November 24, 1950. Frank Loesser wrote the music and lyrics. Abe Burrows and Joe Swerling co-wrote the libretto. Swerling wrote the libretto first, but it was mostly unusable, so Burrows was brought in to rewrite it. By this point, most of the songs had already been written, so Burrows had to write the book to lead perfectly into each song. The show won the Tony Award for best Musical in 1951.

Sam Levene originated the role of Nathan Detroit, the main character. Levene was not a singer, but they believed he was perfect for the role of Nathan in spite of that. He was also a favorite actor of Damon Runyon. "Guys and Dolls" was based on short stories written by Runyon. They worked around this, and in the original show, Nathan Detroit only sang one song, "Sue Me," a duet with Miss Adelaide (originally played by Vivian Blaine).

Nathan Detroit is a gambler in New York City. He runs a floating crap game. It is floating because it is illegal, so Nathan has to keep moving the location to avoid being caught by Detective Brannigan (originally played by Paul Reed). He finds a spot for the game at Joey Biltmore's Garage, but he has to have a thousand dollars in cash before he can use it. Nathan has no money.

He comes across Sky Masterson (originally played by Robert Alda). Sky is a big-time gambler and never loses. Sky also likes to bet on random things, like how high his temperature would get when he was sick. Nathan bets Sky that he cannot take Sarah Brown (originally played by Isabel Bigley) with him when he goes to Havana, Cuba.

Meanwhile, Nathan visits his financee, Miss Adelaide, at the nightclub where she works. The couple has been engaged for fourteen years, and she's been sending letters to her mother about them already being married and having five children. She kicks him out when she learns he is still running his crap game.

Nathan is upset that Adelaide broke up with him and wants to get her back. Meanwhile, the men are waiting to find out news about the crap game when Lt. Brannigan shows up. They cover their meeting together by telling him it's a surprise bachelor party for Nathan, who is engaged to Adelaide. Adelaide is there and happily goes home to pack, promising to meet Nathan the next day after her show.

While Sky is in Havana with Sarah, the men have been gambling all night in the Save-A-Soul Mission. However, upon hearing a siren, they all scatter and go down into the sewer to continue playing. Big Jule (played by B.S. Pully) won't let people leave because he still wants to play. Sky and Sarah have returned, and after learning the men played craps in the mission, she dumps Sky even though they just confessed their love for each other. Sky, however, still has to make good on his marker (he guaranteed her 12 "genuine sinners" if she went to Havana with him). Nathan agrees to go, but Sky has to roll the dice and win to get the others to go. If he loses, he promises to give them each a thousand dollars, but of course, Sky never loses.

Nathan sees Adelaide as he goes to the mission. She is angry with him, and he begs her forgiveness. She starts to forgive him, but when she suggests they leave at that moment to elope, he tells her he is going to the prayer meeting. Adelaide declares, "That is the biggest lie you've ever told me," and Nathan tries to convince her before he leaves for the meeting.

At the meeting, Nathan confesses to Sarah that they held the crap game, but informs her that Sky knew nothing about it. He admits he also bet Sky he couldn't take Sarah to Havana, adding, "It's okay because I won the bet." Sarah realizes Sky protected her reputation and really loves her. She leaves to find him and runs into Adelaide on the way. She tells Adelaide that Nathan was at the prayer meeting.

Nathan is running a newspaper stand. Sky is now part of the mission band. Both have quit gambling. The two couples are married in a double wedding ceremony.

Answer: Yul Brynner

"The King and I" opened on Broadway on March 29, 1951. Richard Rodgers wrote the music, and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the lyrics and the book. "The King and I" won the Tony Award for best musical of 1952.

Rodgers and Hammerstein originally had no plans to write this musical. Fanny Holtzmann, a theatre lawyer, was looking for work for her client, Gertrude Lawrence, and thought Anna would be the perfect role for her to play. Rodgers and Hammerstein had already done four musicals together, so she contacted them about writing another. They agreed to write the musical for Lawrence.

At first, they wanted Rex Harrison to play the King, but he was not available. They settled for a young actor named Yul Brynner. Yuliy Borisovich Briner was born in the Far Eastern Republic (later part of Russia). The show opened and did remarkably well, and at the 1952 Tony Awards, it won five awards, including Yul Brynner for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

The show initially ran for 1,246 performances, closing on March 20, 1954, and Brynner was there the entire time. The show was revived in 1977, and again Brynner played the king for the entire run of 695 performances. It was then revived again in 1985 for another 191 performances, and Yul Brynner was there for that run as well. He also played the role in London on the West End, as well as performing the role in the national tour. He played the role of the King of Siam for over 4000 performances during his lifetime. When the 1956 movie came out, he played the role there again and won an Academy Award.

Understudies for the role rarely got to go on. This was in part because Brynner never missed a show because he knew fans counted on him to be there. Also, if he had to miss, the producers would rather cancel the performance than disappoint the audience who came to see Brynner. Brynner suffered from lung cancer. He passed away on October 10, 1985, in New York City at the age of 65.

Answer: Ohio

"Wonderful Town" opened on Broadway on February 25, 1953. Leonard Bernstein wrote the music. Betty Comden and Adolph Green wrote the lyrics. Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov wrote the book. The sisters Ruth and Eileen Sherwood were played by Rosalind Russell and Edith Adams. The show ran for 559 performances and closed on July 3, 1954. It won the 1953 Tony Award for Best Musical. Rosalind Russell won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

The Sherwood sisters have moved to Greenwich Village, NYC, from Columbus, Ohio. Ruth aspires to be a writer, and Eileen, an actress. They are homesick for Ohio and lament in a song called "Ohio", wondering why they ever left there. However, they continue trying to make their way and struggling. They reprise the song "Ohio" in the second act again, as they briefly wish they had never left home.

Answer: Richard Kiley

"Kismet" opened on Broadway on December 3, 1953. Alexander Borodin composed music from the play version in 1911. Robert Wright and George Forrest adapted that music and wrote the lyrics. Charles Lederer and Luther Davis wrote the book. The musical won the Tony Award for Best Musical of 1954.

The story deals with the daughter of a poet falling in love with a Caliph. A Caliph is a leader in the Muslim world. The show is set in Baghdad. The Wazir of police (originally played by Henry Calvin) and his wife Lalume (originally played by Joan Diener) need a loan from the king of Ababu, but to get it, they have to arrange to have the Caliph marry one or all three of the princesses.

The drama intensifies when Hajj the poet is arrested for theft and threatened with having his writing hand cut off. Showing his sharp wit, Hajj begs for mercy and accidentally uncovers a massive secret: the notorious criminal Jawan is actually the Wazir's long-lost father. Before Hajj can fully exploit this chaos, the Caliph returns to Marsinah's house with a grand wedding procession, only to find it empty because Hajj has forced his daughter to flee from the law. Desperate to fulfill his political contract, the Wazir intercepts Marsinah and forces her into his own harem. When the Caliph comes looking for his lost love, the Wazir tricks him into believing Marsinah is just an unfaithful concubine. Heartbroken and deceived, the Caliph reluctantly agrees to marry one of the foreign princesses, while the Wazir marries Marsinah himself to cover up his lies.

In the dramatic climax, Hajj steps in to save his daughter from her forced marriage. Hajj kills the Wazir by drowning him. Everything is explained to the Caliph, who is once again happy to be with Marsinah.

Answer: Seven and a Half Cents

"The Pajama Game" opened on Broadway on May 13, 1954. Richard Adler and Jerry Ross wrote the music and the lyrics. George Abbott and Richard Bissell wrote the book. The musical is based on the book "7 1/2 Cents" (1953) by Richard Bissell. This show was also Bob Fosse's debut as a choreographer. The show won the 1955 Tony Award. Also, the 2006 revival won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

The musical centers around Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory in Iowa. The factory workers are fighting for a seven-and-a-half-cent raise, but the factory owner refuses to give it to them. The union, led by Prez (played by Stanley Prager), threatens to pull a slowdown strike if they do not get their raise. Babe Williams (originally played by Janis Paige) is the leader of the Union Grievance Committee. When Sid Sorokin (played by John Raitt) becomes the new superintendent of the factory, he and Babe quickly fall in love.

Babe is afraid, however, that they cannot be together since they are on opposite sides. They finally get together, but she avoids any romance, trying to discuss "Small Talk", which he has no interest in. She finally confesses she loves him, and he admits he loves her as well.

The union's demand for a raise is not met, so they go on a slowdown strike. Sid is furious. He demands "an honest day's work" and threatens to fire people who do not start working properly. Babe refuses to back down and intentionally jams the factory line. Sid, left with no choice, fires her.

During Act II, Sid tries to make up with Babe, but she pushes him away. Sid now sees Babe's side of things, and goes to "Herando's Hideaway" with Gladys (played by Carol Haney) to get the key to the company books from her. Babe and Hines (played by Eddie Foy, Jr) see them together and both become jealous that their loved one is cheating.

Sid learns that the owner, Hasler (played by Ralph Dunn), is cheating the workers. Hines comes in still drunk and still jealous and starts throwing knives at Sid and Gladys, barely missing. However, Sid calms Hines down and gets Hasler to give the workers their "7 1/2 Cents" raise. And now that everyone is happy, he and Babe can get back together.

Answer: Gwen Verdon

"Damn Yankees" opened on Broadway on May 5, 1955. Richard Adler and Jerry Ross wrote the music and the lyrics. The book was written by Douglass Wallop and George Abbott. It was based on the book "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant", by Wallop. The show won the 1956 Tony Award for Best Musical. Sadly, Jerry Ross died from bronchiectasis less than a year after "Damn Yankees" opened. He was only 29.

Joe Boyd (played by Stephen Douglass) is a diehard fan of the Washington Senators. He is frustrated because his team struggles to beat "those damn Yankees." The demonic Mr. Applegate (played by Ray Walston) suddenly appears and offers Joe the chance to become a young man again, be known as Joe Hardy, and be the hitter the Senators need. In return, Mr. Applegate gets Joe's soul. However, Joe makes an escape clause whereby if he does not play in the Senator's last game, he is free to return to his wife Meg (played by Shannon Bolin).

Joe joins the Senators and plays ball, but misses his wife, so he moves in as young Joe Hardy as a boarder. Applegate becomes concerned that he may lose Joe, who really loves his wife. He calls in Lola, whom he calls "the best homewrecker" on his staff. Lola tries to seduce Joe, telling him, "Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets," but is unsuccessful.

Applegate is angry and fires her, so she performs with Applegate's other former workers in "Who's Got the Pain." Meanwhile, Applegate starts a scandal that Joe is really Shifty McCoy, an escape criminal and con artist. He is on trial, with the Senators, their coach, and Lola (now disguised as Senora McCoy) testify on his behalf. It is suggested that Applegate take the stand, but he cannot since being under oath requires telling the truth.

Joe continues to focus on returning to Meg, so Applegate sends him with Lola to the place where famous lovers have waited. Lola sees how much Joe loves his wife and sends him to the final game. She then delays Applegate with a duet, "Two Lost Souls."

At the last second, Joe screams, "Let me go!" and the deal is broken. He becomes Joe Boyd, but manages to hit a home run in the game, and the Senators win the pennant. Applegate tries one last time to get Joe, offering to make him young again so the Senators can win the World Series. Lola points he cannot win over true love.

Answer: An assistant in a flower shop

"My Fair Lady" opened on Broadway on March 15, 1956. Frederick Loewe wrote the music. Alan Jay Lerner wrote the lyrics and the book for the musical. The musical won the 1957 Tony Award for Best Musical.

Liza Dolittle (played by Julie Andrews) delivers flowers and speaks with a thick cockney accent. Henry Higgins (played by Rex Harrison) meets her and is annoyed by how poorly she speaks. Eliza goes to Higgins for elocution lessons because she dreams of being an assistant in a floral shop, but first needs to speak proper English. He agrees and then bets Colonel Pickering (played by Robert Coote) that he can make Eliza speak so well that he can pass her off as a proper lady.

Eliza moves into Higgins' home with him and his staff. She quickly becomes frustrated with his misogyny and tyranny. However, she sticks with the lessons, and just as Higgins is about to give up, she correctly speaks, "The Rain in Spain." Higgins then takes her to the Ascot Racecourse, where she has proper diction but uses foul language. Higgins and others coach her more now on what is proper to say in public, and then take her to the Embassy Ball. It works, and she passes as a proper lady.

Colonel Pickering and Higgins congratulate each other on their work, "You Did It", forgetting Eliza. Eliza is insulted as she worked very hard to learn how to speak properly. She leaves the Higgins home. She runs into Freddy (played by John Michael King), whom she met at Ascot, and he tells her how he feels about her, but she says she is sick of words and if he loves her to "Show Me."

The next morning, Higgins wakes up and is upset that Eliza is not there. He finds her at his mother's (played by Cathleen Nesbitt), and Eliza says she no longer needs him. He leaves, but as he heads home, he realizes he has become attached to Eliza, declaring, "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face." He goes home and listens to the recording he made the day Eliza came to him. Eliza returns to him, and while he is happy to see her, he scoffs and asks, "Eliza, where the devil are my slippers?"

Answer: Robert Preston

"The Music Man" opened on Broadway on December 17, 1957. Meredith Willson wrote the music, lyrics, and book. The show won the 1958 Tony Award for Best Musical. Robert Preston also won a Tony Award that year for Best Actor in a Musical.

Professor Harold Hill arrives in River City, Iowa, to sell boys' bands (that is, instruments and uniforms) to the people there, promising to train them. The only problem is that he knows nothing about music and is a scam artist. Marian Paroo (Barbara Cook, who also won a Tony Award) is the town librarian and piano lesson teacher. She knows Hill is lying and sets out to prove it to Mayor Shinn (played by David Burns, who also won a Tony Award).

However, her little brother Winthrop (Eddie Hodges) has a lisp and doesn't talk to people outside the family, and only a few words here and there to his family. That is, until the band uniforms arrive, when he becomes so excited he begins to talk more and more, and even sings a song, "Gary Indiana", in Act II that Hill taught him "with hardly any esses in it." This causes Marian to fall in love with Hill. Hill wanted this to happen as it makes it easier to scam everyone if the music teacher supports him, but what he did not plan was that he would fall in love with Marian.

Charlie Cowell (Paul Reed), another salesman, goes to River City to warn the townspeople about Hill because he and the other salesman do not want their good name muddied by Hill's scams. The town sets out to tar and feather Hill, but in the end, he is able to produce a boy's band.

Answer: A wax museum

"Redhead" opened on Broadway on February 5, 1959. Albert Hague wrote the music, and Dorothy Fields wrote the lyrics. Herbert Fields, Dorothy Fields, Sidney Shelton, and David Shaw wrote the book. The show won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1959.

Essie Whimple (Gwen Verdon, who won a Tony Award) is the niece of Sarah (Doris Rich) and Maude (Cynthia Latham). Essie works at her aunts' wax museum called Simpson Sisters Wax Museum. After they show the murder of American chorus-girl Ruth LaRue (Pat Ferrier), LaRue's co-workers visit the museum along with Inspector White (Ralph Sumpter) of Scotland Yard.

With these people is a man named Tom Baxter (Richard Kiley, who also won a Tony Award). Essie is attracted to him and fabricates a story about knowing the murderer. She even fakes an attempt on her life, and then hides in Tom's show, now as a redhead.