Broadway in the 1940s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Irving Berlin

"Louisiana Purchase" wasn't about Thomas Jefferson. It had a contemporary plot, being a thinly-veiled satire of the Huey Long regime. Ballet choreography by George Balanchine made up for the lack of memorable songs. The cast featured Broadway veterans Victor Moore and William Gaxton, and also ballerina Vera Zorina.

The use of dance wasn't fully integrated with the plot, but was a portent of things to come later in the decade.

Answer: Gene Kelly

The multi-talented Gene Kelly (1912-1996) dropped out of law school to become a dance teacher, choreographer and performer. When the Broadway run of "Pal Joey" ended in 1941, Kelly went to Hollywood to star in several major movie musicals - and to choreograph many of his own dance numbers. After volunteering for the Navy in World War Two, he returned to movie musicals but not to performing on Broadway.

And he did write a book, with Frank Sinatra and Richard Rodgers. Its title? "I Could Write a Book."

Answer: "Green Grow the Lilacs"

The plot is simple but engaging. Girl meets cowpoke. Other girl meets ... Persian itinerant peddler? Virtually every song from "Oklahoma!" became a standard: "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning," "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top," (Everything's Up to Date in) "Kansas City," "Many a New Day," "People Will Say We're in Love," "I Cain' Say No" ... and that's just Act One.

Answer: Agnes De Mille

Agnes De Mille (1905-1993) explored "western" motifs in her choreography of "Rodeo" (music by Aaron Copeland), shortly before "Oklahoma!" Though known more for ballet, she choreographed several major Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s.

Answer: "By Jupiter"

Lorenz Hart (1895-1943) and Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) met at New York's Columbia University in 1919. They collaborated on a number of musicals in the 1920s and 1930s. The duo's "Pal Joey" (1940) was one of their most successful; "By Jupiter" played 427 performances.

Although Hart's professional skills seemed unimpaired, he succumbed to alcoholism in 1943. The 1948 movie "Words and Music" is a somewhat fictionalized account of the Rodgers & Hart partnership, starring Mickey Rooney as Hart.

Answer: Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was just 27 when "On The Town" premiered. Although the show was a hit, he didn't compose another Broadway musical until "Wonderful Town" (1953), and his masterpiece "West Side Story" (1957). Most of Bernstein's efforts during the 1940s were devoted to classical orchestral works.

Answer: "Carousel"

Time magazine selected "Carousel" (1945) as the greatest musical of the 20th century. The choice was difficult, and so was the show's origin. It is based on the play "Lilliom" (1909) by Hungarian dramatist Ferenc Molnár. The author was reluctant to allow his drama to be set to music, but the reputation of Rodgers & Hammerstein prevailed.

The original plot was thought too depressing for a musical. The setting was moved from Budapest to the coast of Maine, choreography by Agnes De Mille was added, and the story line was lightened by some revisions and optimistic songs.

At 890 performances, the original production did not approach the extremely long run of "Oklahoma!" Nevertheless, "Carousel" remained Richard Rodgers' favorite work - and he too had a difficult choice!

Answer: Irving Berlin

"Annie Get Your Gun" had a difficult path to Broadway - "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)"?

Writer and lyricist Dorothy Fields conceived the show for her friend, the redoubtable Ethel Merman. Normally discerning producer Mike Todd declined the project, and Fields turned to Rodgers & Hammerstein instead. They chose Jerome Kern to write the music, but Kern died days after beginning work. Irving Berlin stepped in as both composer and lyricist, and Fields withdrew. Berlin reportedly wanted to entice Adele Astaire out of retirement for the starring role, but she declined. The show opened in May 1946 - starring Ethel Merman, as Fields had planned.

Answer: Frederick Loewe & Alan Jay Lerner

They're referred to as "Lerner & Loewe," though most Broadway duos give the composer top billing. Continuing a trend, Agnes De Mille's choreography was carefully integrated into the plot. Some of the lyrics were censored for the original cast recording. Worse was to come in the 1954 movie version. Two songs were eliminated by the movie censors, and De Mille's "Sword Dance" was cut for "creative reasons." Not coincidentally, the Broadway production was far more successful than the film.

Answer: "Finian's Rainbow"

The thin plot of "Finian's Rainbow" involves an Irish emigre (and his attractive daughter, of course) who travel to "Missitucky" to bury a pot of leprechaun gold near Fort Knox. It gave composer Burton Lane the chance to combine Irish and gospel motifs. Lane (1912-1997) is best-remembered today for the pleasant score of this show, and for "discovering" Judy Garland.

Answer: Kurt Weill

Kurt Weill (1900-1950) called "Street Scene" (1947) an American Opera or a Broadway Opera. The show has excellent literary credentials. It is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning straight play of the same name. Poet Langston Hughes wrote the lyrics, but didn't share in the Tony Award. Until the 1960s, the Award was given only to the composer, unless (like Cole Porter in 1949) the same individual wrote both the music and the lyrics.

Answer: Philadelphia

Porter's tune-filled take on "The Taming of the Shrew" brushed up its Shakespeare for just under a month in Philadelphia, before opening on Broadway on December 30, 1948. "Kiss Me Kate" garnered the 1949 Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Original Score, among others.

These were to be Porter's only Tony Awards - though the 2011 production of "Anything Goes" received a Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.

Answer: Carol Channing

Lorelei Lee was Carol Channing's first leading role in a Broadway musical, but definitely not her last. During a long and illustrious career, Ms. Channing received three Tony Awards, though not for "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes": Best Actress in a Musical for "Hello Dolly!" in 1964, s special award in 1968, and a Lifetime Achievement award in 1995.

Answer: Juanita Hall

New Jersey native Juanita Hall (1901-1968) received an education in classical music at New York's Juilliard School. Although parts for African-Americans were scarce, she appeared in a few roles on Broadway during the 1930s and 1940s. Rodgers & Hammerstein were eager to cast her in "South Pacific," which also featured opera star Ezio Pinza.

She performed the role of Bloody Mary over 1,900 times during the show's initial run. In 1950, Ms. Hall received a Tony Award for the role, becoming the first African-American Tony winner.

Answer: "Oklahoma!"

According to the Internet Broadway Database:

"Oklahoma!" 2,212 performances, 1943-1948
"South Pacific" 1,925 performances; 1949-1954
"Annie Get Your Gun" 1,147 performances 1946-1949
"Kiss Me, Kate" 1,077 performances 1948-1951.

Rodgers & Hammerstein wrote the music and lyrics for the top two - over 4,000 performances - and were the producers for Irving Berlin's "Annie" as well.

Hollywood made film versions of all four shows, but almost none of the original Broadway principals appeared in the movies. The lone exception was Juanita Hall (Bloody Mary in "South Pacific") who reprised her role for the 1958 movie. Her songs were dubbed by Muriel Smith - who was, at least, a fellow Broadway performer.