Kander & Ebb: Early Careers & Flora, the Red Menace (1965)

Class Preparation

• The chapters of Kander, Ebb, & Lawrence's Colored Lights associated with this class are the Introduction, the Foreword, and Chapters 1 & 2. If you are a "read it before class" person, this is the assignment. However, I won't assume you have read it (and there will be no pop quiz!).
• Handout of class slides
• Lyrics to Selected Early Songs  

Links to videos shown in class

• Kaye Ballard singing “Maybe This Time.” LINK
• ​“My Coloring Book” vocal version by Kitty Kallen (audio only) LINK
• The section of a 1997 PBS special—the section on Flora, The Red Menace, with George Abbott, Hal Prince, Kander, Ebb, and Liza Minnelli. Includes performances from 1965 of “All I Need Is One Good Break” and “Sing Happy.” LINK
• The entire 28 minute segment on Flora, The Red Menace from a 1978 Camera Three television special is available: LINK If you don’t have time for the whole thing, here are the start times of individual songs:
  • 01:42 “All I Need (Is One Good Break)”—Flora and chorus [3:34]
  • 05:40 “Sign Here”  (Lawrence John Moss as Harry) [4:50]
  • 10:30 “The Flame” (Mary Louise Wilson, reprising her role in the original cast) [3:52]
  • 14:22 “A Quiet Thing” (with extended intro) [4:05]
  • 18:27 “Hello, Waves” (Harry & Flora) [3:15]
  • 21:42    “Sing Happy” [3:37]
  • 25:19    “You Are You” (Flora & Cast) [2:15]
• Marin Mazzie singing “A Quiet Thing” from Ring Them Bells: A Kander and Ebb Celebration, Live from Lincoln Center, 2013) LINK See below for link to entire one-hour concert.
• Liza Minnelli singing “Sing Happy.” from the Original Broadway Cast Recording. (LINK)

Links to additional videos & resources

• Liza Minnelli sings “A Quiet Thing” from the Original Broadway Cast Recording. (LINK)
• ​“My Coloring Book” by Barbra Streisand (audio only) LINK
• ​Ring Them Bells: A Kander and Ebb Celebration, Live from Lincoln Center, 2013: LINK to entire concert. You should, of course, watch the entire thing, but here are the times of songs relevant to Classes 1 and 2:
  • Jason Daniely sings “Sara Lee” (one of the “special material” songs for Kaye Ballard) at 11:12 and “Maybe This Time” at 18:00.
  • Marin Mazzie sings “I Don’t Care Much” (the song written at a party on a dare) at 21:06 and “A Quiet Thing” at 47:03
  • Joel Gray sings “Willkommen” at 4:47 and “Married” at 32:20, both from Cabaret.
• ​Bathtubs on Broadway, the 2013 documentary about industrial musicals, is available on Netflix (search by title) and for rent on Amazon Prime (LINK). A related book is Everything’s Coming up Profits (Amazon LINK). You can also obtain digital (MP3) files of a selection of these songs of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s under the title The Golden Age of Industrial Musicals. Here are the links on Amazon: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s. Kander and Ebb’s two songs are in the 1960s album: Tracks 4 and 21.
• Audra McDonald sings “Maybe this Time.” LINK
• Patina Miller sings “Sing Happy.” LINK

​ ​Recommended Preparation for Class 2:

• If you haven't seen it in the last few years, watch the film of Cabaret (1972), or seek out clips of any stage production on YouTube.

 Class Feedback/Evaluation of Today's Class

What worked?

• Combination of music, videos, slides, and commentary
• Instructor’s enthusiasm
• Sense of overview and “insider information” 
• Choice of videos
• Hearing unfamiliar songs was great
• New appreciation of Liza Minnelli’s talent​

What would make it even better?

• Save interruptions (info about how to get book and links, for example, until end of class) 
• “A Quiet Thing” is Liza’s song! (now added to links above)