George Gershwin's "SWANEE" Laddie Cliff "JIG-SAW!" 1920 London Revue Sheet Music

Description

This is a rare large format piece of sheet music for the song "SWANEE" from the Original West End production of the ALBERT DE COURVILLE musical revue "JIG-SAW!" at the London Hippodrome
. (The production opened June 16th, 1920 and ran for 311 performances.) ..... The revue starred LADDIE CLIFF who introduced British audiences to the GEORGE GERSHWIN and IRVING CAESAR hit song "SWANEE". Also starring in the show were the DOLLY SISTERS, RUPERT HAZELL, STANLEY LUPINO, DAPHNE POLLARD and WINNIE MELVILLE ..... Side note: Though most often associated with singer AL JOLSON, the popular song "SWANEE" was written for the
revue
Demi-Tasse
, which opened at New York's Capitol Theater in October 1919. Irving Caesar and George Gershwin, who was then aged 20, claimed to have written the song in about ten minutes riding on a bus in
Manhattan
. It was written partly as a parody of
Stephen Foster
's
"
Old Folks at Home
". It was originally used as a big production number, with sixty chorus girls dancing with electric lights in their slippers on an otherwise darkened stage. The song had little impact in its first show, but not long afterwards Gershwin played it at a party where Al Jolson heard it. Jolson then put it into his show
Sinbad
, already a success at the
Winter Garden Theatre
,
and recorded it
for
Columbia Records
in January 1920.
"After that,"
said Gershwin,
"Swanee penetrated the four corners of the earth."
. The song was charted in 1920 for 18 weeks holding the No. 1 position for nine. It sold a million
sheet music
copies, and an estimated two million records. The song was added to the 10th London Hippodrome Revue
Jig-Saw!
in June 1920, becoming George Gershwin's first West End theatre credit and was Gershwin's first hit and the biggest-selling song of his career; the money he earned from it allowed him to concentrate on theatre work and films rather than writing further single pop hits.
Arthur Schwartz
said:
"It's ironic that he never again wrote a number equaling the sales of Swanee, which for all its infectiousness, doesn't match the individuality and subtlety of his later works."
Jolson recorded the song several times in his career, and performed it in the movies
The Jolson Story
(1946),
Rhapsody in Blue
(1946), and
Jolson Sings Again
(1949). For the song's performance in
The Jolson Story
, Jolson, rather than actor
Larry Parks
,
appeared as himself, filmed in long shot. Although usually associated with Jolson, "Swanee" has been recorded by many other singers, most notably
Judy Garland
in
A Star Is Born
. (Reprinted in part from Wikipedia.) ..... CREDITS:
Music by GEORGE GERSHWIN ("Girl Crazy", "Lady, Be Good!", "Of Thee I Sing", "Oh, Kay!", "Rosalie", "Funny Face", "Porgy and Bess", "George White's Scandals"); Lyrics by IRVING CAESAR; Produced and Directed by ALBERT DE COURVILLE
..... DETAILS: The oversized six page piece of sheet music measures approx. 10" X 13 5/8" inches and is copyrighted 1919 by T. B. Harms and Francis, Day and Hunter, New York City and
Francis, Day and Hunter
, London ..... CONDITION: With the exception of light soiling, minor creasing and moderate edge wear, this rare piece of sheet music is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.