Banjo Eyes
In the following article we are going to analyze in depth Banjo Eyes, a figure/topic/date that has captured the public's attention in recent times. Throughout the next few lines we will explore its origins, its impact on current society, and the implications it has for the future. _Var1 has generated an intense debate between experts and ordinary people, and that is why it is crucial to understand all the facets of this phenomenon. Since its appearance, Banjo Eyes has unleashed a wave of conflicting opinions, and it will be our objective to draw up an impartial and exhaustive analysis that allows the reader to form an informed opinion on the subject.
| Banjo Eyes | |
|---|---|
 Page from souvenir program | |
| Music | Vernon Duke |
| Lyrics | John La Touche Harold Adamson |
| Book | Joseph Quinlan Izzy Elinson |
| Productions | 1941 Broadway |
Banjo Eyes is a musical based on the play Three Men on a Horse by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott. It has a book by Joseph Quinlan and Izzy Ellinson, music by Vernon Duke, and lyrics by John La Touche and Harold Adamson.
Produced by Albert Lewis and staged by Hassard Short, the Broadway production opened on December 25, 1941 at the Hollywood Theatre, where it ran for 126 performances. The cast included Eddie Cantor, Lionel Stander, William Johnson, and, in a small role, future novelist Jacqueline Susann (Valley of the Dolls).[1]
Although Cantor was known as "Banjo Eyes," the title referred not to his character but to a talking race horse, played in costume by the vaudeville team of Morton and Mayo.[2] In dream sequences, Banjo Eyes would give Cantor's character tips on which horses were going to win different races, but warned him his supposed talent for picking the winners would vanish if he ever placed a bet himself. The book was a very loose adaptation of its source, and the World War II anthem "We Did It Before (And We Can Do It Again)" by Charles Tobias and Cliff Friend was interpolated into the score for no apparent reason other than to stir up patriotism among audience members. Cantor closed the show by singing a medley of his hits in his customary blackface. The show closed when its star suffered a medical emergency.[3]
Song list
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References
- ^ Banjo Eyes IBDB Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ "Interview with Andy Mayo". The Hutchinson News. February 1942. p. 5.
- ^ Mordden, Ethan, Beautiful Mornin': The Broadway Musical in the 1940s. Oxford University Press 1999. ISBN 0-19-512851-6, p. 26