Quite different than the bigoted Mr. Bunker, Carroll O'Connor is a delight as presidential candidate John Wintergreen, running on a campaign of "Love is sweeping the country" with the adorable Jack Gilford as Alexander Throttlebottom as his vice presidential candidate whom nobody knows. Come to think of it, I can name pretty much every president, but can only think of vice presidents as far back as Nixon. The single O'Connor, thanks to his advisors, creates a contest to find himself a bride and the chosen girl is Michelle Lee (in a Marcia Wallace wig), rejected by O'Connor who has discovered that he's in love with his devoted secretary Cloris Leachman.
O'Connor, Leachman, Gilford and Lee are joined by some very familiar character faces including Jim Backus as a Southern senator and David Doyle, Herb Edelman and Jesse White as O'Connor's slimy advisers. Paul Hartman, who also appears, played Throttlebottom in the 1951 revival on Broadway. Gilford would go on to play him again in a concert at BAM in 1987 which also covered its short-lived sequel, "Let Em' Eat Cake".
A top notch George and Ira Gershwin score still stands the test of time 90 years after its Broadway premiere, with some of the songs still sung in concerts today. I've seen the stage show in its entirety, and it is delightfully charming as a period piece, still deserving of occasional revivals for the nostalgia and the political satire that takes digs at the pompousness of election procedures. Coming out at a time when the world was in love with nostalgia, this certainly entertains and provides a ton of smiles. It is vivacious and lively with lots of great dancing, perhaps a bit silly when compared to the political scandals of the time, but well worth finding.
O'Connor, Leachman, Gilford and Lee are joined by some very familiar character faces including Jim Backus as a Southern senator and David Doyle, Herb Edelman and Jesse White as O'Connor's slimy advisers. Paul Hartman, who also appears, played Throttlebottom in the 1951 revival on Broadway. Gilford would go on to play him again in a concert at BAM in 1987 which also covered its short-lived sequel, "Let Em' Eat Cake".
A top notch George and Ira Gershwin score still stands the test of time 90 years after its Broadway premiere, with some of the songs still sung in concerts today. I've seen the stage show in its entirety, and it is delightfully charming as a period piece, still deserving of occasional revivals for the nostalgia and the political satire that takes digs at the pompousness of election procedures. Coming out at a time when the world was in love with nostalgia, this certainly entertains and provides a ton of smiles. It is vivacious and lively with lots of great dancing, perhaps a bit silly when compared to the political scandals of the time, but well worth finding.