Call Me Madam
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Call Me Madam is one of Irving Berlin's last musical comedies, and his last great musical success.
The Broadway production, which actually opened in New Haven's Shubert Theatre,<ref>http://www.capa.com/newhaven/venues/shubert_history.php</ref> starred Ethel Merman.
Songs from the score include:
- "You're Just in Love"
- "The Hostess with the Mostest'"
- "It's a Lovely Day Today"
- "Dance to the Music of the Ocarina"
The plot concerns a well-meaning but ill-informed socialite widow who is appointed U.S. ambassador to the fictional European country of Lichtenberg. While there, she and her press attache each fall in love with officials of the Lichtenberg government.
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[edit] Recordings
In a highly unusual situation, two albums of the show were released simultaneously. The recording rights had been snatched up by RCA Victor, but Ethel Merman was under contract to Decca Records, which would not loan her out for the original cast album. As a result, the authentic original cast album was made with Dinah Shore replacing Merman, while Merman was featured on a Decca album with Dick Haymes, in which she sang not only the songs written for her, but those written for other characters as well.
[edit] The 1953 film
The 1953 film version was directed by Walter Lang and starred Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, Vera-Ellen, Billy DeWolfe, and George Sanders. It is the only musical film in which Sanders sings (he had a deep, rich singing voice). The film interpolated the older "International Rag" in place of the song "Washington Square Dance". It has so far never been given an official soundtrack album, although You're Just in Love as performed in the film has turned up on a Rhino Records CD set called Irving Berlin in Hollywood.
[edit] External link
[edit] Column
"Call Me Madam" was the name of a long-running column in Penthouse by Xaviera Hollander, also known as "The Happy Hooker". It was an advice column in which Hollander answered questions of sexual nature from readers.de:Call Me Madam
