Forty-five Minutes from Broadway
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| Forty-five Minutes from Broadway | |
| Music | George M. Cohan |
|---|---|
| Lyrics | George M. Cohan |
| Book | George M. Cohan |
| Productions | 1906 Broadway |
Forty-five Minutes from Broadway is a musical play by George M. Cohan in 1905, written about New Rochelle, New York. [1] The plays name refers to the 45-minute train ride from New Rochelle to Broadway.[2] The play is remembered for several songs, such as its title song, Forty-five Minutes from Broadway and for tunes about its leading lady character, Mary Is a Grand Old Name and So Long Mary, which were presented in recreations of the original stage play within the 1942 film Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Contents |
[edit] Lyrics excerpts
[edit] Forty-five Minutes from Broadway
- Only forty-five minutes from Broadway
- Think of the changes it brings
- For the short time it takes
- What a diff'rence it makes
- In the ways of the people and things
- Oh, what a fine bunch of reubens
- Oh, what a jay [3] atmosphere
- They have whiskers like hay
- And imagine Broadway
- Only forty-five minutes from here
[edit] Mary Is a Grand Old Name
- For it is Mary; Mary
- Plain as any name can be
- But in propriety, society
- Will say, "Marie"
- But it was Mary; Mary
- Long before the fashions came
- And there is something there
- That sounds so square
- It's a grand old name
[edit] So Long Mary
- Mary: It's awfully nice of all you boys to see me to the train
- Chorus: So long, Mary
- Mary: I didn't think you'd care if you should ne'er see me again
- Chorus: You're wrong, Mary
- Mary: This reminds me of my family / On the day I left Schenectady
- Chorus: So long, Mary / Don't forget to come back home
As staged in the film, Yankee Doodle Dandy, this sentimental song is lightened by a scene in which her luggage springs open. Her male admirers politely gather her bloomers and petticoats, and repack for the blushing Mary, while they continue singing.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Welcome to CongressionalGoldMedal.com: United States of America Congressional Gold Medal Recipient
George M. Cohan - ^ Money or love: UMNnews: U of M
- ^ "Jay" is an old-fashioned synonym for "reuben" or "rube" [1], a rural person who is ignorant of the ways of a large city; it survives in the term "jaywalking".
