No. 1. ”Give My Regards to Broadway”
Little Johnny Jones (1904) | Music, Lyrics, and Book by George M. Cohan
It’s 1904, and you’re seeing Little Johnny Jones at a recently opened theater on 42nd Street in Manhattan. Until recently, the heart of professional theater had been in lower Manhattan, so seeing productions in a midtown neighborhood known as “Broadway” is somewhat novel. You’re excited to see George M. Cohan, the popular vaudeville performer who wrote and directed L’il Jo Jo in addition to starring in it. The production is unlike anything you’ve ever seen—neither vaudeville, melodrama, nor operetta but a “musical comedy”. The titular Johnny Jones is a jockey who goes to England to race horses, love America, and chew gum. And he’s all out of gum. A ne’er-do-well tries to bribe Johnny to lose the race. Johnny refuses the bribe, but loses the race anyway. The ne’er-do-well claims Johnny lost on purpose, potentially ruining Johnny’s reputation. As his friends prepare to return to New York, Johnny stays behind to clear his name and sends them off by singing ”Give My Regards to Broadway”
“Give My Regards…” is sort of the stereotypical showtune (especially if someone wants to use that term derisively). See, for example, the cinematic masterpiece Bring it On. And while it seems like it’s an example of musical theater writing a love letter to itself, the fact is…the song is just about a neighborhood. It’s not about theater at all, and it certainly isn’t about Broadway Musicals…because they did not exist until this song essentially summoned them into existence.
Little Johnny Jones has a claim on being the first American Broadway Musical. The book and score were created to tell a specific story while the musical stylings grew out of popular American song, as opposed to the European operetta. Its success (and the success of Cohan’s 50+ subsequent works) changed the course of music and drama in America forever. While Cohan himself has been immortalized many times over (including a statue in the same Herald Square he sings of in this song), and several of his songs will live in the American consciousness for the foreseeable future, the musicals that contained those songs are largely un-revivable if not forgotten. Your much more likely hear his greatest hits in some form of biographical project.
Recommended Recording: “Give My Regards to Broadway”, This is the Moment, Donny Osmond (2001)
Little Johnny Jones appeared on Broadway five times between 1904 and 1907. Since then it appeared on Broadway once, in a 1982 revised production with a new book by Alfred Uhry. It was a transfer of a regional production from the Goodspeed Opera House that was successful enough to merit a toured and a taping for Showtime. (You can find it on YouTube, and it’s rather charming, with handsomely staged musical numbers, though marred by offensive Asian stereotyping as part of one of its thin plotlines). The Broadway iteration starred Donny Osmond and closed on opening night. Osmond looks past (or works through) that experience like all the greats do: with an epic musical performance. “Give My Regards…” closes his 2001 album of Broadway favorites This is the Moment. The five-minute long arrangement cleverly quotes other famous musicals (most of which will be covered over the course of this project). Is it brilliant, bonkers, or both? Who knows, and who cares? It’s a lot of fun (and conveniently sets the stage for what we’ll be doing here).
Alternate Performances
Aside from the video tape of the 1980 Goodspeed Opera House production, no cast recording for Little Johnny Jones exists. However, “Give My Regards to Broadway” has found its way into other musicals (particularly biographical ones about George M. Cohan).
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942 Film) - James Cagney won an Oscar playing Cohan in this popular biographical film. It’s a fun look at early days of show business. It presents “Give My Regards…” as an excerpt from Little Johnny Jones and boasts some spectacular tap dancing from Cagney.
George M! (1968 Original Broadway Cast): Joel Grey followed his triumph in Cabaret with this Broadway musical biography of Cohan. It costarred Bernadette Peters, featured a respected staging by Joe Layton, and ran for a year, though most at the time (and since) agreed it wasn’t a particularly good show. “Give My Regards…” closes the first act with Grey (as Cohan as Johnny Jones) leading the number as part of Little Johnny Jones’s triumphant opening night following an earlier flop. George M! was further adapted into a 1970 televised musical with much of the same cast, but a new “actors in rehearsal” concept.
George M. Cohan Rarities (2022) - This album of archival recordings includes a live performance of Cohan himself signing “Give My Regards…” I love this recording because the introduction, and the audience’s reaction, clearly illustrates Cohan’s influence and popularity during his time.
Is it Covered by The Rat Pack, Audra McDonald, or Glee?
Rat Pack: Judy Garland sang “Give My Regards to Broadway” on a 1966 episode of The Sammy Davis Jr. Show.
Audra McDonald has not recorded “Give My Regards…,” but she was one of the Tony Hosts for the 2021 Ceremony which featured a dance to the Cohan tune during the In Memoriam segment.
Glee: Somewhat surprisingly, “Give My Regards…” did not appear in Glee, but Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff once sang a borderline-unrecognizable arrangement on an M&M Float during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In the Wings
If you get bored this week, try typing “George M. Cohan” into a search bar somewhere and see what comes up! Song No. 2 will be revealed next week.
