Description
Book SynopsisThey Made Us Happy is the first book to tell the full story of the extraordinary careers and lives of two of Broadway's and Hollywood's most gifted writing teams: Betty Comden and Adolph Green, encompassing triumphant musical successes (On the Town, Wonderful Town) and much-loved movies (Singin' in the Rain and The Band Wagon).
Trade ReviewPropst has clearly done his research, as evidenced by the lengthy listing of source materials at the end of the book. A particularly nice touch is his tendency to reference the sometimes different recollections of people involved in a specific incident, and then offer a theory of which account actually seems more plausible and why....the book offers very informative and entertaining read for both the serious musical (and musical theater) aficionado and one with only a passing familiarity with some of the duo's more famous works. * Judd Hollander, The Epoch Times *
The book dashes through Comden and Green's glory years writing for stage and screen. High-profile projects such as "The Band Wagon" or "Peter Pan" - as well as lesser-known efforts, such as the "On the Town" successor "It's Always Fair Weather" - are given comparable attention. Chapters are broken up with paragraph-long nuggets consisting of background information or anecdotes. Best of all is the chapter on "Singin' in the Rain." Said Comden about starting work on the movie: "All we knew was, that at some point in the film, someone would be out in the rain and singing about it."As this marvelous book reminds us, that's where Comden and Green came in. * Peter Tonguette, The Columbus Dispatch *
One of the strengths of Mr. Propst's book is his encyclopedic knowledge of virtually every move and shuffle, every last minute addition to and subtraction from shows and films... Mr. Propst tells us everything about how a show reached its final form, and in some cases its revivals.... One appreciates this book as a compendious reference work; its value lies in the theatrical history it provides.... Although [Comden and Green] now may be grist for the nostalgia mills, this book... shows how snappy, daring and brave they were. And what fun they had. * Willard Spiegelman, Wall Street Journal *
What a lovingly researched journey through the duo-careers of two of our most talented wordsmiths. What good times they provided for us! Carefree, urbane, intelligent, tender hearted, playful - indeed they were 'a party of two.' * Tommy Tune *
Andy Propst has done it again! His They Made Us Happy is a love letter to anyone who loves musical theatre, its history, and two of its greatest titans - Betty Comden and Adolph Green. He pulls back the curtain on the life and career of this once-in-a-generation pair of talents with humor, elegance, and grace. I read it in one sitting with Comden and Green's On the Town, Wonderful Town, Singin' in the Rain, Hallelujah Baby!, On the Twentieth Century, and The Will Rodgers Follies playing on my record player. Rest assured - if you don't have a record player, Andy's masterpiece is musical enough. * Will Nunziata, Director *
Thank you, Andy Propst, for the memories and for the history and revelations about these two remarkable artists and their time. They Made Us Happy made me so happy! * Penny Fuller, Actor *
Table of ContentsPreface Chapter 1 - Childhood Dreams Chapter 2 - The Revuers Emerge, Soar, and Coast Chapter 3 - Taking the Town Chapter 4 - Turning to the 1920s Chapter 5 - Theatrical Disaster... Cinematic Success Chapter 6 - Broadway to Hollywood and Back Again Chapter 7 - Turning Back the Clock Chapter 8 - Theatrical Adventures On Screen and On and Off Stage Chapter 9 - Serious Screen Fare, but Flying High on Stage Chapter 10 - Hollywood Passes, Broadway Says 'Yes' Chapter 11 - Throwing a Stage Party and a Cinematic Revel Chapter 12 - A Movie, Some TV EL and Jukeboxes Chapter 13 - Writing a Darker Musical Fairy Tale Chapter 14 - Stage and Screen Confections ... and Something a Little Deeper Chapter 15 - Part of the Times, Personally and Professionally Chapter 16 - Going Backstage, Then Getting Nostalgic [ Chapter 17 - Returning (Artistically) to the 1930s Chapter 18 - Ten Years of Performing and Writing Chapter 19 - A Follies Finish and Farewell Bibliography Index
