I just had to mention how good this number was because prior to seeing this film, I never realized what an amazing singer Nanette Fabray was...she was a belter of the highest calibre if you listen to that number...I had no idea. Anybody else notice how amazing her singing was in this number?
shareYes it really was amazing, wasn't it?
I love that number!
If you watch closely, you can see a handyman passing by in the back :-)
"I'm sorry, I can't stay; The Captain is waiting to chase me around the deck."
OMG, I never noticed the handyman! I'll have to look for him the next time I watch it.
shareI didn't notice at first either, but then I watched a making-of and
they showed it.
It's on the left when they take a close-up of Nanette Fabray.
"I'm sorry, I can't stay; The Captain is waiting to chase me around the deck."
Fabray is a terrific performer. She had several near-misses on Broadway, shows with good scores written and directed by great talent but mostly forgotten today. Had any of them been a big success, she might have become another Broadway musical legend like Mary Martin, Ethel Merman, Gwen Verdon or Angela Lansbury.
"What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?"
"I Is Here", great number, I wish Fabray did more at MGM, but this was her only MGM film. She talks on the DVD how Roger Edens, the MGM musical director, worked with her and told her that her best note was a B Flat, and had the arrangement always go to her best note.
shareMs. Fabray had a very extensive TV, most notably replacing Imogene Coca as Sid Caesar's female foil. She also had recurring roles on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "One Day at a Time."
May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?