Alan Jay Lerner: A Lyricist's Letters (42 page)

    
September 30, 1974

    
Dear Frank,

    
Nixon’s representative told me that he had spoken to you on Friday and that I should send along suggestions for the album and that you would do what you could. They are enclosed.

        
Needless to say, I did not receive an answer to my letter to Mr. Donen (rhymes with Onan) which is about par for the course. I don’t know if it’s allowed, but last Thursday on Yom Kippur when praying for the dead, I mentioned his name.

        
Again, thank you for everything. You have in me a long-term municipal bond of friendship eager to be cashed.

Love to you and Ruth,

Alan

    
Notes on
The Little Prince
Album

        
1) I have suggested to Stanley that the opening overture music under the credits needs re-doing. If he does it, it will provide a perfect opening for the album. If he doesn’t, we would be better off with no overture at all and begin the album with “I Need Air.”

        
2) “I Need Air”—on the album it should be done without the verse, “It’s A Hat” etc., and begin with the chorus “I Need Air.” That means that to do a clean job it will probably require a 4 to 8 bar introduction to the vocal.

        
3) “I’m On Your Side”—in the film it is cut to one chorus. I would suggest that on the album the original two choruses be included.

        
4) “Be Happy”—the verse has been cut out of the film, plus the first chorus of the song. I think the album should include the verse and the two vocal choruses. I don’t think any additional orchestration would be needed for that—but an ending will have to be added.

        
5) “You’re A Child”—It will probably be able to stay as it is, although I have not heard the way it ends because the Lamplighter sequence is not in the film. It may need an ending.

        
6) “I Never Met A Rose”—there is in existence a marvelous orchestration that was used in the screen tests—the one used by Robert Goulet. I strongly,
strongly
suggest that it be used instead of the “rickety-tick” version that Donen uses in the picture. If there is any problem about matching Kiley’s voice to it, we do have that orchestration on tape and I’m certain Kiley would come in and re-record it for nothing.

        
7) “Why Is The Desert”—I don’t know how long it runs, but it will probably be all right as it is.

        
8) “The Snake In The Grass”—all right as it is,
minus
the one or two lines of dialogue that Donen added during the song.

        
9) “Closer And Closer”—The dance section should be edited out and what would help enormously would be the re-recording of one
full
chorus of the song in tempo. The orchestration is there, it simply has to be re-recorded for the album.

        
10) “Little Prince”—OK as it is.

        
All the changes suggested above could be accomplished in one three hour session with the orchestra in London. I don’t know what the English recording rates are, but I will find out and send them along under separate cover.

    
Some of Lerner’s suggestions were apparently adhered to, at least in connection with the editing of the film, and he was happy that some changes were made, as he wrote to the film’s star, Richard Kiley, in October:

    
To Richard Kiley

    
October 10, 1974

    
Dear Richard,

    
I have been working so hard I did not notice your play
⁶⁷
was opening.

        
Needless to say, I couldn’t be happier about the results and your reviews. Congratulations!

        
I saw a re-edited version of the picture and it’s 100% better. Whether it’s “good” or just “better” is hard for me to say.

        
I’m off this weekend to Europe for a couple of weeks. I’ll be in touch.

        
Love to Patty.

Aye,

Alan

But sadly, what had been intended as a great reunion for Lerner and Loewe was something of a critical disaster. Vincent Canby in the
New York Times
summed up the general opinion when he said that “it’s too abstract and sophisticated to be of interest to most children and too simple-mindedly mystic and smug to charm even the most indulgent adult.…This score, the first Lerner-Loewe collaboration since
Gigi
and
Camelot
, is full of lovely things that are a total waste in these barren circumstances.”

    
For his part, Lerner made his feelings about the film quite clear in
The Street Where I Live
: “[Loewe] wrote the most beautiful score, filled with melody and bubbling with the innocence of youth. Alas, it never was heard on the screen as he had composed it. The director, someone named Stanley Donen, took it upon himself to change every tempo, delete musical phrases at will and distort
the intention of every song until the entire score was unrecognizable. Unlike the theatre, where the author is the final authority, in motion pictures it is the director. And if one falls into the hands of some cinematic Bigfoot, one pays the price for someone else’s ineptitude. In this case the price was high, because it undoubtedly was Fritz’s last score.”
⁶⁸
The golden collaboration was over, and Lerner was frustrated because he believed their work to have been excellent. Certainly the finished movie is a disappointment compared to the heights of
Gigi
, but the eleven-track soundtrack album, now available on CD, reveals the high quality of the short creative burst brought about by the re-teaming of Lerner and Loewe.

    
1
John Lahr (1941–) is a veteran New York critic, as well as the biographer of several important entertainment industry figures, including Frank Sinatra and Noël Coward.

    
2
Bert Lahr (1895–1967) was a popular American actor. He was prolific in many genres on stage and screen, with appearances in musicals including
Life Begins at 8:40
(1934),
DuBarry Was a Lady
(1939), and
Two on the Aisle
(1951) on the stage, and
The Wizard of Oz
(1939) and
Rose Marie
(1954) on the screen.

    
3
Sam Spiegel.

    
4
Gloria Swanson (1899–1983) was one of the most popular actresses of the silent movie era, and later made the successful transition to sound. Her most famous role, Norma Desmond in
Sunset Boulevard
(1950), memorably required her to play a faded silent movie star, and she was nominated for an Academy Award. Lerner’s ex-wife Nancy Olson also appeared in the film, which perhaps brought about their acquaintance.

    
5
Louis Calta, “Gloria Swanson Will Audition for Miss Hepburn’s ‘Coco’ Role,”
New York Times
, March 18, 1970, 41
.

    
6
“I only wanted what Katie received. Nothing more, nothing less. That wasn’t too much to ask, was it?”
Bob Thomas, “Gloria Swanson Upset by False ‘Coco’ Reports,”
Nevada Daily Mail
, July 19, 1970, 8
.

    
7
“Miss Hepburn Extends Role of Coco to Aug. 1,”
New York Times
, June 2, 1970, 35.

    
8
Danielle Darrieux (1917–) is a distinguished French actress, whose work spans from the musical movie
Le Bal
(1931) to an appearance in
L’Heure Zéro
(2007). Aside from
Coco
, she appeared in the stage musical
Ambassador
in London (1971) and on Broadway (1972).

    
9
Mel Gussow, “Stage: Miss Darrieux Becomes Coco,”
New York Times
, August 7, 1970, 28
.

    
10
Rick, “Film Reviews: On a Clear Day You Can See Forever,”
Variety
, June 17, 1970, 16.

    
11
Vincent Canby, “Screen: ‘On a Clear Day You Can See Forever’ Begins Its Run,”
New York Times
, June 18, 1970, 53
.

    
12
Stanley Kubrick (1928–99) was among the most revered filmmakers of his generation, with movies including
2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968),
A Clockwork Orange
(1971), and
Eyes Wide Shut
(1999).

    
13
John Barry (1933–2011) was the Oscar-winning composer of
Born Free
(1966),
The Lion in Winter
(1968),
Out of Africa
(1985), and
Dances with Wolves
(1990), as well as twelve of the Bond movies. He also composed five musicals, including
Passion Flower Hotel
(1965).

    
14
Norman Twain (?–present) is a theater and film producer. His Broadway productions include
Bajour
(1965) and
Henry Sweet Henry
(1967), though he is also credited with the movies
Lean on Me
(1989) and
Heavens Fall
(2006).

    
15
“‘Lolita’ to Appear as Musical in ’71,”
New York Times
, November 4, 1970, 41.

    
16
Tito Capobianco (1931–) is a celebrated and prolific opera director who was prominent in this period for his productions at the New York City Opera.

    
17
Jack O’Brian, “Off the Grapevine,”
Toledo Blade
, December 7, 1970, X3
.

    
18
“Musical ‘Lolita’ by Lerner-Barry Headed for B’way,”
Variety
, November 4, 1970, 55.

    
19
John Neville (1925–2011) was a British actor whose work ranged from classical roles with the Old Vic company in London in the 1950s to a regular stint on
The X-Files
on television in the 1990s. Prior to
Lolita, My Love
, he had taken over from Keith Michell in the 1958 West End production of
Irma La Douce
.

    
20
Lewis Funke, “The Rialto: And Julie Harris ‘Drinks a Little,’”
New York Times
, November 29, 1970, 119
. “Neville to Bow in Musical as the Humbert of ‘Lolita,’”
New York Times
, December 16, 1970, 54.

    
21
Louis Calta, “‘Lolita’ Puts Off Broadway Debut,”
New York Times
, February 19, 1971, 26
.

    
22
Annette Ferra (known as Christina Ferra-Gilmore) (1955–) is an American actress (
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
) and casting director.

    
23
Lewis Funke, “Rising Rivers,”
New York Times
, March 21, 1971, D1
.

    
24
Dorothy Loudon (1925–2003) won the Tony Award for her performance as Miss Hannigan in the original production of
Annie
(1977). She had the misfortune to appear in a number of notorious flops—including
The Fig Leaves Are Falling
(1969),
Ballroom
(1980), and
Annie 2
(1990), alongside
Lolita, My Love
—but her work generally received high praise.

    
25
Samuel Hirsch, “
Lolita My Love
, New Musical by Lerner-Barry, Opens at Shubert Theater,”
Boston Herald Traveler
, March 24, 1971, 27.

    
26
“‘Lolita, My Love,”
New York Times
, March 30, 1971, 23.

    
27
“‘Lolita My Love’ folds in Boston,” March 30, 1971, 1 and 62.

    
28
Burt Bacharach (1928–) is an American songwriter of numerous hit songs, many of them written with lyricist Hal David. Together, they wrote the Broadway musical
Promises, Promises
(1968).

    
29
Leonard Lyons, “Lyons Den,”
Bangor Daily News
, August 30, 1971, 9.

    
30
See, for instance, Dan Knapp, “
Gigi
May Make Another Comeback,”
Los Angeles Times
, December 24, 1969, A7.

    
31
David D. McNicoll, “Luther—With Some Humor,”
Sun-Herald
[Sydney], September 26, 1971, 109.

    
32
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (1909–2000) followed his father into screen acting. His early movies were from the silent film era, but his most successful pictures (including
The Prisoner of Zenda
, 1937) were talkies. Letter of December 23, 1971, from Fairbanks Jr. to Lerner (private collection).

    
33
John S. Wilson, “Lyricist’s Craft Is Lerner’s Topic,”
New York Times
, December 14, 1971, 56
. An edited version of the event is available on DRG Records 5175.

    
34
“Lerner and Loewe Return for Musical,”
Boca Raton News
, March 3, 1972, March 3, 1972, 7.

    
35
Cy Feuer (1911–2006) produced some of the most successful musicals of all time, including Frank Loesser’s
Where’s Charley?
(1948),
Guys and Dolls
(1950), and
How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying
(1961).

    
36
Norman Jewison (1926–) is a director and producer, known for films such as
In the Heat of the Night
(1967) and
The Thomas Crown Affair
(1968). Lerner is referring to Jewison’s recent direction of
Fiddler on the Roof
(1971) in this letter.

    
37
Tom O’Horgan (1924–2009) directed the Broadway productions of
Hair
(1968) and three musicals that opened in 1971:
Jesus Christ Superstar, Lenny
, and
Inner City. Hair
was still running at the time, giving O’Horgan an incredible monopoly over Broadway, which explains Lerner’s remark.