THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT A NEW SERIES: THE SUNNY SIDE OF MY STREET with THE "MIGHTY MEZ" - SONGS TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD - EPISODE #14: GUYS AND DOLLS by FRANK LOESSER (1950, DECCA ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING)

This is a fun one… (but, they’ve all been fun for me). It’s being performed by the immortal Stubby Kaye, or “Unkie” as he’s known around our house because he’s the great uncle of my daughter-in-law. Her brother is the spitting image of the musical comedy great, which demonstrates the endurance of Stubby’s DNA. The other performer on the recording is Mr. Jonny Silver. This jaunty track, composed by one of Broadway’s brightest bards, Frank Loesser, is served up with gravity-defying lyrics that are sensuously juicy, surprising, and ever-joyfilled: (“Call is hell, call it heaven, it’s a probable 12 to 7, that the guy’s only doin’ it for some doll!”) Of course, the raw material from Damon Runyon ain’t bad, either - a good time was guaranteed to Broadway theatergoers during the season of 1950. Stubby had a bright, clarion voice - like a cornet - a necessary quality for yesterday’s unamplified thespians wanting to hit the back row - and the man performs lustily with his megaphone of mirth. He was a staple of the Great White Way, and this one of a kind performance was captured on film as well. Funny story: I auditioned for a dinner theatre production of Guys and Dolls once - I was responding to an open call in Backstage. I didn’t know the title song, but I thought it’d be a fine idea to listen to the recording at the Lincoln Center Library to bone up before attempting it at the appointment. Who was I kidding? These lyrics required a lot more preparation than a couple of silent run-throughs, and when I got in the room and begun: “What’s playin’ at the Roxy…?” My mind went blank, and I just kept repeating that question, like a mantra, as the flop sweat poured over my eyebrows into my mouth. I was out of my league.