No, No, Nanette

No, No, Nanette (1925), a musical comedy by Otto Harbach (book, lyrics), Frank Mandel (book), Vincent Youmans (music), Irving Caesar (lyrics). [Globe Theatre, 321 perf.] Balking at the restraints imposed upon her by her Uncle Jimmy ( Charles Winninger) and her Aunt Sue ( Eleanor Dawn), Nanette ( Louis Groody) runs off to Atlantic City. By coincidence Jimmy, who is a Bible publisher and a naive philanderer, has arranged to meet several of his girlfriends at the same resort. Sue and Tom Trainor ( Jack Barker), Nanette's beau, have followed in pursuit. By the end of the evening, a chastened Jimmy is back with Sue, while Tom and Nanette are planning a future together. Notable songs: Tea for Two; I Want to Be Happy; Too Many Rings Around Rosie; You Can Dance with Any Girl at All. The musical was based on a 1920 comedy success, His Lady Friends. Despite its relatively short run in New York, the H. H. Frazee show had several road companies and internationally was the biggest American musical comedy hit of the 1920s. For many years, “Tea for Two” remained the top American song standard to come from Broadway. A fairly faithful 1971 revival on Broadway was a huge success, nearly tripling the run of the original. Its bright and engaging cast included Ruby Keeler, Patsy Kelly, Jack Gilford, Bobby Van, Helen Gallagher, and, as Nanette, Susan Watson.