Eugene David
...The One-Minute Pundit

Saturday, December 11, 2010


Does anyone here remember Sugar Babies? You know, the dead man's burlesque revue where Ann Miller had to show off her legs and Mickey Rooney had to show off his bad jokes? I have the cast album which Amazon.com sells new at $172.75 but which Varèse Sarabande (Vivendi, rather) has seen fit to reissue in the UK so now it's worth closer to its true value of zero. Back in 1980 after an embarrassing caterwauling public appearance mourning JFK's death (it was November 22) Leonard Bernstein said the success of that show and Grease was a sign of national decadence. We just heard part of a badly transferred soundboard recording from the 1988 London production and will not argue the point. While we refer musical-comedy buffs to track 20 of the album (which has neither music nor comedy) we would quote this wonderful bit from the soundboard: A twenty-something beauty (we presume) with a distinct Cockney accent enters a (male) doctor's office:

Patient: Good morning, doctor!

Doctor
(sounding quite American, as if he was): Good morning, Miss Drummond! What can I do for you?

Patient: I would like a thorah
(sic) physical examination.

Doctor: Of course! Please take off all your clothes.

Patient: (GASP!) DOC-tor! I can't
possibly get undressed in front of you! I'm too shy!

Doctor: Well I quite understand. I'll tell you what we'll do: I'll turn the light out. You take off
all your clothes and tell me when you're ready.

Patient: Ah, that's very thoughtful, doctor.
(LOUD wood block to indicate the light out.) I suppose you think I'm being very silly!

Doctor: Oh, not at all! I admire modesty in a woman!

Patient: Well, I've taken off all my clothes, doctor! Where should I put them?

Doctor: Right over here -- on top of mine.


(The orchestra blats to LOUD guffawing from the mostly middle-aged and uncritical audience.)

Sorry to be humorless but if audiences had no discernment thirty years ago why should they have more discernment now?

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