Search - Irving Berlin :: Miss Liberty (1949 Original Broadway Cast)

Good music, ok singing

John Rice | Milwaukee, WI USA | 07/27/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Irving Berlin is not necessarily known for his musicals. His idea of patriotism went out of style after Watergate and Vietnam. This musical about the model of the statue of Liberty combines some hoaky, musical conventionals, but also some funny and sentimental numbers. "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor" captures the spirit of the Lazarus poem and is inspirational. "Let's Take an Old-Fashioned Walk" is an old-fashioned number, but easy to sing along with. Eddie Albert isa not the greatest singer, but can carry a tune. Allyn Ann McLerie is the best singer on this album, while Mary McCarty is the conventional good old girl friend who sacrifices herself for the man she loves. Her voice is not quite on a par with McLerie's, but fits her "Homework" and "Falling Out of Love Can be Fun" numbers. This musical is something that collectors will want."

Average Broadway score; with Mary McCarty

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 09/11/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"MISS LIBERTY was Irving Berlin's first big show following ANNIE GET YOUR GUN. Needless to say, expectations were very high and Berlin felt obligated to deliver another blockbuster.MISS LIBERTY wasn't a blockbuster. It featured an average score and ran a disappointing 308 performances. Though its cast included several great names including Allyn Ann McLerie (REDHEAD, CALAMITY JANE), Mary McCarty (CHICAGO), Eddie Albert and Ethel Griffies.The slight plot involves a designer who decides to go to Paris in order to track down the girl who served as the model for the Statue of Liberty. The supremely-talented Mary McCarty was relegated to the role of the plain 'best friend', who never gets her man.The score includes a few gems including "What Do I Have to Do to Get My Picture Took?", "Let's Take an Old-Fashioned Walk" (which, later on, became a big hit for Doris Day), "You Can Have Him" and "Housework". Ethel Griffies sings what became the musical's bonafide showstopper "Only For Americans", while Allyn Ann McLerie led the stirring finale: a sung version of "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor".MISS LIBERTY is a cute vintage musical for Broadway buffs."