Dear Pal Ted:
I never saw Pal Joey. I remember you did when it opened on Xmas day in 1940 in N.Y. You said it had me down perfect. I guess thats good. After all, Gene Kelly who played me was a charming chap, and Rodgers and Hart always wrote good tunes. I used to get requests at the club for that one song from the show, “I Cld. Write a Book.”
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Richard Rodgers, who wrote the music (this was when he cld. swing, before he got into all that mushy stuff with that Hammerstein fella) said that Pal Joey “forced the entire musical-comedy theatre to wear long pants for the first time.” I guess he ment it wasnt all June/moon/spoon. (He also called me an addled essent I think it was. At least when O’Hara called me a slob I knew what he ment) But I guess the “long pants” didnt fit so well on some. This N.Y. Times theater colyumist, Brooks Atkinson used words like “depravity” and “punks progress” to describe it. He said “Although Pal Joey is expertly done, can you draw sweet water from a foul well?” Whose foul well? I can slap him wound and I will if I ever see him. (I am still going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week not that I need it.)
Joey
