The Letters of Cole Porter
Page 47
Love,
[signed:] Cole
P.S. – I have written also to Sam [Spewack].
While nothing came of Boy Meets Girl, the renewed optimism and energy that Linda noted would prepare Porter for embarking on Can-Can, his next musical. The show was discussed by Sam Zolotow in his New York Times column of 17 November, and while the librettist and star would later change, it was clear that Porter was finally back in business with a musical set in one of his favourite cities:
Except for the formality of signing contracts, everything is set for Cole Porter and F. Hugh Herbert to write the songs and book, respectively, of a new musical. Steeped in a Parisian atmosphere, it will be called “Can-Can.” Next season, the show will be put on the boards by Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin, a team of producers who have dedicated themselves to the production of hits, an assertion plainly evident from their first two offerings, to wit, “Where’s Charley” and “Guys and Dolls.” Factors concerned agree that the leading role is eminently suited for Carol Channing, now in Chicago with the touring company of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” With her in mind, Mr. Herbert is writing a part designated as La Goulue, otherwise referred to as the Queen of Paris’ Montmarte district. Entirely original in concept, the story of “Can-Can” will deal with the era of the famous artist Toulouse-Lautrec, an habitué of Montmartre. The painter, however, will not be included as a character.55
Even after Porter’s discharge from hospital in October 1951, Paul Sylvain continued to keep Sam Stark secretly updated on the songwriter’s health. On 7 January 1952, he informed Stark: “. . . You will be glad to hear that Mr. C.P. is putting on weight. From the 124 lbs of the Doctor’s Hospital days, he went up to 139. He is much more active socially . . . We have just returned from a week end [sic] in Williamstown, with Mr. [Howard] Sturges, and as there was a great deal of snow, Mr. C.P. was happy to see Fairy Land in Winterland.”56 The improvement in Porter’s spirits is obvious from the following letter, despite his complaints about Stark’s possible move to Mexico and his boredom about appearing on Ed Sullivan’s television show, Toast of the Town:
27 January 1952: Cole Porter to Sam Stark57
3rd Sunday after Epiphany
Sam –
Bobby Raison writes “Rumor has it that he (meaning you) + Allen* are going to Mexico City to live. That would be our loss.”
Could this tragic news be true?
Please write me the truth quick.
Dull news: Ed Sullivan is doing 2 T.V. Shows on my life. I appear on the 1st one. This will be on Feb. 23rd, Sat. from 8.00 to 9.00 P.M., N.Y. time. The 2nd show will be on Mar. 1st, same time.†
Hot news: Max writes that he has found me an excellent German cook. I told him to engage her from Feb. 15th on if necessary so that she can get used to the horror of it all before I arrive during the last week in Feb.
My God, this note is so full of dates.
Harry Krebs is here for the week-end with me. He is really breaking up. He can no longer hear, see nor taste. He assures me he can still feel.
I’m waiting for [Bill] Haines‡ to send me a new lease on 416 for a five year extension beginning Oct. 1st, 1952. He agreed to my terms but the delay may mean that Jimmie [Shields] wants the house for himself.
Goodnight, dear Sam. I pine to see you + hear your rollicking laughter.
My best to Allen if he isn’t going to move you to Mexico.
Your worried
Cole.
The problems Porter mentions with his lease on the 416 North Rockingham house were resolved later in the month and he signed a four-year agreement on 1 February to rent it,58 which he confirmed to Stark via telegram a day later:
2 February 1952: Cole Porter to Sam Stark59
DEAR SAM[,] MANY THANKS FOR YOUR WIRE[.] LEASE ARRIVED JUST BEFORE I LEFT NEW YORK[.] JEAN FELDMAN AND I SEND YOU OUR LOVE=COLE=
Periodically, Porter would make a point of writing to thank people who had been involved in making his productions a success. George Hirst was the conductor of the return engagement of Kiss Me, Kate on Broadway from 8 January, but it appears from the following letter that he was planning to leave the show early. Ever polite, Porter acknowledged his work. It is striking that the composer’s correspondence was voluminous, and it must have been a daily chore to process all of his business letters every day:
23 January 1952: Cole Porter to George Hirst60
Dear George Hirst: –
Thank you very much for your letter.
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all the excellent work you did while conducting the Orchestra for Kiss Me, Kate, and I wish you lots of success in the future.
Sincerely yours,
[signed:] Cole Porter
Porter remained on the East Coast while he awaited the taping of his Toast of the Town television appearance, but he was impatient to return to California:
9 February 1952: Cole Porter to Sam Stark61
Sam, my Lamb –
Can you lunch at 416 on Sunday, Mar 2nd at 1.30 P.M. Come early if you want to swim. It’s a little luncheon to meet you. [Howard] Sturges will be there + I hope, Stannie [Musgrove] + old Bob Raison.
I pray to arrive the night of Feb. 28th. I pine for the Coast + I sizzle to see you.
Love – Cole
[On reverse:] Thank you for the Nathan* article which I had not seen.
The show was successful, but one of Porter’s claims in the interview section was corrected by a knowledgeable viewer, Sylvan Taplinger, who wrote to Sullivan: ‘Perhaps Cole Porter has forgotten about it, but the reason “Just One of Those Things” and “Begin the Beguine” didn’t hit when they first came out was this. Just after the show “Jubilee” was hitting its stride, the Warner Bros. music publishing houses failed to renew their performing licenses with the networks, with the result that much good music (including Porter’s) was missing from the radio for many months. When the licenses were renewed, “Jubilee” had pretty well run its course, and there were several Warner musical pictures with good songs waiting for air plugs.’62 Porter seems to have been pleased by the information:
18 March 1952: Cole Porter to Sylvan Taplinger63
Dear Mr. Taplinger:
Ed Sullivan forwarded a letter which you had written to him, explaining why JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS and BEGIN THE BEGUINE didn’t hit when they first came out. This was very interesting indeed to me as I had forgotten.
Sincerely,
[unsigned]
In addition to Can-Can, rumours of Porter’s connection with other possible new shows continued in the press – for example, a musical adaptation of the Austin Strong play Seventh Heaven* – but nothing came of them. He made plans to start work properly on the score of Can-Can when he got to California, writing to the pianist and composer Alex Steinert to hire him to come and transcribe his songs: ‘Can you play two pianos with me beginning about March 2nd?’64 Can-Can was mentioned again in the press in mid-March, when the Spewacks were now named as the librettists;65 by early April their names had been dropped and no book writer had yet been hired to replace them.66 In the background, Porter’s business affairs also required regular attention, as the next two letters demonstrate:
11 March 1952: Cole Porter to John Wharton67
Dear John:
Thank you for your letter of March 6, 1952, enclosing the two checks.
The successor to my accountant, Miss Berleant, is Mrs. Suzanne L. Eastman. Her home address is P. O. Box 131, Greenlawn, New York. [. . .]
I also note in your letter that you have sent Ben [Schankman] away for a month’s vacation and that in case I want to get in touch with you and cannot I should communicate with Mr. Robert Montgomery† in your office.
Sincerely,
[signed:] Cole
11 March 1952: Cole Porter to [Albert] Harvey Cole68
Dear Harvey:
Thank you very much for your letter of March 7, 1952.
I have filed, in duplicate, the papers which you forwarded, signed th
em on the line following the word “(signature)” and mailed them to the Collector of Internal Revenue, Indianapolis, Indiana.
All my best regards.
Sincerely,
[signed:] Cole
To a fan, Porter wrote the following in response to a request for information about the origins of ‘Begin the Beguine’:
13 May 1952: Cole Porter to Kenneth Dirlam69
Dear Mr. Dirlam:
I got the idea of a Beguine from going often to a public dance hall in Paris, where many natives from the Isle of Martinique met every night and danced the Beguine. The Beguine, as a dance rhythm, originated in the Isle of Martinique.
Sincerely yours,
[unsigned]
He also wrote to the distinguished director George Cukor to offer him a copy of the novel A Distant Summer (1947) by Edith Saunders, a minor British author. The novel depicts Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1855. A great reader, Porter seems quite often to have shared books with his close friends, of whom Cukor was one; a few years later, Cukor would direct Porter’s last film musical Les Girls:
20 May 1952: Cole Porter to George Cukor70
Dear George:
Under separate cover I am sending you A DISTANT SUMMER. I hope you have not read it.
When I read it last winter it seems to me that you would enjoy it also, so I ordered this copy from England for you.
All my best.
Sincerely,
[signed:] Cole
Sometime in May, Abe Burrows agreed to take over the book-writing duties (from the Spewacks) on Can-Can. He would be the final choice and a natural one for Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin, having co-written the book for the hit musical Guys and Dolls (1950), which they produced. The correspondence between Porter and Burrows for the musical is unusually rich and detailed, showing Porter’s often-overlooked enthusiasm for collaboration. In the first letter, he expresses optimism for the project:
27 May 1952: Cole Porter to Abe Burrows71
Dear Abe:
Forgive me if I have delayed a bit in sending you lyrics and lead sheets, but I have not been at all well.
It was great seeing you out here and I really believe that you and I can do a fine show together.
Sincerely, and all my best
[signed:] Cole
Three weeks later, Burrows responded to Porter, having apparently received one of the songs from Cy Feuer:
16 June 1952: Abe Burrows to Cole Porter72
Dear Cole:
Sorry to hear you haven’t been well. I do hope you’re feeling better by the time you get this.
Cy [Feuer] played me LIVE AND LET LIVE. It sounded wonderful even the way Feuer thumped it out on the piano. And I think the philosophy that is expressed in the lyrics is just perfect for The Girl.
I am slaving away at [the] story line. Cy and I have been meeting every day and when he comes back to the Coast (he’s leaving Thursday), he’ll bring a flock of my notes out to you and elaborate on them. There are some interesting notions which I think will work. I am tremendously excited about the whole thing.
Please take care of yourself and keep well.
Best,
[unsigned]
Porter replied quickly, and it is obvious that he was hard at work. The letter is particularly interesting because it shows that he was more concerned about the relationship between his songs and the books of his musicals than is usually assumed:
18 June 1952: Cole Porter to Abe Burrows73
Dear Abe:
A very nice letter arrived from you, dated June 16, 1952, with a new address – 1161 York Avenue. Is this a permanent new address or not? The address which you gave me when you were out here was 450 E. 63rd Street, East Building, New York, New York.
I am worried about the song I wrote, titled WHO SAID GAY PAREE? I realize that the idea of the lyric puts you in an unfair spot but I do hope that you can fit it in to your story line as I have tried it on several experts and with such success that I feel it would be a big loss to the show if we have to throw it out. I shall send you a lead sheet of this song shortly.
Naturally, I look forward a lot to Cy’s arrival with the material which he will bring from you. I continue writing and, I believe, rather well, but some of the songs I have written may very easily not apply, so the quicker I can follow your book the better for both of us.
All my best.
Sincerely,
[signed:] Cole
In the midst of these documents related to his work, the following letter provides a rare insight into the domestic lives of the Porters, as Cole instructed Linda as to how his cottage at Williamstown should be prepared for his return later in the summer:
18 June 1952: Cole Porter to Linda Porter74
June 18, 1952
Darling:
Paul [Sylvain] suggests the following concerning my cottage:
Kitchen walls and woodwork should be washed. Also, all the shelves.
The records in the workroom should all be removed and dusted. Also the shelves themselves.
In the sitting room, all books should be removed and dusted, including the albums around the Capehart.* All of these shelves should be dusted also.
All curtains which have not already been cleaned should be cleaned, but not put up until just before our arrival.
The stair carpet and the carpet in my bedroom should be cleaned. If a cleaning woman cannot do it then Stevens should do it.
All of my clothing should be put out in the sunshine and then put back in the closets.
Everything in the pantry and kitchen should be taken off the shelves and dusted. The shelves should then be washed before the dusted articles are put back in their proper places.
Paul says that this work is too heavy for Elsie to do and some outside woman should be engaged to do it.
We intend to arrive there toward the end of August so perhaps it is too early for all this to be done.
All love. [unsigned]
A week later, Porter wrote again to Burrows, this time with two songs for Can-Can. One of them, “I Love Paris,” became a hit, while the other, “I Do”, was dropped at some point:
24 June 1952: Cole Porter to Abe Burrows75
Dear Abe:
I enclose lyrics to two songs which I have written lately. Seeing merely the lyrics may be confusing to you but I shall send you lead sheets as soon as they can be properly made. Cy [Feuer] seemed to think that if I forwarded the lyrics to these songs at once they might be a help to you.
The song I DO is a light foxtrot, to which I can add lyrics ad libitum. It might be useful for another couple besides our two leads. On the other hand, you might feel that it would be better for the two leads during some portion of our show.
The song I LOVE PARIS is also a foxtrot. The first half of it is in minor and the second half in major.
Without patting myself on the back (or am I?) Cy is very enthusiastic about these two songs.
All my best.
Sincerely,
[signed:] Cole
In his response, Burrows is diplomatically enthusiastic about the songs (bearing in mind that he only had the lyrics to read at the moment) and also makes a suggestion for a further song about the law, which Porter took up:
28 June 1952: Abe Burrows to Cole Porter76
Dear Cole:
Just received the two lyrics. They look very interesting. The overlapping quality of I DO has a wonderful feel. As a matter of fact, in some of the dialogue I have mapped out mentally I have planned to go for that bitten off quality. I have noticed that the French seem to talk that way, interrupting each other whenever anyone takes a breath.
I LOVE PARIS reads very charmingly, and with the musical plan you outlined, it must be a lovely thing. I think you can pat yourself on the back.
I am not yet ready to pay [sic] myself on the back, although I think the story is beginning to shape up well. I understand Cy [Feuer] has already told you about the leading man being a judge who believes in the letter of the
law. This gives us a fellow who can be very righteous and proper without being unlikeable.
Incidentally, I understand Cy has spoken to you about a song possibility we discussed on the subject of the law. I’d like to expand on this a bit. It struck me that there is a certain kind of man to whom the law is a beloved thing. He thinks of it having a pure, holy beauty. As a matter of fact, I have known lawyers who have spoken of the law as though it were a beautiful woman. You know, the basic law book all over the world is CORPUS JURIS (body of the law) and some of these lawyers speak of the body of the law as though it were a body of a beautiful woman.
Therefore, I thought if our man could sing a ballad about the beauty of the law it might be effective. It may be the only way our man can sing attractively and emotionally before he falls in love with the girl. After he falls for the girl, there will be no problem with him. But there is a bit of a problem as to what a judge would sing up early in the show.
I’d like to know what you think of all this. Maybe I’ll call you next week and we can talk it out more.
By the way, in reference to the two addresses I have given you, they are both correct. [. . .]
New York has been horribly hot so I just remain in my apartment. Sort of like living in an air conditioned [sic] ivory tower.
I will talk to you soon.
Best,
[unsigned]
Indeed, Burrows was so specific in his instructions about the new song that Porter seems to have been able to write it almost instantly:
1 July 1952: Cole Porter to Abe Burrows77
Dear Abe:
Thank you very much for your letter of June 28, 1952.
Your notes concerning the song which I have to write about the law helped me so much that the song is nearly finished. Do you know other phrases besides the body of the law, the letter of the law and the arm of the law, which would also apply to a beautiful woman? If you could send me these I could write several more lyrics. My secretary just suggested the clutches of the law and the shadow of the law, but I need more.
Your decision to make our leading man a young judge is, I think, wonderful.