Poppy (1923 musical)
| Poppy | |
|---|---|
| Music | Stephen Jones and Arthur Samuels |
| Lyrics | Dorothy Donnelly and others. |
| Book | Dorothy Donnelly, (Howard Dietz, W. C. Fields) |
| Productions | 1923 Broadway |
Poppy is a musical comedy with music by Stephen Jones and Arthur Samuels, and lyrics and book by Dorothy Donnelly, with contributions also from Howard Dietz, W. C. Fields and Irving Caesar. The musical introduced songs such as "Two Make a Home", "On Our Honeymoon", "What Do You Do Sunday, Mary?" and "Alibi Baby".
The original New York City production opened at the Apollo Theater on September 3, 1923, and ran for 346 performances. It starred Madge Kennedy and W. C. Fields, and also featured Robert Woolsey, William Lugg, Alan Edwards and Luella Gear.
The musical formed the basis for two film versions, Sally of the Sawdust (1925), a silent movie directed by D. W. Griffith and co-starring Carol Dempster as Sally; and the 1936 film Poppy directed by A. Edward Sutherland. In both films, Fields revived his blustery carnival-barker character, Eustice P. McGargle. He wore his goofy clip-on mustache for the 1925 production, as he did for most of his silent pictures. Fields was ill during the 1936 production, and a fairly obvious double was used in several scenes requiring physical exertion. He still managed a memorable performance, including these well-known lines spoken to his daughter Poppy (Rochelle Hudson):
- "What a gorgeous day... what a fulgent sunshine... fulgent sunshine, yes... 'twas a day of this sort, the McGillicuddy brothers murdered their mother with an axe!"
- "And if we should ever separate, my little plum, I want to give you just one bit of fatherly advice: Never give a sucker an even break!"
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