I'll Say She Is
Encyclopedia
I'll Say She Is is a stage revue
written by brothers Will B. Johnstone
(book) and Tom Johnstone (music) and starring the Marx Brothers
and Lotta Miles.
into stardom in the Broadway theatre
and later in motion pictures, and came at a time when they had gotten themselves effectively banned from the major vaudeville circuits owing to a dispute with E. F. Albee
, and had failed in an attempt to produce their own shows on the alternate Shubert
circuit.
The show was a hodgepodge of old Marx routines and musical numbers, loosely tied together by the theme of a rich girl looking for excitement in life as presented to her by a succession of male suitors. The climax was a long sketch featuring Groucho as Napoleon, which the Brothers regarded as the funniest thing they ever did. The show opened on May 19, 1924 at the Casino Theatre in New York City and closed on February 7, 1925 after 313 performances.
They went on to star in two more hit Broadway shows, The Cocoanuts
(1925) and Animal Crackers (1928). Unlike those shows, however, I'll Say She Is was never made into a film, presumably because it was a revue rather than a play.
A version of its opening scene, however, was made into a short for Paramount Pictures
as part of a feature called The House That Shadows Built
(1931), made to celebrate Paramount's 20th anniversary of their founding in 1912, and as a promotion for the then-upcoming Marx film Monkey Business. An animated version of the Napoleon scene (with Groucho voicing himself) was incorporated into an ABC-TV special called The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians
(1970).
The first act begins with a song by the chorus called "Do It".
At its conclusion, the setting changes to the office of a talent agent, wherein Zeppo
bursts through the door, proclaiming to be a great musical actor. He gives a terrible impression of a popular musical act of the day. (The act being imitated would change over the run of the show. Gallagher and Shean, Joe Frisco, and Charlie Chaplin are a few of its victims.)
Just as the agent is about to kick Zeppo out, Chico
arrives, also proclaiming to be a great musical talent, and gives an even worse impression of the same musical act. This is followed by Groucho
, who wisecracks his way through his unsolicited audition. Finally, Harpo
bursts in, who pantomimes his way through his take on the audition.
Another actor arrives, asking for a juvenile part, but he cannot do the impression the Brothers have just butchered. The agent invites him in. He then confides in the would-be actors that he has no jobs for them, but that there's "a wealthy young lady who claims she will give her heart, her hand, and her fortune to the man who gives her the greatest thrill."
He then asks if they recall "the old fable of the Richman, Poorman, Beggarman, Thief, Doctor, Lawyer, Merchant, Chief
." The agent assigns himself as The Richman, and the rest of the cast will take the other parts, with each pursuing the wealthy young lady under the guise of the assigned role. This meager plot device ties the musical revue together.
Scene 2 – Art Curtain.
The men arrive at the heiress's residence, much to the chagrin of the butler, who agrees to let them in.
Scene 3 – Beauty's Reception Room.
The eight gentleman suitors, among them The Four Marx Brothers, enter the reception room of the heiress (known throughout as "The Beauty"). The men, each playing the roles of the aforementioned fable, attempt to woo her, but she states she needs a thrill in life. The Beauty requests that they each draw a number, to decide who gets the first chance to give her that thrill. In so doing, she takes the hand of The Chief, but doesn't let go. The Beauty and The Chief then sing the duet, "Thrill of Love" or "Only You". (The two songs were transposed between Acts I and II at some point during the run of the show.)
Scene 4 – Art Curtain.
From the drawing of numbers, The Richman draws the number one. But The Thief, being a thief, steals The Beauty and takes her to Chinatown.
Scene 5 – Chinatown Street.
In Chinatown, The Thief shows The Beauty all sorts of insidious thrills: terror, gunshots, and murder.
Scene 6 – The Opium Den.
The Thief then takes The Beauty to an opium den. The Beauty says that she'll "try anything once," and smokes opium. She falls asleep, which is followed by a "Chinese Apache Dance" number. At the end of the dance, one of the dancers falls dead.
Scene 7 – The Dream Ship.
An actor playing the role of a "Chinaman" sings "San Toy" and carries the dead dancer offstage. This is followed by a "dream ship" dance sequence. The Beauty awakes, with the Thief re-entering the scene, along with Groucho and a policeman. Groucho tells the policeman to arrest The Beauty, due to the death that has taken place.
Scene 8 – The Court Room.
The Beauty enters the courtroom, accused of murder. Harpo enters as the judge. Chico enters as the defense lawyer, but is mainly interested in playing cards with Harpo.
Groucho enters as the district attorney, to try to convict The Beauty of murder. He accuses her of stabbing the "Chinaman" with a revolver, but she proclaims innocence, and counterattacks by telling the Brothers that after they left her reception room earlier, all her silverware had gone missing.
A Detective then enters to inquire about three suits that were stolen from the judge's chambers. He quickly finds a plethora of stolen property on both Groucho and Chico. He then shakes Harpo's hand, wondering why an honest man keeps such bad company. While shaking his hand, the silverware stolen from The Beauty falls out of Harpo's coat, piece by piece.
Scene 9 – Art Curtain.
The Beauty and The Chief appear before the curtain and make plans to meet later, after The Beauty has sought out more thrills.
Scene 10 – 'Rainy Day'.
Chorus members sing "Rainy Day".
Scene 11 – Art Curtain.
Another song follows: a solo for one of the female chorus members called "Wall Street Blues".
Scene 12 – Wall Street.
The Beauty meets the Richman on Wall Street. The Beauty watches as The Richman invests in stock, and, also, takes a turn at gambling. Thinking that this may be the thrill she's seeking, The Beauty tries her hand at gambling as well, and eventually, The Richman tells her the biggest gamblers play the stock market.
Scene 13 – Wall Street Plaything.
At the conclusion of the Wall Street sequence, which ends the first act, an elaborate costumed ballet performs a dance interpretation of gambling. Photographs from the performance show dancers dressed as dice, coins, a roulette wheel, and a gold statue, not unlike the extravagant Busby Berkeley
dance numbers seen in 1930s film.
The second act opens with an unknown song by The Melvin Sisters.
Scene 2 – The Inception of Drapery.
Zeppo takes his turn to woo The Beauty. He does so by giving her the thrill of clothing and jewels from foreign lands, each carried onstage by a chorus girl, with The Beauty trying on a plethora of the risque garments. This does nothing to thrill The Beauty, and Zeppo walks off, telling her:
Scene 3 – Cinderella Backwards.
Groucho, dressed in a tutu and long underwear and smoking a pipe, enters from behind the curtain—an intentionally bad Fairy Godmother impersonation. The Beauty tells Groucho that she wants to experience the thrill of being poor, having been rich all her life. She then asks for him to take her to her Prince Charming, but Groucho refuses, since he has other Cinderellas he has to look after. He promises to be back at midnight, so The Beauty decides to call her Rolls Royce. Groucho tells her no, if she wants to experience being poor. She'll have to walk.
Scene 4 – Hawaiian Scene.
In early performances, a dance quartet performed a "marathon dance number" at this point in the revue. On Broadway, this was replaced by a Hawaiian dance featuring "Sixteen Yankee Girls".
Scene 5 – Art Curtain.
The Chief and The Beauty meet at a marble fountain, with The Beauty wondering if The Chief is still pursuing her. They then sing "Thrill of Love" or "Only You". (The two songs were transposed between Acts I and II at some point during the run of the show.)
Scene 6 – The Marble Fountain.
A ballet of dancers portraying living statues performs a sequence called "The Awakening of Love". Groucho, Harpo, and Zeppo then parody this dance with their own dance number, referred to as "The Death of Love".
Scene 7 – The Hypnotist.
Chico claims to be a hypnotist, telling The Richman that he has just hypnotized The Beauty and she now thinks she is Josephine, wife of Napoleon. He then attempts to hypnotize The Richman himself with mixed results.
Scene 8 – Napoleon's First Waterloo.
The Beauty enters as Josephine followed by Groucho as Napoleon. He calls for his faithful advisors—Francois, Alphonse, and Gaston—played by Chico, Zeppo, and Harpo, respectively. They appear, and they can barely hide their infatuation with The Beauty. Harpo makes no attempt to do so, ignoring Groucho's introduction altogether.
Groucho questions The Beauty's love for him, but she doesn't understand. He leaves several times to go off to war, always coming back to say goodbye once more, or to fetch the sword he keeps forgetting. Each time he leaves, the other Brothers attempt to violently woo The Beauty, with Groucho alternately suspicious and oblivious to his advisors' advances to his wife. This becomes increasingly difficult for The Beauty to hide, as Harpo leaves his harp behind, and Chico, under cover, begins to sneeze. Eventually, Groucho discovers what is going on. The Beauty is afraid that Groucho will kill her, but he says he won't. Instead, he is going to sell the couch, which The Beauty finds even more upsetting than killing her.
Scene 9 – Finale.
The revue closes with another song and dance number, which changed over the life of the show. During its Broadway run, the song performed was called "A Bit of Tango Jazz".
The eight gentleman suitors then enter with The Beauty. The Beauty tells them that the contest is over. She has found the greatest thrill in life, and that thrill is love. And she has found the thrill of love with The Chief.
before opening in nearby Philadelphia in May 1923. It opened at the Casino Theatre in New York City
on May 19, 1924. Legend has it that the first-string critics for the New York papers were slated to see a different show premiering at the Winter Garden Theatre
the same night, and only came to I'll Say She Is when the other show was postponed at the last moment. However, as both the Winter Garden and the Casino were part of the Shubert chain, it seems more likely that the openings were deliberately set for different dates to avoid competing with each other. In any case, the critics, notably Alexander Woollcott
, who was only at the show because his other engagements were canceled, raved about the show, especially Harpo's performance, and the Marx Brothers became first-rank stars virtually overnight.
Despite the fact that the Marx Brothers were the stars of this show, because it was a revue
, they are absent from significant parts of the performance. They are almost entirely absent from the musical numbers and do not appear at all in several scenes. Because of this, much of the material that they performed in I'll Say She Is exists in one form or another. The opening "Theatrical Agency" scene was later filmed for the Paramount Pictures
release The House That Shadows Built
almost in its entirety. Instead of Gallagher and Shean
or Joe Frisco
, they impersonate Maurice Chevalier
in the filmed performance.
The penultimate Napoleon scene was filmed as a cartoon in 1970 by Rankin-Bass in their 30-minute television production The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians
. Groucho performed his own voice for this recreation. Harpo and Chico had both died by then, so Chico's part was performed by Paul Frees
, while Harpo's part, having no spoken lines, was replaced by sound effects. Reportedly, Groucho was impressed by the accuracy of Frees's performance as Chico.
The Marx Brothers' last Paramount film, Duck Soup, contains a courtroom scene largely inspired by the one in I'll Say She Is, although there are significant differences. The silverware gag in this scene was recycled for the stage performance of Animal Crackers and is also featured in the film of the same name
.
This is also the last production by The Marx Brothers in which they were billed under their given names. Harpo was billed as Adolph Arthur, Zeppo as Herbert, Groucho as Julius Henry, and Chico as Leonard. In his autobiography Harpo Speaks
(1961), Harpo wrote that theatre critic Alexander Woollcott encouraged the Brothers to use their stage names in any subsequent production, which they did, starting with their next Broadway show, The Cocoanuts
(1925), which was later turned into a film version in 1929
.
Having toiled on the Vaudeville circuit
for nearly a quarter century, this would be the last stage performance that The Marx Brothers would perform for Vaudeville theaters. Once I'll Say She Is hit Broadway, they never left. They would have two further Broadway hits, The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers, which were then filmed in the early years of talking pictures
as their first two feature films. With the closing of Animal Crackers, their third and final Broadway show, the Marx Brothers moved to Hollywood, and enjoyed long careers in film and television.
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
written by brothers Will B. Johnstone
Will B. Johnstone
Will B. Johnstone was an American writer, cartoonist, and lyricist. He wrote for the Marx Brothers and penned several popular songs, including a version of How Dry I Am....
(book) and Tom Johnstone (music) and starring the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
and Lotta Miles.
Background
I'll Say She Is led to the Marxes' rise out of vaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
into stardom in the Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and later in motion pictures, and came at a time when they had gotten themselves effectively banned from the major vaudeville circuits owing to a dispute with E. F. Albee
Edward Franklin Albee II
Edward Franklin Albee II was a vaudeville impresario, and the adoptive grandfather of Edward Franklin Albee III, the playwright.-Biography:He was born on October 8, 1857 in Machias, Maine to Nathaniel Smith Albee....
, and had failed in an attempt to produce their own shows on the alternate Shubert
The Shubert Organization
The Shubert Organization is a theatrical producing organization and a major owner of legitimate theatres based in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded by the Shubert brothers, Sam S. Shubert, Lee Shubert, and Jacob J. Shubert of Syracuse, New York in the late 19th century in upstate New York,...
circuit.
The show was a hodgepodge of old Marx routines and musical numbers, loosely tied together by the theme of a rich girl looking for excitement in life as presented to her by a succession of male suitors. The climax was a long sketch featuring Groucho as Napoleon, which the Brothers regarded as the funniest thing they ever did. The show opened on May 19, 1924 at the Casino Theatre in New York City and closed on February 7, 1925 after 313 performances.
They went on to star in two more hit Broadway shows, The Cocoanuts
The Cocoanuts (musical)
The Cocoanuts is a musical with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and a book by George S. Kaufman, with additional text by Morrie Ryskind.-Background:...
(1925) and Animal Crackers (1928). Unlike those shows, however, I'll Say She Is was never made into a film, presumably because it was a revue rather than a play.
A version of its opening scene, however, was made into a short for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
as part of a feature called The House That Shadows Built
The House That Shadows Built
The House That Shadows Built is a short feature film, roughly 55 minutes long, from Paramount Pictures, made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the studio's founding in 1912...
(1931), made to celebrate Paramount's 20th anniversary of their founding in 1912, and as a promotion for the then-upcoming Marx film Monkey Business. An animated version of the Napoleon scene (with Groucho voicing himself) was incorporated into an ABC-TV special called The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians
The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians
The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians is an animated half-hour ABC television special produced by Rankin/Bass Animation, best known for their stop-motion Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The show aired on April 7, 1970 before the airing of that year's Oscars...
(1970).
Act I
Scene 1 – Theatrical Agency.The first act begins with a song by the chorus called "Do It".
At its conclusion, the setting changes to the office of a talent agent, wherein Zeppo
Zeppo Marx
Herbert Manfred "Zeppo" Marx was an American film star, musician, engineer, theatrical agent and businessman. He was the youngest of the five Marx Brothers. He appeared in the first five Marx Brothers feature films, from 1929 to 1933, but then left the act to start his second career as an...
bursts through the door, proclaiming to be a great musical actor. He gives a terrible impression of a popular musical act of the day. (The act being imitated would change over the run of the show. Gallagher and Shean, Joe Frisco, and Charlie Chaplin are a few of its victims.)
Just as the agent is about to kick Zeppo out, Chico
Chico Marx
Leonard "Chico" Marx was an American comedian and film star as part of the Marx Brothers. His persona in the act was that of a dim-witted albeit crafty con artist, seemingly of rural Italian origin, who wore shabby clothes, and sported a curly-haired wig and Tyrolean hat.As the first-born of the...
arrives, also proclaiming to be a great musical talent, and gives an even worse impression of the same musical act. This is followed by Groucho
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
, who wisecracks his way through his unsolicited audition. Finally, Harpo
Harpo Marx
Adolph "Harpo" Marx was an American comedian and film star. He was the second oldest of the Marx Brothers. His comic style was influenced by clown and pantomime traditions. He wore a curly reddish wig, and never spoke during performances...
bursts in, who pantomimes his way through his take on the audition.
Another actor arrives, asking for a juvenile part, but he cannot do the impression the Brothers have just butchered. The agent invites him in. He then confides in the would-be actors that he has no jobs for them, but that there's "a wealthy young lady who claims she will give her heart, her hand, and her fortune to the man who gives her the greatest thrill."
He then asks if they recall "the old fable of the Richman, Poorman, Beggarman, Thief, Doctor, Lawyer, Merchant, Chief
Tinker, Tailor
"Tinker Tailor" is a counting game, nursery rhyme and fortune telling song traditionally played in England, that can be used to count cherry stones, buttons, daisy petals and other items...
." The agent assigns himself as The Richman, and the rest of the cast will take the other parts, with each pursuing the wealthy young lady under the guise of the assigned role. This meager plot device ties the musical revue together.
Scene 2 – Art Curtain.
The men arrive at the heiress's residence, much to the chagrin of the butler, who agrees to let them in.
Scene 3 – Beauty's Reception Room.
The eight gentleman suitors, among them The Four Marx Brothers, enter the reception room of the heiress (known throughout as "The Beauty"). The men, each playing the roles of the aforementioned fable, attempt to woo her, but she states she needs a thrill in life. The Beauty requests that they each draw a number, to decide who gets the first chance to give her that thrill. In so doing, she takes the hand of The Chief, but doesn't let go. The Beauty and The Chief then sing the duet, "Thrill of Love" or "Only You". (The two songs were transposed between Acts I and II at some point during the run of the show.)
Scene 4 – Art Curtain.
From the drawing of numbers, The Richman draws the number one. But The Thief, being a thief, steals The Beauty and takes her to Chinatown.
Scene 5 – Chinatown Street.
In Chinatown, The Thief shows The Beauty all sorts of insidious thrills: terror, gunshots, and murder.
Scene 6 – The Opium Den.
The Thief then takes The Beauty to an opium den. The Beauty says that she'll "try anything once," and smokes opium. She falls asleep, which is followed by a "Chinese Apache Dance" number. At the end of the dance, one of the dancers falls dead.
Scene 7 – The Dream Ship.
An actor playing the role of a "Chinaman" sings "San Toy" and carries the dead dancer offstage. This is followed by a "dream ship" dance sequence. The Beauty awakes, with the Thief re-entering the scene, along with Groucho and a policeman. Groucho tells the policeman to arrest The Beauty, due to the death that has taken place.
- Groucho: You are going to be convicted of murder.
- Beauty: What makes you so confident?
- Groucho: I'm going to be your lawyer.
Scene 8 – The Court Room.
The Beauty enters the courtroom, accused of murder. Harpo enters as the judge. Chico enters as the defense lawyer, but is mainly interested in playing cards with Harpo.
Groucho enters as the district attorney, to try to convict The Beauty of murder. He accuses her of stabbing the "Chinaman" with a revolver, but she proclaims innocence, and counterattacks by telling the Brothers that after they left her reception room earlier, all her silverware had gone missing.
A Detective then enters to inquire about three suits that were stolen from the judge's chambers. He quickly finds a plethora of stolen property on both Groucho and Chico. He then shakes Harpo's hand, wondering why an honest man keeps such bad company. While shaking his hand, the silverware stolen from The Beauty falls out of Harpo's coat, piece by piece.
Scene 9 – Art Curtain.
The Beauty and The Chief appear before the curtain and make plans to meet later, after The Beauty has sought out more thrills.
Scene 10 – 'Rainy Day'.
Chorus members sing "Rainy Day".
Scene 11 – Art Curtain.
Another song follows: a solo for one of the female chorus members called "Wall Street Blues".
Scene 12 – Wall Street.
The Beauty meets the Richman on Wall Street. The Beauty watches as The Richman invests in stock, and, also, takes a turn at gambling. Thinking that this may be the thrill she's seeking, The Beauty tries her hand at gambling as well, and eventually, The Richman tells her the biggest gamblers play the stock market.
Scene 13 – Wall Street Plaything.
At the conclusion of the Wall Street sequence, which ends the first act, an elaborate costumed ballet performs a dance interpretation of gambling. Photographs from the performance show dancers dressed as dice, coins, a roulette wheel, and a gold statue, not unlike the extravagant Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley was a highly influential Hollywood movie director and musical choreographer. Berkeley was famous for his elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns...
dance numbers seen in 1930s film.
Act II
Scene 1 – Art Curtain.The second act opens with an unknown song by The Melvin Sisters.
Scene 2 – The Inception of Drapery.
Zeppo takes his turn to woo The Beauty. He does so by giving her the thrill of clothing and jewels from foreign lands, each carried onstage by a chorus girl, with The Beauty trying on a plethora of the risque garments. This does nothing to thrill The Beauty, and Zeppo walks off, telling her:
- Zeppo: It's the Beggarman's chance now. He will give you the thrill of Cinderella backwards. He will take you from riches to poverty. Good-Night!
Scene 3 – Cinderella Backwards.
Groucho, dressed in a tutu and long underwear and smoking a pipe, enters from behind the curtain—an intentionally bad Fairy Godmother impersonation. The Beauty tells Groucho that she wants to experience the thrill of being poor, having been rich all her life. She then asks for him to take her to her Prince Charming, but Groucho refuses, since he has other Cinderellas he has to look after. He promises to be back at midnight, so The Beauty decides to call her Rolls Royce. Groucho tells her no, if she wants to experience being poor. She'll have to walk.
- Groucho: No Rolls Royce, no taxi, no street car, no roller skates, not even a Chevrolet, you'll walk!
- Beauty: Marvellous, it's the first time in all my life I've ever walked!
- Groucho: Ah, then you have never been automobile riding?
Scene 4 – Hawaiian Scene.
In early performances, a dance quartet performed a "marathon dance number" at this point in the revue. On Broadway, this was replaced by a Hawaiian dance featuring "Sixteen Yankee Girls".
Scene 5 – Art Curtain.
The Chief and The Beauty meet at a marble fountain, with The Beauty wondering if The Chief is still pursuing her. They then sing "Thrill of Love" or "Only You". (The two songs were transposed between Acts I and II at some point during the run of the show.)
Scene 6 – The Marble Fountain.
A ballet of dancers portraying living statues performs a sequence called "The Awakening of Love". Groucho, Harpo, and Zeppo then parody this dance with their own dance number, referred to as "The Death of Love".
Scene 7 – The Hypnotist.
Chico claims to be a hypnotist, telling The Richman that he has just hypnotized The Beauty and she now thinks she is Josephine, wife of Napoleon. He then attempts to hypnotize The Richman himself with mixed results.
- Chico: ...You are a cat.
- Richman: Meow!
- Chico: You are a dog!
- Richman: Meow, - - - Woof! Woof!
- Chico: You are a snake.
- Richman: How do you "snake"?
- Chico: Just like a worm, only more.
- (Richman tries to wriggle like a snake)
- ...What a fat snake.
- Richman: Yes, but I don't think I am a snake.
- Chico: You don't, but I will give a thousand dollars to anyone who can prove that I don't think you are a snake.
Scene 8 – Napoleon's First Waterloo.
The Beauty enters as Josephine followed by Groucho as Napoleon. He calls for his faithful advisors—Francois, Alphonse, and Gaston—played by Chico, Zeppo, and Harpo, respectively. They appear, and they can barely hide their infatuation with The Beauty. Harpo makes no attempt to do so, ignoring Groucho's introduction altogether.
Groucho questions The Beauty's love for him, but she doesn't understand. He leaves several times to go off to war, always coming back to say goodbye once more, or to fetch the sword he keeps forgetting. Each time he leaves, the other Brothers attempt to violently woo The Beauty, with Groucho alternately suspicious and oblivious to his advisors' advances to his wife. This becomes increasingly difficult for The Beauty to hide, as Harpo leaves his harp behind, and Chico, under cover, begins to sneeze. Eventually, Groucho discovers what is going on. The Beauty is afraid that Groucho will kill her, but he says he won't. Instead, he is going to sell the couch, which The Beauty finds even more upsetting than killing her.
Scene 9 – Finale.
The revue closes with another song and dance number, which changed over the life of the show. During its Broadway run, the song performed was called "A Bit of Tango Jazz".
The eight gentleman suitors then enter with The Beauty. The Beauty tells them that the contest is over. She has found the greatest thrill in life, and that thrill is love. And she has found the thrill of love with The Chief.
Characters and original cast
- Adolph Arthur MarxHarpo MarxAdolph "Harpo" Marx was an American comedian and film star. He was the second oldest of the Marx Brothers. His comic style was influenced by clown and pantomime traditions. He wore a curly reddish wig, and never spoke during performances...
as The Beggarman - Herbert MarxZeppo MarxHerbert Manfred "Zeppo" Marx was an American film star, musician, engineer, theatrical agent and businessman. He was the youngest of the five Marx Brothers. He appeared in the first five Marx Brothers feature films, from 1929 to 1933, but then left the act to start his second career as an...
as The Doctor - Julius Henry MarxGroucho MarxJulius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
as The Lawyer - Leonard MarxChico MarxLeonard "Chico" Marx was an American comedian and film star as part of the Marx Brothers. His persona in the act was that of a dim-witted albeit crafty con artist, seemingly of rural Italian origin, who wore shabby clothes, and sported a curly-haired wig and Tyrolean hat.As the first-born of the...
as The Poorman - Lotta Miles as The Beauty
- Edward Metcalfe as The Richman
- Frank J. Corbett as The Chief
- Philip Darby as The Merchant
- Edgar Gardiner as The Thief
- Ledru Stiffler as Gold Man
- Harry Walters as Hop Merchant
- Cecile D'Andrea as White Girl
- Alice Webb as Nanette
- Hazel Gaudreau as Hazel
- Marcella Hardie as Marcella
- Martha Pryor as Martha
- Bunny Parker as Office Girl
- Crissie Melvin as Office Girl
- Evelyn Shea as Pierrot
- Jane Hurd as Pierrot
- Ruth Urban as Chinese Boy
- Florence Hedges as Chinese Boy
- Mildred Joy as Street Gamins
- Gertrude Cole as Street Gamins
- The Bower Sisters as Street Gamins
- The Melvin Sisters as Pages
Performances and aftermath
The show debuted at the Lyric Theatre in Allentown, PennsylvaniaAllentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
before opening in nearby Philadelphia in May 1923. It opened at the Casino Theatre in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on May 19, 1924. Legend has it that the first-string critics for the New York papers were slated to see a different show premiering at the Winter Garden Theatre
Winter Garden Theatre
The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1634 Broadway in midtown Manhattan.-History:The structure was built by William Kissam Vanderbilt in 1896 to be the American Horse Exchange....
the same night, and only came to I'll Say She Is when the other show was postponed at the last moment. However, as both the Winter Garden and the Casino were part of the Shubert chain, it seems more likely that the openings were deliberately set for different dates to avoid competing with each other. In any case, the critics, notably Alexander Woollcott
Alexander Woollcott
Alexander Humphreys Woollcott was an American critic and commentator for The New Yorker magazine and a member of the Algonquin Round Table....
, who was only at the show because his other engagements were canceled, raved about the show, especially Harpo's performance, and the Marx Brothers became first-rank stars virtually overnight.
Despite the fact that the Marx Brothers were the stars of this show, because it was a revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
, they are absent from significant parts of the performance. They are almost entirely absent from the musical numbers and do not appear at all in several scenes. Because of this, much of the material that they performed in I'll Say She Is exists in one form or another. The opening "Theatrical Agency" scene was later filmed for the Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
release The House That Shadows Built
The House That Shadows Built
The House That Shadows Built is a short feature film, roughly 55 minutes long, from Paramount Pictures, made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the studio's founding in 1912...
almost in its entirety. Instead of Gallagher and Shean
Gallagher and Shean
Gallagher & Shean was a highly successful double act on vaudeville and Broadway in the 1910s and 1920s, consisting of Edward Gallagher and Al Shean .-Career:...
or Joe Frisco
Joe Frisco
Joe Frisco was an American vaudeville performer who first made his name on stage as a jazz dancer, but later incorporated his stuttering voice to his act and became a popular comedian.Born Louis Wilson Joseph...
, they impersonate Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Auguste Chevalier was a French actor, singer, entertainer and a noted Sprechgesang performer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including Louise, Mimi, Valentine, and Thank Heaven for Little Girls and for his films including The Love Parade and The Big Pond...
in the filmed performance.
The penultimate Napoleon scene was filmed as a cartoon in 1970 by Rankin-Bass in their 30-minute television production The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians
The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians
The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians is an animated half-hour ABC television special produced by Rankin/Bass Animation, best known for their stop-motion Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The show aired on April 7, 1970 before the airing of that year's Oscars...
. Groucho performed his own voice for this recreation. Harpo and Chico had both died by then, so Chico's part was performed by Paul Frees
Paul Frees
Paul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
, while Harpo's part, having no spoken lines, was replaced by sound effects. Reportedly, Groucho was impressed by the accuracy of Frees's performance as Chico.
The Marx Brothers' last Paramount film, Duck Soup, contains a courtroom scene largely inspired by the one in I'll Say She Is, although there are significant differences. The silverware gag in this scene was recycled for the stage performance of Animal Crackers and is also featured in the film of the same name
Animal Crackers (film)
Animal Crackers is a 1930 American comedy film, in which mayhem and zaniness ensue when a valuable painting goes missing during a party in honor of famed African explorer Captain Spaulding. The film was both a critical and commercial success upon initial release, and remains one of the Marx...
.
This is also the last production by The Marx Brothers in which they were billed under their given names. Harpo was billed as Adolph Arthur, Zeppo as Herbert, Groucho as Julius Henry, and Chico as Leonard. In his autobiography Harpo Speaks
Harpo Marx
Adolph "Harpo" Marx was an American comedian and film star. He was the second oldest of the Marx Brothers. His comic style was influenced by clown and pantomime traditions. He wore a curly reddish wig, and never spoke during performances...
(1961), Harpo wrote that theatre critic Alexander Woollcott encouraged the Brothers to use their stage names in any subsequent production, which they did, starting with their next Broadway show, The Cocoanuts
The Cocoanuts (musical)
The Cocoanuts is a musical with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and a book by George S. Kaufman, with additional text by Morrie Ryskind.-Background:...
(1925), which was later turned into a film version in 1929
The Cocoanuts
The Cocoanuts is the first feature-length Marx Brothers film, produced by Paramount Pictures. The musical comedy stars the four Marx Brothers, Oscar Shaw, Mary Eaton, and Margaret Dumont. Produced by Walter Wanger and the first sound movie to credit more than one director , and was adapted to the...
.
Having toiled on the Vaudeville circuit
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
for nearly a quarter century, this would be the last stage performance that The Marx Brothers would perform for Vaudeville theaters. Once I'll Say She Is hit Broadway, they never left. They would have two further Broadway hits, The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers, which were then filmed in the early years of talking pictures
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
as their first two feature films. With the closing of Animal Crackers, their third and final Broadway show, the Marx Brothers moved to Hollywood, and enjoyed long careers in film and television.