Tom, Dick or Harry (song)
Encyclopedia
Tom, Dick or Harry is a show tune
from the Cole Porter
musical, Kiss Me, Kate
, introduced on Broadway
on December 30, 1948 by Lisa Kirk
(as Bianca); Harold Lang
(as Lucentio); Edwin Clay (as Gremio); and Charles Wood
(as Hortensio). In the 1953 Hollywood film version, "Tom, Dick or Harry" was performed by Ann Miller
(as Bianca), Tommy Rall
(as Lucentio), Bobby Van (as Gremio) and Bob Fosse
(as Hortensio). In this song
, during a musical performance of Shakespeare's
Taming of the Shrew (the subplot
of Kate), three suitors
(Gremio, Lucentio and Hortensio) compete to win Bianca's affections (Gremio claiming wealth; Hortensio offering social standing; and Lucentio with a promise of love). Whereas other songs from Kiss Me, Kate (such as "So In Love
" and "Too Darn Hot
") were released as singles
and achieved commercial success outside the show ("So In Love" reached the top ten on the Hit Parade
in 1949 and has since been covered
by scores of recording artists
), "Tom, Dick or Harry" was written expressly to advance the Shrew subplot and is, therefore, a showtune in the truest sense of the word. This is why many studio (non-cast) recordings of Kiss Me, Kate do not include the song. Perhaps the best-known example of this is Frank Sinatra
's Kiss Me, Kate studio album which is part of his four album (four show) project that also includes Finian's Rainbow
(1947), South Pacific
(1949) and Guys and Dolls
(1950) and which he produced in 1963 to promote his fledgling label, Reprise Records
; hence the project title, the star-studded Reprise Musical Repertory Theatre
. In 1990, theatre historian Miles Krueger conducted an interview with Patricia Morison
(who originated the title role in Kate) to discuss the original production as well as the six songs dropped from the show prior to the Broadway opening. When asked about one of the deleted songs, "If Ever Married I'm", Morison responded by stating: "That was for Bianca. It was replaced by 'Tom, Dick or Harry' which tells the same story". On May 18, 2000, "Tom, Dick or Harry" was performed on NBC
-TV's "Today" show by 1999 Broadway revival cast members Amy Spanger
(as Bianca), Michael Berresse
(as Lucentio), Kevin Neal McCready (as Gremio) and Darren Lee (as Hortensio) as a result of the show's having garnered the greatest number of Tony
nominations (with twelve nominations) for that year. Host Matt Lauer
introduced the four performers outside on Manhattan
's Rockefeller Plaza, interviewing Spanger and Berresse, while co-host Katie Couric
remained in the studio. The Broadway revival of Kate went on to become the top winning show at the 54th Annual Tony Awards Telecast
(the only show to garner five or more Tonys). Source for Kate appearance on the Today show: Playbill
(playbill.com). Source for Krueger/Morison interview: Kiss Me, Kate complete score double CD recording (EMI
) (EMI Angel CDC-7-54034-2; Booklet, p. 19).
Show tune
A show tune is a popular song originally written as part of the score of a "show" , especially if the piece in question has become a "standard", more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context...
from the Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
musical, Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It is structured as a play within a play, where the interior play is a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The original production starred Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang.Kiss...
, introduced on Broadway
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...
on December 30, 1948 by Lisa Kirk
Lisa Kirk
Lisa Kirk was an American actress and singer noted for her comic talents and rich contralto .-Career:...
(as Bianca); Harold Lang
Harold Lang
Harold Lang was an American dancer and actor.-Biography:Lang began his professional career as a ballet dancer, making his professional debut with the San Francisco Ballet in 1938 and then going on to perform with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo two years later and American Ballet Theatre in 1943...
(as Lucentio); Edwin Clay (as Gremio); and Charles Wood
Charles Wood (singer and actor)
Charles Wood was an American singer and actor. After moving to New York City from Redwood City, California, where he grew up, he appeared in five Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s.-Early years:...
(as Hortensio). In the 1953 Hollywood film version, "Tom, Dick or Harry" was performed by Ann Miller
Ann Miller
Johnnie Lucille Collier, better known as Ann Miller was an American singer, dancer and actress.-Early life:...
(as Bianca), Tommy Rall
Tommy Rall
Thomas Edward "Tommy" Rall is an American ballet dancer, tap dancer and acrobatic dancer who was a prominent featured player in 1950s musical comedies...
(as Lucentio), Bobby Van (as Gremio) and Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
(as Hortensio). In this song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, during a musical performance of Shakespeare's
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
Taming of the Shrew (the subplot
Subplot
A subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance...
of Kate), three suitors
Courtship
Courtship is the period in a couple's relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage, or establishment of an agreed relationship of a more enduring kind. In courtship, a couple get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement or other such agreement...
(Gremio, Lucentio and Hortensio) compete to win Bianca's affections (Gremio claiming wealth; Hortensio offering social standing; and Lucentio with a promise of love). Whereas other songs from Kiss Me, Kate (such as "So In Love
So in Love
"So in Love" is a popular song, written by Cole Porter, from his musical Kiss Me, Kate, based on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. It was sung in the show by Patricia Morison, reprised by Alfred Drake and further popularized by Patti Page in 1949.The Page recording was issued by Mercury Records...
" and "Too Darn Hot
Too Darn Hot
"Too Darn Hot" is a popular song written by Cole Porter for his musical Kiss Me, Kate . In the stage version, it is sung at the start of Act 2, and in the 1948 original Broadway production, it was sung by Lorenzo Fuller and Eddie Sledge and Fred Davis...
") were released as singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and achieved commercial success outside the show ("So In Love" reached the top ten on the Hit Parade
Hit parade
A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined by sales and/or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936...
in 1949 and has since been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by scores of recording artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
), "Tom, Dick or Harry" was written expressly to advance the Shrew subplot and is, therefore, a showtune in the truest sense of the word. This is why many studio (non-cast) recordings of Kiss Me, Kate do not include the song. Perhaps the best-known example of this is Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
's Kiss Me, Kate studio album which is part of his four album (four show) project that also includes Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow is a musical with a book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Burton Lane. The 1947 Broadway production ran for 725 performances. Several revivals and a 1968 film version followed. A Broadway revival ran from October 8, 2009 until January 17, 2010...
(1947), South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
(1949) and Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably...
(1950) and which he produced in 1963 to promote his fledgling label, Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
; hence the project title, the star-studded Reprise Musical Repertory Theatre
Reprise Musical Repertory Theatre
Reprise Musical Repertory Theatre is a series of albums released in 1963 , and released in this box set in 2000.The four discs feature the scores of four popular Broadway musicals of the time, namely Finian's Rainbow , Kiss Me, Kate , South Pacific and Guys and Dolls .-Track listing:Disc One -...
. In 1990, theatre historian Miles Krueger conducted an interview with Patricia Morison
Patricia Morison
Patricia Morison is an American stage and motion picture actress and mezzo-soprano singer . She made her feature film debut in 1939 after several years on the stage. During her time as a screen actress she was lauded for her patrician beauty, with her blue eyes and extremely long, dark hair among...
(who originated the title role in Kate) to discuss the original production as well as the six songs dropped from the show prior to the Broadway opening. When asked about one of the deleted songs, "If Ever Married I'm", Morison responded by stating: "That was for Bianca. It was replaced by 'Tom, Dick or Harry' which tells the same story". On May 18, 2000, "Tom, Dick or Harry" was performed on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
-TV's "Today" show by 1999 Broadway revival cast members Amy Spanger
Amy Spanger
-Biography:A graduate of Triton Regional High School in Byfield, Massachusetts, Spanger made her Broadway debut in 1995 in the musical Sunset Boulevard, following a half-year run in the pre-Broadway national tour of Jekyll & Hyde...
(as Bianca), Michael Berresse
Michael Berresse
Michael Berresse is an American actor, dancer, choreographer, and director. The son of artist and author Cynthia Berresse Ploski, he has appeared on Broadway in many shows including: Kiss Me, Kate, Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, Carousel and Damn Yankees, and The Light in the Piazza as Giuseppe...
(as Lucentio), Kevin Neal McCready (as Gremio) and Darren Lee (as Hortensio) as a result of the show's having garnered the greatest number of Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominations (with twelve nominations) for that year. Host Matt Lauer
Matt Lauer
Matthew Todd "Matt" Lauer . is an American television journalist best known as the host of NBC's The Today Show since 1997. He was previously a news anchor in New York and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond...
introduced the four performers outside on Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Rockefeller Plaza, interviewing Spanger and Berresse, while co-host Katie Couric
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric is an American journalist and author. She serves as Special Correspondent for ABC News, contributing to ABC World News, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, This Week and primetime news specials...
remained in the studio. The Broadway revival of Kate went on to become the top winning show at the 54th Annual Tony Awards Telecast
54th Tony Awards
The 54th Annual Tony Awards was held at Radio City Music Hall on June 4, 2000 and broadcast by CBS. "The First Ten" awards ceremony was telecast on PBS television. The event was hosted by Rosie O’Donnell, with special guest Nathan Lane...
(the only show to garner five or more Tonys). Source for Kate appearance on the Today show: Playbill
Playbill
Playbill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
(playbill.com). Source for Krueger/Morison interview: Kiss Me, Kate complete score double CD recording (EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
) (EMI Angel CDC-7-54034-2; Booklet, p. 19).