In this article we will analyze the relevance of I'd Rather Be Right in today's society. I'd Rather Be Right has become a topic of great interest and debate in recent years, generating conflicting opinions and different positions. Throughout history, I'd Rather Be Right has played a fundamental role in various aspects of daily life, from economics to culture, politics and technology. In this sense, it is crucial to examine in detail the influence of I'd Rather Be Right on our daily lives and on the development of society as a whole. Additionally, we will explore the future implications of I'd Rather Be Right and its impact on the modern world.
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I'd Rather Be Right | |
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Music | Richard Rodgers |
Lyrics | Lorenz Hart |
Book | Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman |
Productions | 1937 Broadway 2011 Revival |
I'd Rather Be Right is a 1937 musical with a book by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and music by Richard Rodgers. The story is a Depression-era political satire set in New York City about Washington politics and political figures such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The plot centers on Peggy Jones (Joy Hodges) and her boyfriend Phil (Austin Marshall), who needs a raise in order for them to get married. The President steps in and solves their dilemma.
I'd Rather Be Right premiered on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on November 2, 1937, produced by Sam H. Harris. It transferred to the Music Box Theatre, and ran for 290 performances. It starred George M. Cohan as Franklin D. Roosevelt. In such pieces as "Off the Record", Cohan, as FDR, danced—not possible in real life for the President.
H. G. Wells wrote enthusiastically about the musical, and Cohan's performance as Roosevelt, in an article "The Fall in America 1937", published in Collier's on January 28, 1938, and reprinted in his World Brain (1938).
The musical is prominently featured in the 1942 Cohan biopic Yankee Doodle Dandy, in which it serves as a narrative bookend. James Cagney, playing Cohan, after meeting FDR in the Oval Office, performs a joyous tap dance as he walks back down the stairs of the White House. In the film, we also see Cagney as Cohan performing "Off the Record" during the show's run. Because the film was made during World War II, the film also anachronistically added some morale-boosting lyrics at the end of the song.