 OF THEE I SING
A Musical Comedy in 2 Acts, 11 Scenes. Book by George S. Kaufman
and Morrie Ryskind. Music by George Gershwin. Lyrics by Ira Gershwin.
Opened 26, December 1931 at the Music Box Theatre, moved 10 October
1932 to the 46th Street Theatre, and closed 14 January, 1933 after
441 (perfs).
Synopsis
Of Thee I Sing opens on an election year in the early
1930s as National Party campaigners herald their president nominee,
John P. Wintergreen. Inside the campaign suite, however, party
committee members are less than jubilant. Public trust in the
Party is low - especially as they sold Rhode Island - and their
candidate's only qualification is his presidential-sounding name.
Newspaperman Matthew Fulton suggests they adopt a platform that, "Everybody's
interested in, and that doesn't matter a damn!" What could
be better than a platform based on love, already a national obsession?
Plans are laid: the Party will sponsor a beauty contest in Atlantic
City - and Wintergreen will marry the winner.
On the boardwalk in Atlantic City, bathing beauties from every
state vie for the title of Miss White House. But while the judges
are deliberating, Wintergreen falls in love with Mary Turner, a
secretary at the pageant and proposes. The announcement of the
winner - the fairest flower of the South, Diana Devereaux - comes
too late. Wintergreen has pledged his heart to Mary, a girl who
can make corn muffins - even without corn! One taste of Mary's
muffins and the Committee and the Judges rally around Wintergreen.
The campaign is a joyous one. National Party secretaries Jenkins
and Ms Benson observe that love is sweeping the country as John
and Mary re-enact their courtship in each of the forty-eight states.
On election day, the Wintergreen ticket wins by a landslide.
Appropriately, John and Mary choose the inauguration as their
wedding day. After Wintergreen bids a farewell to his bachelor
days, he and Mary exchange vows. Diana Devereaux show up to serve
Wintergreen with a summons for breach of promise, but even the
Supreme Court turns a deaf ear to her complaint.
Months pass, and the new administration settles into a comfortable
routine. The most pressing item on Wintergreen's agenda is picking
a horse to bet on at Pimlico. But Diana has been spreading her
tale of woe across the country and has turned public sentiment
in her favour. Wintergreen manages to appease the press with his
old campaign strategy until the French Ambassador arrives to join
Diana's cause: Diana Devereaux, it seems, is of French descent
and France insists that Wintergreen declare his current marriage
invalid and marry her. Wintergreen refuses and the National Party
threatens to have him impeached.
At the Senate impeachment proceedings, Vice President Throttlebottom
leads the roll call. Following testimony by the French Ambassador,
Diana tells of the suffering she has endured. Before the Senators
can vote on the impeachment, in bursts Mary: "I'm about to
be a mother!" The United States has never impeached an expectant
father: the charges against Winterbottom are dropped.
Months later, Americans everywhere anxiously await the baby's
arrival. When Mary delivers twins, congratulations flood the White
House but the French Ambassador is unwilling to forget how his
country has been slighted. With the President unable to fulfil
his duty, Wintergreen reasons that responsibility for Diana should
fall to the Vice-P resident. Throttlebottom happily agrees.
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