" Bloomer Girl: " Arlen's First Broadway Musical: Although life was easy and lucrative for Arlen and Harburg in Hollywood, they were never that involved in the production of the film. They were told to create songs to fit a situation decreed by the screenwriters and directors. In many cases, their songs were far superior to some of the wartime films on which they worked. Both became frustrated at being songwriters for hire and longed for a fuller creative involvement in the stories being told. Creating a full-blown stage musical was something that came to life when Arlen was given a script by Lilith and Dan James. The essence of the story was a crusade for women's rights and the abolition of slavery. Dolly Bloomer was Amelia Jenks Bloomer who designed a knee-length skirt which would replace the old-fashioned hoop skirt. In the play,Evalina is a young niece of Dolly Bloomer whose father is a wealthy industrialist. He is set to arrange a marriage with an aristocratic, Southern slave owner .. Edward Jablonski, Arlen's biographer wrote that the plays " "Themes , touching on the plight of women and blacks in the United States, were enlightened even in 1944." As the couple debate their opposite beliefs regarding womens rights and the issue of slavery, Arlen and Harburg wrote a lovely period -style tune called " Evalina." In it, the ardent suitor cajoles a feisty Evalina with such sweet talk as " Tell me, tell me how long, Ya gonna keep delayin the day, Dont't ya reckon its wrong , Triflin' with April this way?" Fortunately, there is an early television version of " Evalina" featuring a duet between a young Barbara Cook and Keith Andes, a fine actor and singer. It effectively depicts the courting rituals of the mid-nineteenth century and is a delight to witness. There is an authenticity to the scene that is a tribute to the ability of the composer and lyricist to understand and re create the courtly customs of yesteryear.
Note: It's a fairly long segment but the first 4 minutes provide the essence of the song which has a captivating simplicity. If you continue after the conclusion of " Evalina ", you can hear the love duet " Right As The Rain" which is described in more details in the post hat follows this segment.
" Evalina" Link': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdcXbcji9Co
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