I remember vividly seeing MAME, which tried out in Philadelphia in what had once been The Shubert Theatre, but was then the building which housed the school where I taught. It's now called The Merriam Theatre. When Angela Lansbury flew down those stairs, I knew I was witnessing a hit. I loved seeing things before they went to NY, and getting to make up my own mind before the critics got at 'em. He was "old school", and the comparison with Irving Berlin is apt. And I agree with those who are rather astonished that Mack and Mabel, and Dear World don't even rate a mention. Either one would sure be welcome now in the tedious world of JukeBox Musicals and shows that are supposed to be musicals but are advertised as laugh-till-you-puke comedies because their scores are unmemorable. And enough with playing him off against Sondheim! Both have made enormous contributions to our theatre life.
17
Jerry was a dear friend of my godmother, the former agent Priscilla Morgan. He always credited her with helping him get his 'start'. He was generous elegant and loving always. Toward the end of her life in 2014 I videotaped their long distance chats, through tears streaming down her face and his ( in audio on the other end of the phone) - sharing memories of love, friendship and working together.
5
Herman had an incredible knack for mining plays turned into musicals for their salient lines, and then turning those lines into songs that encapsulated a thought central to a given character. For instance, from Wilder's incredible The Matchmaker, we have Dolly Gallagher Levy saying toward the beginning of the play, "I am a woman who arranges things. . . . I put my hand in here, I put my hand in there . . ." Or in Mame from Auntie Mame, the stage play, again toward the beginning, "You're Auntie Mame will open doors for you, Patrick, doors you never even dreamed existed." And Herman could write music to get his lyrics across. It was genius.
5
What? No mention of "Dear World"? Underappreciated and before its time yes, but a significant contribution nonetheless. After hearing an interview with Mr. Herman on NPR, I dropped him a note and received a lovely gracious response. His talent and his individuality will be missed.
13
At 16 years old, I took an overnight bus from Asheville to Greensboro, North Carolina to see the final matinee of Carol Channing's first national tour of "Hello, Dolly!" I think I can say that it changed my life.
31
A memory from my callow youth:
I was vacationing in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. One night we drove up into the hills to a secluded gay club. It was a piano bar, and another patron sat down at the grand piano to play. He launched into a series of familiar show tunes, including a set from “Hello, Dolly!” Everyone crowded around the piano, singing along with gusto. The guy was amazingly good! We all had a great time.
The next morning I was walking along the main street of the town, and who should I see approaching from the opposite direction but Piano Man from the previous night. So I stopped him and said something like, “Excuse me, but I was there at [bar name] last night, and I just wanted to say you were terrific! If you ever wanted to, you could really do something professionally with that musical talent of yours.” He smiled graciously and thanked me.
Only later did I learn that the guy I had complimented was Jerry Herman. At least I had recognized quality.
59
I look forward to an obituary with greater detail mentioning Mack and Mabel, Dear World and The Grand Tour. Attention must be paid to the enormity of the success of Louis Armstrong and Hello, Dolly. It united a country in 1964, and along with the Beatles, helped heal the wounds of the Kennedy assassination.
25
No mention of Mack and Mabel or Dear World? I don’t get it. Maybe they weren’t big hits, but certainly worth mentioning. Especially, Dear World. Many scholars and experts would argue it was Mr. Herman’s finest score.
19
@Scott - I'm not sure what order things were submitted or put online, but there's now a whole article
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/theater/jerry-herman-mack-mabel.html
appreciating (and analyzing in detail) an example of lasting work from "Mack and Mabel" -that bookwriter Michael Stewart's amazingly tireless sister seems to keep striving to make work, "Mack and Mabel," a show whose great qualities are so great that we'll probably keep talking about its flaws for the rest of our lives. (Maybe Jesse Green's article hit on one of the problems - that a lot of license was taken, that in her lifetime (unlike the exciting song), Mabel Normand was a model and must have had no real doubt ever that she was considered attractive, whatever she thought of herself. I think the liberties would now seem no worse than the liberties taken with "Gypsy" or "Fiorello" - When "God writes lousy drama," don't look to musical theater for a documentary!)
LOL - May I risk a faux-Me-Too that, even with my spouse ten feet away, my heart longed to have known the critics back when they had the Jerry Herman moments they described - but no worries, I'll snap out of it as soon as they dislike another show by a BMI friend or beloved neighbor? :) I saw why we get confused that, with the net, we know the journalists even though we don't.
1
My earliest memories are listening to the cast album of Hello Dolly, opening up the fold-open album to look at the black and white pictures. . .
It seems there are very few color pictures of the original production - Ben Brantley's article today has a wonderful wide-stage view of the show and cast.
I enjoyed Bette Midler's Hello Dolly, but the high price tag is a long way from when Broadway was more reasonably priced, and there were still so many original theaters and restaurants when Hello Dolly opened.
Broadway was for New Yorkers then, not wide-bodied planeloads of tourists from around the world who require something more homogenized and less local to have a good night at the theater.
And now a ticket for a seat costs nearly as much as the flight that got them here.
14
I was mesmerized when I watched my high school production of "Mame". The show has so many fabulous songs, including the title song. I was a 17 year old singing "Mame" loud when I drove my convertible.
7
@Joyce Behr - remembering the days when Jerry Herman musicals were such a part of everyone's lives that this exchange was on GET SMART:
Hymie the Robot: I cannot do that. I am no longer a KAOS robot. I now work for Control.
Spy #1: What got in to you, robot? When you worked for KAOS you used to kill and hello Dolly!
Spy #2: Hello Dolly?
Spy #1: Oh yeah, got wrong show
[hums a tune]
Mame! You used to kill and maim.
Maybe the Broadway shows on TV allow this to happen at times, but we do have exceptions like "Hamilton" or "Dear Evan Hansen," where so many bought the cast album. (Even when I was first in a dorm, 1980, while so many gay people are in the industry, there never seemed to be any thought that loving musicals was a gay thing; straight men knew and sang "Pippin" like it was material from the radio. Now, even in the script for "The Prom," there seems to be an acknowledgement that the gay audience is a key demographic for musicals. No idea when this happened.)
2
I was privileged to meet him several times during events for our beloved shared alma mater, the University of Miami. He was gracious and humble, to the point that when I told my wife who he was, she asked "He wrote THE "Hello Dolly'?"
9
Yes, thank you, Jerry Herman!
4
My first airplane ride in 1968 ,was on Mohawk Airlines from Detroit to New York for $25.00 round-trip to see my first Broadway play , Hello Dolly, with Pearl Bailey. If my memory serves me correct the tickets were $17.00 and I thought that was outrageous.
But the play was fantastic. That was the start of many trips to New York and eventually moving there.
12
@Joyce Matthews $17 in 1968 is equal to $128 now . . which yes - is sort of outrageous!
1
$17 in 1968 had to be for the pair of tickets, right? (unless brokers fees were involved) "Gypsy" in 1974-75 was a $10 or $12 top, which seemed priced to be able to go for $6 or $7 at TKTS whenever they needed to put tickets there. (When Liza Minnelli starring in "The Act" pushed the top price to $20, then "Evita" to $22.50-$25.00 in its high-demand run starting in 1978, those were considered really pushing the top prices.)
5
@Freddie
In 1970 I was in the Broadway revival of 'The Boyfriend" our tickets at the Ambassador were priced around $6.00.
By the late 70s prices rose into the $30.00 range. When I went into David Merrick's '42nd Street' in 1982 the top prices were $80.00. Merrick caused that jump in 1980 when '42nd Street' opened. Now the sky is the limit.
5
I am so glad that the oh so talented Jerry Herman was born at a time where he could contribute so much to our everlasting legacy of the really great Broadway shows.
With today's concept of a musical (ahem), he would likely - and sadly - be little more than a virtual panhandler on the Main Stem attempting to sell his often brilliant and moving songs. They simply would not be appealing to the investment 'angels' these days.
He may well be one of the last composers who wrote anything for the stage that one could (and would) actually hum or whistle (and also walk with a spring in one's step) when exiting the theatre and head back to one's workaday reality.
Well done, Jerry, and thank you, dear man!
17
At my wedding, the song I danced to with my dad was "Look Over There" from La Cage. I was so fortunate to see the original cast with George Hearn - twice!
11
I can’t listen to a Jerry Herman song without feeling joy. The 2010 revival of La Cage Aux Folles, I particular, was so affecting that my knees were physically shaking from the joy of it. That was his gift, and for that, I’m forever thankful. Godspeed, Mr. Herman.
11
Some may may have criticized La Cage for being too cautious -- but I AM WHAT I AM is a powerful anthem that resonates even more today than ever.
Cautious? Hardly.
And the message of "The Best of Times" is an equally compelling message. Don't live for tomorrow -- take what you've got today and make it the best. "Live and love as hard as we know how."
Find me another lyric that delivers that message as boldly.
Both songs are still comforting and inspiring "even" to a straight white woman.
Who can't stop the songs from playing in the jukebox in my head. or my eyes from watering all day. Must be allergies.
16
@kathyinct - regarding "Find me another lyric that delivers that message as boldly." I thought the influence of Jerry Herman's mix of courage and yet being wide-audience friendly, in all good ways and through the writers' and director's own creativity, was there in "The Prom," but I have no idea what went wrong financially with "The Prom" - other than not winning the Best Musical Tony. (The only thing I could come up with is maybe that the upstairs seats at that theater are not conducive to really enjoying a musical comedy, though they're fine for a drama where you just sit and take the show in? That show looks like it did everything right, doesn't it?). Even "Mame" had a lot to say, a lot not very nice, about how different everything is when there's money around.
4
I knew Jerry and Marty in Key West during the mid-80's...they did up several houses and had a wonderful life. Both were very sweet and generous with their time; Jerry played and sang me one of his songs at his William Street house which you can see 40+ pictures of on Flickr. Just do a search for Jerry Herman's Key West houses.....then there was the townhouse in NYC.....Jerry lived life to it's very fullest.
11
A staggering genius!
"He was a man take him for all in all, WE shall not look upon his like again”!
3
I'm glad to see that several commenters mentioned Mack and Mabel, the excellent score for which include not only "I Won't Send Roses" but what I consider Herman's greatest song, "Time Heals Everything."
Sondheim -- who nicely skewered the notion of "humable" tunes in a number from "Merrily We Roll Along" -- has commented that the best way to make audiences hum a tune as they leave the theater is to repeat it, a lot. There is no better example than "The Best of Times" from "La Cage," which is repeated endlessly, often to the exasperation of cast members. The irony of "La Cage" is that, while it put a gay relationship front and center, it was in form a very retro musical with a predictable "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" Plot.
To be fair, "I am What I Am" became something of an anthem in the gay community during a particularly hard time (along with, less happily, "Empty Chairs and Tables" from "Les Miz"). Herman gets full marks for that.
12
He restored two beautiful homes side by side in Key West decades ago. They are still called the Jerry Herman houses.
13
I love Jerry Herman's music and fine lyrics, and I'm glad he's getting fond tributes. But the many I've read either imply or state outright that Herman's music existed largely in contrast to Stephen Sondheim's. Ambiguous lyrics? Sondheim's artful wit and precision create clarity.
It's not a contest. It's all right to love them both. How about this: let's appreciate Jerry Herman's artistry on his own highly successful terms and not in comparison to anyone else. And when we lose Sondheim and all the other giants, let's do the same for them.
45
I had the privilege of meeting him several times while working on LA CAGE AUX FOLLES at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Gracious, funny, warm, human...as a person the mirror of his amazing songs. SONG ON THE SAND; BEFORE THE PARADE PASSES ME BY; and so many more: genius. Not taking the easy route, but choosing the elliptical path to reach the heart of the situation.
As John Dunne wrote, Any man's death diminishes me...we are all a little lesser than today.
24
@Geoff Cohen Glad you mentioned Before the Parade Passes By. One of my faves.
5
Just a Jewish kid, raised in Jersey City
Entertained millions
Really good songwriter
Remember...
You remember
Hello Dolly?
Everybody remembers Dolly! She says hello
Remember
Mame? Everybody remembers Mame! She says hi
And
Now, like the cast of La Cage Aux Folles would say....
Au revoir, Jerry Herman
12
He made millions and millions of people happy millions and millions of times over the years... and will make millions and millions happy in the years to come. Thanks Jerry! Thanks!
24
FYI:
Bailey is the only actor—other than Carol Channing—to take on the title role in multiple Broadway productions of Hello, Dolly!, assuming the role in November 1967, almost four years after the musical debuted at the St. James Theatre. The African-American Bailey was joined by a wholly new, all-black cast when she came to the production, led by Cab Calloway as Horace Vandergelder.
I was Winston Dewitt Hensley’ cover as
“Barnaby” on that First Nat’l Tour, with Pearl Bailey. One of a kind she was!
21
@Ronald Dennis I very fortunately had musical-loving parents in the 70s and 80s - I was lucky enough to see both Ms. Channing and Ms. Bailey perform in their respective revivals of Dolly. The memories are still clear after all these years!
8
Like the other commenter Guin, my folks loved theater, and then going to theater was just a part of life living in New York, no need to choose between seeing a show and buying that new sofa. You were spectacularly "on" with your section of "Hello Twelve..." and the applause was very very long, and at some point my mom (who'd been going to shows all the time for over 30 years) just quietly said with great excitement "I've never seen anything like that." And we were amazed that Marvin Hamlisch had that in him.
Fast forward - About a year ago, Nov. 2018, playing Bingo at my mom's local Casita in Florida, one of the silver citizens had just seen "Hamilton" and another friend playing Bingo said she thought the first real rap on Broadway was "Gimme the Ball" - and she said "you know the actor wrote the music, and Marvin Hamlisch listened and decided he couldn't do it better, so it was Ok with him." What made this full circle is that it was just like the "Motherhood" song in Hello Dolly, which sounds nothing like the rest of the show, but someone decided it was what was needed, though I guess there David Merrick didn't give Jerry Herman the option of saying no.
So they're still talking last year about your work from 1975 at the Casita in the 165th Street mall by the SunTrust in North Miami Beach! Maybe forever?
3
When I was 12, I saw the touring company of "Mame" in 1966 at the State Fair Music Hall in Dallas. Celeste Holm starred. I have never been the same. The show's iconic Broadway poster with that magic phrase "a new musical" under the title has been hanging in my Greenwich Village living room for almost forty years. As a composer-lyricist, Mr. Herman was a worthy successor of Berlin, Porter, and Loesser, and in my view and that of countless others, a distinguished contemporary of Sondheim.
21
@San Milton Tour starring Celeste Holm didn't start til 1968.
I once read an anecdote about Mr. Herman' youth. Apparently, his mother would sometimes just dress up in the evening and throw a little "party" for him and herself: she might have a small cocktail and he, a soda, while nibbling on hors d'oeuvres. He'd put on a shirt and tie and they would have a great time. A party for no reason other than to have fun! I wish I could recall where I read it. Mr. Herman went on to say that this was the genesis of the song "It's Today" from "Mame".
That's a sweet memory of his which I'm glad he shared. I hope he's having a ball wherever he is now; his music has brought so much pleasure, he deserves it.
17
@UpperEastSideGuy He tells that story (but you've added some delicious details) in 'An Evening with Jerry Herman' and then sings 'It's Today' I guess the CD is exactly what was in the show, but I didn't see it.
5
Any one remember The Grand Tour? It starred Joel Grey and I loved the music.
13
Having seen the three great Dollys of the original run - Channing, Bailey, Merman - it's remarkable to think of three more different styles working so well in the same part.
And a tip of the hat to Thornton Wilder for making it possible, too.
10
And the original Dollys - Ruth Gordon on stage and Shirley Booth in the film version of The Matchmaker.
5
@MAKSQUIBS
Hello Dolly supposedly was written for Ethel Merman as Dolly. Supposedly she turned it down. So glad I finally got to see her as the last Dolly before the show finally closed at the Saint James on December 27, 1970 after 2,844 performances.
3
An all-time favorite lyric from A Little More Mascara from LA CAGE:
So when it's cold and when it's bleak
I simply rouge the other cheek
11
@Neil
I just stopped crying a while ago.
Now I'm starting all over again.
5
Why no mention of Mack and Mabel?
9
@Dan the writer included it in the phrase “string of flops”. In that group is arguably the best of Jerry’s scores “Dear World”.
4
@Paul Tenaglia I agree with you about DEAR WORLD. I've been listening to the original cast recording all afternoon. Even after all these years, 'The Tea Party' still takes my breath away.
5
And let’s not forget Mack and Mabel, a gorgeous score, in I Won’t Send Roses a denial of feeling and yet, too, an affirmation of unbounded regard. Sondheim is no slouch, but, not infrequently, his ever gimlet eye outweighs the forgiving heart he might have had more of with a different mother, a monster from all reliable accounts.
Herman’s lyrics and music had the right touch of human warmth and kindness. Perhaps at times naively so. Today his words and music are the life raft one clings to in order to believe there’s a higher plane to aspire to, that it might just exist. Herman was a terrific tunesmith who understood the therapeutic power of love. He will be missed.
23
Agree. A wonderful note. Jerry Herman was one of the greats. Those melodies! Thank you, Jerry!
8
@JT There is one lyric from MILK & HONEY that, as a young kid in my 20s I admired, but now that I'm an old geezer resonates with so much more poignancy:
We don't have to hear the clock
Remind us
That there's more than half of life
Behind us.
And to think he was barely 30 himself when he wrote that.
9
JT - I enjoy both Herman and Sondheim. Sometimes, I'm in the mood for one; sometimes for the other. Your comments about Sondheim are a cliche. Listen, really listen to "Move On," No One Is Alone," "No More," and "Children Will Listen, to name just a few. Each is filled with emotion and a forgiving heart.
4
Louis Armstrong's cover of Hello Dolly wasn't Herman's only song to break wide. Off-hand, there was Edie Gorme's cover of If He Walked Into My Life (Mame) and Gloria Gaynor's disco version of I Am What I Am (La Cage).
11
@HKGuy I remember Edie singing If He Walked on Johnny Carson. At her request, they brought in a string section for her performance.
1
Wow, got to see Pearl Bailey (and Cab Calloway) quite a while back and more recently, the one and only, Bette! Thanks for the great songs.
6
My wife during her early 20's lived in the central park west appt building and they shared door duty together during a doorman strike. She describes him as a warm and kind neighbor.
24
In a time when "icon" is being tossed at every flash in the pan 17 year old kid who picks up a microphone, it's sad when a true one passes. Jerry Herman was an icon of musical theatre, and they are few and far between. Their contributions live on and are revisited again and again.
29
The very first musical I saw was a touring production of Hello Dolly! I was ten years old. The show starred Mary Martin. Fifty-five years later, I can still sing songs from Hello Dolly! even though I never saw it again.
I've seen lots of touring productions, and a couple of musicals on Broadway, and although I enjoy them, I don't come out of the theatre being able to sing the songs.
I like modern theater, but I miss songs that I can remember for the rest of my life.
25
I remember as a student at Snyder High School in Jersey City, Jerry Herman was called out as a successful alumnus, in order to inspire us. Even us clueless kids understood the impact of "Hello Dolly" and felt proud.
And a nod to Pixar for reviving the music in "WALL-E" and allowing us to enjoy some sentimental schmaltz in a rundown world.
15
It is a miraculous gift to humanity that Herman received therapies for HIV in 1985 — and was still with us until this week. May everyone receive the best medical care so that their gifts can continue to flourish...
63
@b He could afford to pay for experimental therapies. The rest of us are out of luck.
8
@Lifelong New Yorker that’s precisely my point!
9
@Lifelong New Yorker Those experimental therapies were basically AZT, which many people took and died because it made them worse. This was before it was discovered that a "cocktail" of at least three different drugs were required. My point being, you didn't have to be rich to take AZT but heroic.
12
"Did he need a stronger hand, did he need a lighter touch...?" My favorite song of yours, just listened to Eydie Gorme belt it out. RIP.
22
@Anne R. I was pianist for my high school production of Mame, when I was a junior in HS in the early 80s. If He Walked Into My Life was one of the first great ballads I ever got to play, and I still remember it from that production.
9
Typo in sub headline.
Really New York Times??? A typo in the dek???
3
Thank you, Jerry.
9
The readers’ comments are, as usual, from seniors (I am 80 years old) who just love show biz obits in order to reminisce about their youth, as if they were sitting around the mah jong table in a Winter Haven, Florida retirement home. (“When I was a little girl and my Aunt Gertrude took my sister and me on a spring Sunday in a rainstorm—but nothing would stop us!—to see XXX and we sat in row 14 seats 8, 9, and 10 and I wore my new dress my Grandma Poopsie bought at Macy’s for my 8th birthday...”
Yawn!! Same old, same old.
Watch the NYT doc, “Obit.”
2
@SmileyBurnette So what would you have them write about? Can't have you being bored.
18
@SmileyBurnette I think this was unnecessary.
32
In case you haven’t noticed, Jerry Herman shows are frequently revived- lots of younger people have now seen Bette Midler as Dolly and I’ve seen and heard ecstatic reviews from younger people. They’re classics, and appeal to new generations as well.
21
The writer seems oddly dismissive of the commercial success of Louis Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!," saying it "briefly" hit No. 1. It's true it was only No. 1 for one week, but that was true for about a third of the songs in 1964.
"Hello, Dolly!" was Billboard's #3 song for all of 1964, behind two songs by the Beatles, and helped bring both the "Hello, Dolly!" cast album and Louis Armstrong's album to No. 1 for a total of 7 weeks. "Hello, Dolly!" also won the Grammy for Song of the Year. It was a huge deal at the time, and I don't know why the writer felt it necessary to say it "briefly" hit No. 1.
20
@Me And Armstrong and Streisand is the golden moment of the movie.
7
“One day when they are old and gray they [LGBTQ people] will realize what this show is doing for their cause and send a thank-you note.”
You were right, Jerry. Thanks for giving this gay boy a glimpse of a world that could possibly be -- and which is slowly coming to pass.
51
@ReadingLips
When I read that, all I could think about was Mayor Peter being accused of not being "gay enough", and similar occasions where activists accuse others of not being activist enough for the activist's standards.
11
His legacy endures even in other media - when the earth is scoured by humans to within an inch if its life, one plucky little robot will help revive it, inspired by the timeless joy and romance of "Hello, Dolly!"
17
His music brought so much joy to my life. What a gifted man he was.
18
It only took a moment for me to fall in love with Jerry's soaring melodies, lyrics that rival anything Larry Hart ever wrote - and perhaps his natural mega-talent. He, perhaps, is the reason for Barbra Streisand's allegiance to him at the very start of her career. Sitting in her dressing room at CBS's 10th Avenue studios in April 1967, I saw the full front page of the NY Post heralding Barbra's signing to play in Dolly Levi. It was casually resting on a wicker chair. I couldn't help wondering as I listening to Ms. S.and David Shire recording Irving Berlin live - just feet away from me - if Mr. Herman would forever hold a high place in the pantheon of Great American Songwriters. The answer is now obvious. I will miss him deeply.
19
I had the cast album of 'Hello, Dolly!' as a child and loved it for awhile. Most people who wrote here are huge fans, but I agree with @Jan Pearce below that his songs aren't quite on a level with Porter, Berlin, not to mentioin Harold Arlen and Jule Styne. Although I find myself singing 'Put on Your Sunday Clothes' sometimes. I thought Barbra Streisand transformed this with the movie (which i think is her best, as well as one of the best film musicals ever made, although I'm in a tiny minority), but I see why the shows are so popular.
'Funny Girl' was the same year, so there were still 'hummable' songs from that, and Styne's score is fabulous. There was just some sort of force that made 'Hello, Dolly!' win all the Tonies, although these kinds of awards don't much matter to me--after all, I think 'The Music Man' did the same a few years earlier against 'West Side Story'. Ethel Merman didn't win one for 'Gypsy' either.
The same commenter said Lloyd Webber was then the 'melodist', but I can't say I like any of his music, and I've had to play a lot of it as a pianist. I don't care for Sondheim after 'Company' and 'Follies', both of which I saw in the original productions, but those two did have 'singable' melodies in a few songs: 'The Ladies Who Lunch' was hugely popular, and 'Two Many Mornings' with Dorothy Collins and John McFartin, is gorgeous. I have the CD of 'An Evening with Jerry Herman', which I've enjoyed, especially Karen Morrow's singing.
3
@Dr. Rocco Peters
Yes, "hummable" is an underrated term to describe a lost art on the musical stage. Loved a typos, inadvertent or not: (@Jan Pearce & John McFartin). Almost musical in themselves.
4
@Dr. Rocco Peters Oh, sorry! John McMartin, dreadful mistake! and I even proofread!
2
@eppis1 Well, you charmer! I did catch the grotesque one, and wrote a little correction note, but yours is better! The 'Jan Pearce' I was wholly unconscious of, thank you. When I read @Joe Pearce, I simply instantly thought of Jan.
Rosalind Russell was in the play Auntie Mame. The musical Mame originally starred Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur.
4
@Ken Russell was in both the play and film of 'Auntie Mame' as the article notes. The movie of 'Mame' is usually considered to be awful, but I didn't think it was nearly as bad as most said--although Lucille Ball did not need to do even a few dance steps. I've always found these 'Mame' things so episodic as to be endless and therefore not quite make sense, but Russell made the difference--she was fantastic. 'We Need a Little Christmas' is indeed charming, and we ought to hear it on the Muzak systems during the holidays more, instead of 'Chestnusts Roasting..' and 'Have Yourself ...'
2
In the 1960's my Great Aunt Florence would sing and dance to "Hello Dolly" at every family gathering we had in our Bronx apartment. As soon as I saw the ads for Hello Dolly with Bette Midler I immediately purchased tickets. While having dinner with my 30+ daughter and sister before the show I worried that a 50+ year old show would not hold my daughters interest, I was afraid that it would appear dated. I was completely wrong. We happened to attend a Friday night performance in previews when Ms. Midler needed a throat lozenge and a when she finished Ms. Midler received the first of her 3 standing ovations that night. My daughter said it was one of the best shows she has ever seen. This speaks to the genius of Jerry Herman!
20
Thank you, Jerry Herman for all the joy you provided to me and
to millions worldwide. He truly had a song in his heart. Can it get any better than that?
May God bless him and hold him in His loving arms
for an eternity.
My sincere condolence to his partner and extended family and friends.
May the memories of this wonderful, loving man provide you comfort in your moment of sorrow and grief.
15
Having seen the recent revival of “Dolly” with Bette, I can only say that that musical, itself written during an earlier time of an even earlier time, is - astonishingly - timeless. Even my young daughters, not yet ten, love its music and will likely remember it at least as fondly as a contemporary Billie Eilish ‘ditty.’
17
@J. Cohen I brought my mom, then 92, up from Florida to see it, and she was sobbing during half of it -- verklempt.
13
I'm 68 and attended the singingest summer camp anywhere. Many of the songs we sang together were Herman's, especially the "Hello Dolly" score. His music was joyful and singing it made you feel so good. RIP to a creative soul who brought so much happiness to me and countless others.
17
@Andi And I thought I attended the singingiest summer camp. Still feel nostalgic for the musicals we produced and performed and danced in in the middle of the woods in Northern Michigan. They were great fun.
7
@maya mine was in the Maine woods. I was actually in our production of hello dolly( small role.
9
Whatever Jerry Herman created was pure gold. His tunes are always resonating in my head... and that is a good thing!
7
One of my earliest and fondest memories is attending rehearsals of Mame. My mother was in the show and I felt a fleeting jealousy for the boy who sang "You're My Best Girl," as he couldn't have been any older than I was. What did he have that I hadn't? Talent, I guess!
13
Jerry Herman was a genius; gifts like his come from God. Rest In Peace, Jerry.
14
Today I still sing my favorite (and very gentle) show-stopper: "My Best Girl" from Mame. (It's the D-flat in the middle of the first phrase that makes it charming -- Herman wrote a particularly sophisticated and heartfelt dissonance for a song sung by a 10-year-old boy.)
14
Once upon a time you could leave a Broadway theater humming a tune from the show even if it was the first time you heard it. Now you can hum the tunes because you’ve heard them all before sung by pop stars. As for current musicals not based on pop stars, I dare anyone to leave the theater with a tune in memory. Thank you Mr. Herman for allowing me to experience real musical theater.
17
Sadly you did include Mack & Mabel which opened 6 October 1974 at the Majestic Theatre in NYC starring Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters as my great aunt Mabel Normand. According to Jerry himself,he loved the score which was a favourite of his personally.
Actually, the Overture to Mack & Mabel was used by Torvill & Dean to ice skate to Winter Olympic Victory in 1982. David Jacobs the BBC Radio easy listening Host played tunes from Mack & Mabel so often on the radio that the show was revived successfully on the West End twice!
The British Singing Star/showman Michael Ball starred as Mack in a revival at the popular Chichester Festival Theatre a couple of years ago.
As a person, Jerry Herman was kind and humble. On each occasion I met him on his visits to the UK, he always recalled his love of Mabel Normand herself. Having met him in 1974 at a rehearsal of M&M at the Belasco Theatre in NYC for the first time, he always replied to my letters and met up with me during a show.
I was surprised that there was no mention of his friend and colleague the late Michael Stewart, whom wrote the book for Hello Dolly, Mack & Mabel and The Grand Tour..as Jerry Herman always acknowledged Mike from the stage after opening night performances of Mack & Mabel whether the play or a Charity Concert of the score.
Thank you for honouring Jerry Herman with your informative and warm acknowledgement of his life and work in your remembrance here.
Stephen Normand
Great Nephew of Mabel Normand
70
Sadly you did not mention Mack & Mabel one of Jerry Herman’s admitted favourite works..nor did you mention his colleague, the late Michael Stewart Librettist, whom wrote the books for Hello Dolly, Mack & Mabel, The Grand Tour in collaboration together with Jerry Herman.
On a personal note, I thought and experienced Jerry Herman as a kind, generous and humble man. On his visits to the UK concerning productions or Charity Concerts pertaining to Mack & Mabel, he always found time to meet up, and in every conversation he religiously mentioned how much he admired and loved my great aunt MABEL NORMAND. He often reminded me of how much he favoured his score for M&M..as a matter of fact thanks to David Jacobs a BBC Radio Easy Listening Host, the score was played on his programme for years, with the advent of Torvill & Dean using the Overture, in their Winter Olympics Ice Skating performance in 1982. Due to that, Mack & Mabel received the success and accolades in 1995 in the West End which Broadway denied in1974. Mack & Mabel had two separate West End Productions and in 2014 The Chichester Festival Theatre produced Mack & Mabel with the popular British Musical Theatre Star Michael Ball.
Sadly, Jerry Herman’s passing deprives us of a wonderful, brilliant man
5
@Stephen Normand I love the music from mack and mable. I so look forward to seeing the play performed it in February at the City Center Encores!
12
@Stephen Normand "And though I know I may be left...out on a limb...so who needs roses...that didn't come from........."
4
This gay man will say thank you for La Cage, Jerry. It WAS an important milestone in the gay rights movement, and it was a rite of passage for so many closeted men who heard "I Am What I Am" and came out as the result. What greater gift can someone give?
You were a giant. Sleep well.
90
Jerry thanks for the music.
17
"Some critics belabored 'Hello, Dolly!' and 'Mame' as schmaltz." We look to the Times for correct usage. Perhaps the author was searching for "belittled."
42
@AG The author is free to use my excuse: autocorrect.
1
@AG Perhaps you should search for a dictionary. Belabored is used correctly in the sentence.
1
@AG Schmaltz? May I have another helping?
6
the music of jerry herman brightens my life. but please do not overlook “ mack and mabel “, rarely performed and a lesser herman, but delightful. the bright channing, ethel and bette are all fabulous, but listen to pearl bailey sing “ before the parade passes by “ and be prepared for your heart to break. watching mary martin bring dolly to life remains a highpoint of my entire life. rest in peace, jerry herman, and thank you.
14
@cass county
"I Won't Send Roses" is, I think, one of the purest statements of a simple truth ever to come out of Broadway.
4
Resembled rock Hudson? You must be joking! There are many wonderful things to be said of Mr. Herman, and you've said many of them, but Rock Hudson was something like six feet four with the body of a Greek (or maybe Roman) god. I'd estimate that Jerry Herman who I met once couldn't have been much more than five feet six. I simply don't see any resemblance at all! Maybe to Joel Grey...
18
@TimG "Square-jawed, with a dimpled chin, high forehead and mischievous eyes, Mr. Herman resembled Rock Hudson at the piano . . . ." It's pretty clear the writer is comparing faces not physiques.
7
I can't help but being reminded of a MAD magazine spoof of the title song called "Hello Deli".
RIP Jerry Herman (and MAD magazine).
10
I just hope Mr. Herman lived a life of happiness. He gave us so much with his musical writings and we will miss his lyrics and songs.
Thank you for all of the joy and the old fashioned musicals that gave us all happy moments with our families and friends.
16
@Tony Why would we miss his lyrics and songs? They are with us for eternity, thank goodness.
3
Jerry Herman's death makes me nostalgic. My mother's younger brother Eddie was close friends with Jerry growing up in Jersey City and I remember my parents and Uncle Eddie and my aunt going to see Hello Dolly, Mame, and other broadway hits, with the best seats in the audience, courtesy of Jerry. Listening to the soundtracks of his musicals was part of my childhood. He brought so much pleasure to so many! Thank you, Jerry Herman, for embracing your gift and bringing joy to others!
28
RIP. I was fortunate enough to see both Carol Channing and Ginger Rogers play Dolly in Hello Dolly, still one of my favorite musicals. Experiences I cherish to this day. Thanks for the memories, Jerry.
8
How sad and yet appropriate that Jerry Herman and Carol Channing should pass away in the same year. The songwriter and his fabulous star can now collaborate once again on a great musical in the sky. Welcome, Dolly!
12
Very sorry to hear of Jerry Herman's passing. I was fortunate enough to have joined the original broadway production of 'Mame" during the last six months of its run. The Mame at that time was Ann Miller. The 'Young I Feel' number was restaged and changed into a rousing tap number for Ms Miller. The house would go wild every night. On another note, Jerry Herman became a real estate investor in the late 1970s/80s. He bought twin houses in Key West, Florida. He restored them to their former glory and even lived in Key West for a while. He was a man of many talents. Blessing on Mr. Herman for all the wonderful, positive music he bestowed on mankind. RIP.
38
He also wrote "Mack and Mabel", a great score.
11
@johnb
Thanks for mentioning Mack and Mabel JonhB, I recently got a free trial on Apple Music and I was happy to find Mack and Mabel on there, I had been trying to stump it! I have only ever heard the soundtrack, never had seen the show, but I still enjoyed that LP of the soundtrack from years ago.... it’s been many Very Many years since I’ve had any LP’s, turntable, etc., so finding it streaming was a big kick for me. We’ve lost a truly American treasure and I'm happy to read about his long life, even though I was sad to hear he had contracted AIDS, but happy To read he was able to get married and have Many accolades honoring his wonderful career. Condolences to his family and friends and many admirers.
1
He had a way of building a melody and lyric till a simple song became a showstopper, an anthem for those facing adversity, loss or life's limitations. I'm glad he was able to stuff his life and career with the awards, tributes and success that accompany those who grab for life, with it's loves, opportunities, setbacks, triumphs and curtain calls, before the parade passes by.
23
It should be noted Herman wanted Merman for the original "Dolly" but caught her at a time in her life and career when she didn't want to do 8 shows a week. Later on she appeared in a revival. Ethel already hardly needed another hit on her resume.
15
@charles almon Actually, it wasn't a revival. She was the final Dolly of the original Broadway run.
7
Like so many, my first live musical I had a score by Jerry Herman. My sister's high school production of "Mame" in Kentucky was the "Mahabharata" of "Mames" running a good 5 hours for scene changes and I was enchanted with every minute. Rest in peace and thank you for opening a new window for me and so many others.
15
Although a sad occasion, it’s topical see mention of the musical, “Mame”. As well as the title track, which was recorded by Louis Armstrong, Herb Alpert and Bobby Darin, the show also featured the holiday favorite, “We Need A Little Christmas” and cover versions followed from the New Christy Minstrels, Julius La Rosa and Johnny Mathis.
RIP Jerry – and thanks for the music.
29
@Mike Edwards Worth recalling that Armstrong's "Hello Dolly" rendition emerged during the white heat of the British Invasion, and was the first hit to knock the Beatles out of the number one slot on the pop charts, where they had ruled unchallenged since exploding onto the scene in the US.
32
His genius for writing show tunes was vastly underrated. I love Sondheim's work and much of that from the current crop of gifted innovators, but, at the end of the day, what is more satisfying than one of the countless tuneful wonders penned by Mr. Herman? Those songs are a wonderful legacy from a man who beat the odds in so many ways, including surviving HIV/AIDS at a time when not too many did. He will be missed. "I am What I Am" indeed.
54
At the risk of being pedantic, in discussing 'HELLO, DOLLY!, Mr. McFadden writes of'...simultaneous Broadway productions, one with a black cast led by Pearl Bailey'.
This is not accurate. Miss Bailey took over the title role in the original Broadway production on November 12, 1967 (following Betty Grable) and played until late 1969, when Phyllis Diller took over the role. There was never any 'simultaneous' Broadway production.
In addition, the 1975 HELLO, DOLLY! revival starred Miss Bailey, not Carol Channing. Miss Channing starred in two Broadway revivals of DOLLY, 1978 and 1995-96
46
@Paul thank you. important information. pearl bailey was absolutely brilliant, made the show her own. listen to her “ before parade passes by “. and she received a richly deserved special tony. i have read latifah wants to do a biopic but apparently stalled. pearl bailey is not much mentioned today, but was a great , versatile , entertainer with great voice , huge following.
44
I've found myself increasingly divorced from popular music of every stripe since at least the mid-1970s when, to a very large degree, real melody pretty much disappeared from all parts of the pop music world. Even Sondheim seemed incapable of writing a real melody as time went by, and after Herman the only practitioner to do so has been Andrew Lloyd Webber, but he did it from England, while Herman was in the true line of American composer-lyricists like Berlin, Porter, Loesser and -yes - Sondheim. I think that, despite his successes, he was not quite on the exalted plane of Berlin and Porter, and probably not of Loesser, either, and most of Sondheim is appreciated more by critics than the average show-goer, but that's setting the bar very high, and considering that his three great hits came at a time when he was practically the only standard-bearer for melody left, he was and is to be much admired.
8
Condolences to his friends and family. Grew up with the sounds of Broadway, usually on an old second-hand crackle-pop record player, but somehow I found a “clear” collection of all the Broadway tunes one my phone one day, and listen to them regularly. “Hello Dolly” is in there and I love to hear the men come in with their booming voices!
11
“I’m a happy man who writes the way I want to write,” he told The Times. “If I had the choice of being the most brilliant and sophisticated writer that ever came down the pike, or of being the simple melodic songwriter that I am, I would still have chosen the latter.”
Wonderful - every artist should be able to sit back,assess a career and honestly say these things. Sophisticated simplicity, indeed.
73
I am 63 years old and saw "annie get your gun" on Broadway with Ethel Merman as it's star. I was young Manhattan born kid of older parents who loved Broadway.Wow.
20
@beth greenwald I am the same age-- I saw Hello Dolly on Broadway with Carol Channing and loved it. Irving Berlin's granddaughter was a classmate, and I saw it for her birthday party. Interestingly, she does not remember that, but I do.
9
@beth greenwald
Lucky girl!
4
I'm so sorry to hear of his passing, but I think it is a tribute to him that as soon as I read his name of one of my favorite songs ever, Put On Your Sunday Clothes, started playing in my mind and I immediately felt happier. Loved his Tony Award comments about the merits of the hummable song. Rest in Peace.
38
Mr. Herman's music was a life line to me growing up closeted and I'm not sure why, except that his music made he happy. I was so glad to have seen Bette Midler in the latest revival of "Hello, Dolly," one of the best nights in the theater. BTW: Wasn't La Cage made into two films--the original a French production and a later one with Robin Williams?
19
@Bob The movies came prior to the musical.
3
Jerry,
Your gifts enriched us all.
43
Without doubt, the last of his kind of Broadway composer. 😔
31
He was a living national treasure, perhaps the last of the genius list of authors of the great American songbook... from early operetta straight through to yesterday. His melodies are effortless, can be sung by anyone (usually after one hearing) and simultaneously by the greatest virtuosi...to equal effect. Not enough is said about his lyrics, which all contain brilliantly unpretentious wit and accessibility. Extraordinarily, so many of his songs seem wonderfully welcome and obvious when first sung onstage, or at first hearing, yet they are utterly non-obvious until he pens them. He lived his time and his personal vision unaffected by fashion, or mode, or trend, or artifice, and thus created (like the short list of Berlin, and Loesser, and Porter, and their ilk) music and melody that is timeless.
110
@semari
Well-said. You've said it all; no more to add.
25
@semari Yes, the lyrics! Last year the touring company of Hello Dolly came through Chicago with Betty Buckley. I had never seen it or even watched the movie. I used to think of the Jerry Herman style of song and dance as passe, not really worth our time. I was surprised to find myself laughing and grinning through the entire production -- not least because I was hearing some of these songs all the way through for the first time and they were so smart! The word play is amazing and yet always heart-felt, arising from the situation or the character or the structure of the piece. The sentiments expressed by the characters did not feel dated, even 120 years after the presumed setting of the story. This kind of craftsmanship is a rarity, to be treasured always.
15
How could you ignore the recent Tony-Award-winning revival of HELLO, DOLLY! starring Bette Midler, followed by Bernadette Peters on Broadway and a National Tour starring Betty Buckley and now Carolee Carmello?
25
Or the historic, groundbreaking Pearl Bailey, cast as Dolly at the height of America’s turbulent civil rights movement and among Broadway’s first African Americans to succeed a white actress in a starring role!!!
25
@DH
People seem to forget that Cab Calloway ("Minnie the Moocher", "Funny Reefer Man") co-starred with Bailey in that first all-African-American version of "Dolly".
15
@Roger Check out the headline.
3