Pal Joey The History of a Heel

When Rodgers and Hart's Pal Joey opened at the Barrymore on Christmas day, 1940, it flew in the face of musical comedy convention. The characters and situation were depraved. The setting was caustically realistic. Its female lead was frankly sexual and yet not purely comic. A narratively-driven dream ballet closed the first act, begging audiences to take seriously the inner life and desires of a confirmed heel. Pal Joey: The History of a Heel presents a behind-the-scenes look at the genesis, influence, and significance of this classic musical comedy.

Although the show appears on many top-ten lists surveying the Golden Age, it is a controversial classic; its legacy is tied both to the fashionable scandal that it provoked, and, retrospectively, to the uncommon attention it paid to characterization and narrative cohesion. Through an archive-driven investigation of the show and its music, author Julianne Lindberg offers insight into the historical moment during which Joey was born, and to the process of genre classification, canon formation, and the ensuing critical debates related to musical and theatrical maturity. More broadly, the book argues that the critique and commentary on class and gender conventions in Pal Joey reveals a uniquely American concern over status, class mobility, and progressive gender roles in the pre-war era.

Julianne Lindberg is Assistant Professor of Musicology at The University of Nevada, Reno. Her research interests include musical theater, musical modernism in Europe and the U.S., and children's musical cultures. Dr. Lindberg is also an avid and experienced clarinetist. She performs frequently with the Reno Philharmonic and with local chamber groups.

Acknowledgements
Dedication
Timeline

Introduction: "A Foul Well"

PART I: Making Pal Joey

Chapter 1: O'Hara the Heel: from Short Story to Script

Chapter 2: Rodgers and Hart's Boldest Venture: Working Relationships and Collaborative Processes

PART II: Chez Joey: The World of Pal Joey

Chapter 3: Digging for Dirt: Inside the Club

Chapter 4: I Could Write a Book (Musical): The Book Numbers

Chapter 5: The Women of Pal Joey

Chapter 6: Joey Dances

PART III: Reviving Pal Joey

Chapter 7: History of a Heel: The 1952 Revival

Chapter 8: Pal Joey Goes to Hollywood

Conclusion: Adapting Joey

Appendix 1: The Cast
Appendix 2: A Note Regarding Score and Libretto Sources
Appendix 3: Detailed Differences Between Rehearsal and Opening Night Script