Show Tune Showdown #26: 1939-43 Broadway Seasons

In the 25th Show Tune Showdown, Anything Goes and Girl Crazy won the most showdowns - and the following songs will be moving on to Round 2:

Anything Goes' "Anything Goes", "You're the Top" and "I Get a Kick Out of You"

Girl Crazy's "Embraceable You", "I Got Rhythm" and "But Not for Me"

Babes in Arms' "Where or When" and "Johnny One Note"

The Boys from Syracuse's "This Can't Be Love" and "Falling in Love with Love"

Gay Divorce's "Night and Day"

The Threepenny Opera's "Mack the Knife"

Porgy and Bess' "Summertime"

Between the Devil's "By Myself"

Hooray for What's "Down with Love"

Roberta's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"

Great Day's "Great Day"

Jubilee's "Just One of Those Things"

Right This Way's "I'll Be Seeing You"

PLEASE NOTE: The next Show Tune Showdown will be on Friday, November 2.

Now on to our 26th Show Tune Showdown, which takes us back to the 1939-43 Broadway seasons when the following seven musicals opened:

Very Warm for May
November 17, 1939 - January 6, 1940 (59 performances)

DuBarry Was a Lady
December 6, 1939 - December 12, 1940 (408 performances)

Cabin in the Sky
October 25, 1940 - March 8, 1941 (156 performances)

Pal Joey
December 25, 1940 - November 29, 1941 (374 performances)
Revival: January 3, 1952 - April 18, 1953 (540 performances)
Revival: June 27, 1976 - August 29, 1976 (73 performances)
Revival: December 18, 2008 - March 1, 2009 (85 performances)

Lady in the Dark
January 23, 1941 - June 15, 1941 (162 performances)
Reopened September 2, 1941 - May 30, 1942 (305 performances)
Revival: February 27, 1943 - May 15, 1943 (83 performances)

By Jupiter
June 3, 1942 - June 12, 1943 (427 performances)

Oklahoma!
March 31, 1943 - May 29, 1948 (2,212 performances)
Revival: May 29, 1951 - July 28, 1951 (100 performances)
Revival: August 31, 1953 - October 3, 1953 (40 performances)
Revival: December 13, 1979 - August 24, 1980 (293 performances)
Revival: March 21, 2002 - February 23, 2003 (388 performances)

Now here are the competing show tunes - and if you're wondering how to judge each showdown, just ask yourself, "Which song do I enjoy listening to more?"

Oklahoma's "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" (Hugh Jackman performs in the 1998 London revival)

vs.

Pal Joey's "I Could Write a Book" (Harry Connick Jr. performs)

Oklahoma's "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" (Peggy Lee performs on her 1960 album, Latin ala Lee!)

vs.

Very Warm for May's "All the Things You Are" (Barbra Streisand performs on her 1967 album, Simply Streisand)

Oklahoma's "I Cain't Say No" (Christine Ebersole performs in the 1979 Broadway revival)

vs.

Pal Joey's "Zip" (Rita Hayworth - dubbed by Jo Ann Greer - performs in the 1957 film version)

Oklahoma's "People Will Say We're in Love" (Doris Day's 1960 recording)

vs.

Cabin in the Sky's "Taking a Chance on Love" (June Christy performs in 1950)

"Oklahoma!" (Gordon MacRae and the cast perform in the 1955 film version)

vs.

DuBarry Was a Lady's "Well, Did You Evah!" (Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra perform in the 1956 film, High Society)

DuBarry Was a Lady's "Do I Love You?" (Judy Garland performs on her 1958 album, Judy in Love)

vs.

Pal Joey's "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" (Patti LuPone performs)

DuBarry Was a Lady's "Give Him the Ooh-La-La" (Blossom Dearie performs on her 1958 album, Give Him the Ooh-La-La)

vs.

Cabin in the Sky's "Honey in the Honeycomb" (Lena Horne performs in the 1943 film version)

DuBarry Was a Lady's "Friendship" (Chita Rivera, Bruce Adler and George Dvorsky from the 1999 Papermill Playhouse production of Anything Goes perform on The Rosie O'Donnell Show)

vs.

Lady in the Dark's "The Saga of Jenny" (Lynn Redgrave performs on the PBS special, Musical Comedy Tonight 2, on February 11, 1981)

By Jupiter's "Ev'rything I've Got" (Vikki Carr performs)

vs.

Lady in the Dark's "My Ship" (Nancy Wilson performs on her 1964 album, Broadway – My Way)