The Band Wagon Page #8

and put on ourselves a show?

Maybe we can find ourselves

a barn or something, and maybe...

I could stand anything but failure.

- Where's the telephone?

- In there.

Give me Jeff Cordova's room, please.

Hello, Jeff. This is Tony.

Now, don't say anything. Just listen.

I'm here with all the kids,

and we've come to a decision.

We're not closing this show,

if you can call it a show. We're going on.

We're going to keep it on the road

and redo it from top to bottom.

It won't be a modern version of Faust...

Pilgrim 's Progress, or the Book of Job

in swing time.

It'll be our show,

the show we started out to do...

the book the Martons wrote,

with the songs you threw out.

It'll have laughs and entertainment.

You remember entertainment?

Look, we'd love to have you with us, Jeff.

But if you're not,

it won't make any difference.

We're going ahead just the same.

We're going to put this thing across,

aren't we, kids?

- All right. What do you say?

- Hello? There's nobody here.

This is the chambermaid, but if you want...

- I'll leave a message for Mr. Cordova.

- Thank you, madam.

He isn't in.

Jeff, did you hear what I said?

Tony, I've learned one thing in the theatre,

and it's this:

one man has to be at the helm,

the rest take orders.

I believe in what you said.

I got carried away in the wrong direction.

You've got to be the boss, Tony.

I think you can pull this off brilliantly...

and I'd like to be a part of it.

Jeff, you're all right.

I must tell you one thing.

There isn't any money.

Colonel Todd and the backers

have stolen away into the night.

- We've got backers.

- Who?

A bunch of painters.

A fellow named Degas from...

- You wouldn't sell your paintings.

- Sure, they love the theatre.

I figure we need five or six weeks on tour

to do what we have to do with this show.

- Jeff, would you help us with bookings?

- Of course.

Hal, have you got paper and pencil?

We can send a telegram.

- Washington? Washington's open.

- And Boston.

Boston's very good.

Can we go to Philadelphia, Detroit,

then come on back to New York?

- Paul, aren't you excited?

- Yeah. It's wonderful.

I wish them a lot of luck.

- This kind of leaves us out.

- Why?

With Tony doing the dances,

it's not going to be my kind of show.

Yours, either. I don't want you to do it.

I wouldn't think of leaving the show, Paul.

- I've worked too hard on your career to...

- It's my career, and I want to stay.

I'm taking the 9:00 train

tomorrow morning for New York.

I expect you to be there.

Have a nice trip, Paul.

Dancers, singers, the sketches.

Listen, kids,

it's going to mean rehearsing every day...

all day, right up to curtain time.

We're going to put in new numbers,

and learn them as fast as we can...

and we're going to yank out all that junk.

We've got our schedule all worked out,

and it looks pretty good now.

Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh...

Washington, Baltimore...

PHILADELPHIA:

I see a new sun up in a new sky

And my whole horizon

has reached a new high

Yesterday my heart sang a blue song

But today hear it hum a cheery new song

I dreamed a new dream

I saw a new face

And I'm spreading sunshine

all over the place

With a new point of view

here's what greets my eye

New love

New luck

- New sun

- And there's a new sun

In the sky

BOSTON:

I guess I'll have to change my plan

I should've realized

there'd be another man

I overlooked that point completely

Until the big affair began

Before I knew where I was at

I found myself up on the shelf

And that was that

I tried to reach the moon

But when I got there

All that I could get was the air

My feet are back upon the ground

I've lost the one girl I found

WASHINGTON:

Get goin', Louisiana hayride

Get goin', we all is ready

Start somethin', Louisiana hayride

No use for callin' the roll

Oh, I like that sport

sittin' in the hay

Lovin' it away, oh, oh

For the time is short

Crack your little whip

Get your little ship to go

Start somethin', Louisiana hayride

No foolin', we all is happy

Get goin', Louisiana hayride

No use for callin' the roll

- Jasmine Washington

- I is here

- Sweet Pea Oglethorpe

- I is here

- Jonquil Jezebel

- Here

- Lemon Verbena

- I is here

Mo and Freddy

Lily and Lettie

We is here

We all here

- Zeke and Lemuel, Hiram and Samuel

- We is here, we all here

- Primrose Paradise

- I am here

- Daisy Dandelion

- I is here

We all here

We all here

Can't you see?

If you is really ready

And you're goin' steady

Get goin', Louisiana hay

Louisiana hayride

Start something, Louisiana hay

And no use to call, no use to call

- It's no use

- No use to bother to call the roll

Get goin', get goin'

I like that sport, sittin in the hay

Lovin it away, ow, ow

The time is short, crack your little whip

Get your little ship

- Get your little ship

- Get your little ship to go

Get goin'

Louisiana hayride

Clear the way

Watch out, kindly step aside

Get goin'

Louisiana hayride

The scene's only about two minutes.

You won't have time to make the change.

I know it's a rough deal,

but we won't make New York if we don't.

- As much rehearsal time as possible.

- Better call them at 10:00.

Don't forget, everybody.

Rehearsal, 10:
00 on the dot, Baltimore.

That case is important.

Tell you what we'll do, when we start.

Say, who's the pretty girl?

Why, this couldn't be

the mousy little Miss Gerard.

You've been with the firm for years.

I've never seen you with glasses on.

Say, you are beautiful. How are you, Gaby?

- I'm all right. Thanks.

- Good.

Mr. Paul Byrd - 8485th Avenue

New York, N.Y.

I'm sorry.

- You must be tired.

- Yes, I am, a little.

- Bet you are, too.

- A little.

Lester, look, I've got a problem

with these two numbers.

The murder mystery has a jazz beat

and I don't want it to...

- Anyone heard from Paul Byrd?

- No, I haven't heard.

As a matter of fact, nobody has.

At least they haven't mentioned it.

- Wasn't he going to...

- What a rat.

Rat? Lester, wait a second.

He's a wonderful guy,

wonderful and talented.

He's written... Listen, don't sell him short.

That boy has got a lot...

He may be a little young, yes.

He needs a little more experience.

- Just give him a few more years.

- Yeah.

Probably when he settles down

and gets married.

- You think he'll make a good husband?

- And how. Great.

He'll make a great husband. Sure.

Listen, this kid is solid.

He knows all... It isn't gonna be easy. No.

Marriage and the theatre and two careers.

Problems. It isn't all skittles.

- It's no bed of...

- Is that why you never got married?

Who, me? You know, I'm the kind of fella...

You got the right slant.

You're pretty happy as you are.

I like to kick around

and have a lot of laughs.

Lester, I'm very much in love with this girl.

It's ridiculous, I know,

things being as they are, but there it is.

Look, Tony,

I don't know what the chances are...

but wait till we get to New York,

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