musical and theatrical devices that would very quickly become Porter trademarks. There are the so-called “list” songs, like You’ve Got that Thing” and “Where Would You Get Your Coat?” in which he repeatedly slams home a point, but with clever topical and historical references. There are the ever-present double entendres that, sometimes incredulously, sailed right over the heads of the censors into the laps of his audiences. In “I’m Unlucky at Gambling,” Porter makes his first-ever lyrical allusion to homosexuality, which—albeit always couched in a heterosexual setting—would pervade most all his future work. Warner Bros., who had with The Jazz Singer in 1927 ushered in the era of sound films, was constantly on the prowl for stage works—especially musicals—worthy of transfer to the silver screen. They sensed a hit in the Porter/ Fields show and risked $200,000 in backing the show. By the time the film was released in 1931, musical films were totally out of vogue (public tastes change quickly!)—the movie did not include a single song from the stage show, only a hint of some tunes in the background score. The screen company made amends of sorts three years later in the 21-minute short Paree, Paree, starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Stone, and including several hit songs from the show. Michael D. Miller
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