I'd Rather Be Right

I'd Rather Be Right
First edition 1937
Music	Richard Rodgers
Lyrics	Lorenz Hart
Book	Moss HartandGeorge S. Kaufman
Productions	1937Broadway 2011Revival

I'd Rather Be Rightis a 1937musicalwith abookbyMoss HartandGeorge S. Kaufman,lyrics byLorenz Hart,and music byRichard Rodgers.The story is aDepression-era political satire set inNew York Cityabout Washington politics and political figures such as PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt.The plot centers on Peggy Jones (Joy Hodges) and her boyfriend Phil (Austin Marshall), who needs a raise in order for them to get married. The President steps in and solves their dilemma.

Production

George S. KaufmanandMoss Hartin 1937

I'd Rather Be Rightpremiered onBroadwayat theAlvin Theatreon November 2, 1937, produced bySam H. Harris.It transferred to theMusic Box Theatre,and ran for 290 performances. It starredGeorge M. CohanasFranklin D. Roosevelt.In such pieces as "Off the Record", Cohan, as FDR, danced—not possible in real life for the President.

Reception

H. G. Wellswrote enthusiastically about the musical, and Cohan's performance as Roosevelt, in an article "The Fall in America 1937", published inCollier'son January 28, 1938, and reprinted in hisWorld Brain(1938).

Cultural references

The musical is prominently featured in the 1942 Cohan biopicYankee Doodle Dandy,in which it serves as a narrative bookend.James Cagney,playing Cohan, after meeting FDR in the Oval Office, performs a joyous tap dance as he walks back down the stairs of the White House. In the film, we also see Cagney as Cohan performing "Off the Record" during the show's run. Because the film was made during World War II, the film also anachronistically added some morale-boosting lyrics at the end of the song.

Musical numbers

Original 1937Playbillcover, withGeorge M. CohanasFranklin D. Roosevelt

Act I

• "A Homogeneous Cabinet" —Cabinet Members
• "Have You Met Miss Jones?"—Peggy Jones and Phil Barker
• "Take and Take and Take" —The Judge's Girl and Ensemble
• "Spring in Vienna" —Tony
• "A Little Bit of Constitutional Fun" —The Judge's Girl and Ensemble
• "Sweet Sixty-Five" —Peggy Jones and Phil Barker
• "We're Going to Balance the Budget" —The President of the United States and Company

Act II

• "American Couple" —Ensemble
• "Labor Is the Thing" —James B. Maxwell and Ensemble
• "I'd Rather Be Right" —Peggy Jones, Phil Barker, The Judge's Girl, The President of the United States and Ensemble
• "Off the Record" —The President of the United States
• "A Baby Bond" —The Secretary of the Treasury

External links

• ​I'd Rather Be Right​at theInternet Broadway Database
• "The President on Broadway: FDR, George M. Cohan, andI’d Rather Be Right"(March 8, 2016) by William A. Harris, FDR Library Deputy Director —Forward with Roosevelt,the blog of theFranklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
• TimeMagazine review, November 15, 1937
• Essay onI'd Rather be RightinStudies in Musical Theatre,January 2007
• I'd Rather Be Right,LibrettoISBN1-4179-9228-X