Jewish Stereo Types

Here's the thing: In a proper book musical, all the songs have to be part of the story. And yet, if the song is TOO much part of the story, it stays in the show, rather than becoming a classic. And if the New Deal is in your lyrics, let alone the title, your song is really quite solidly embedded your play. So, not a holiday staple. But it is also stuck in my head, thanks to one of those live-on-TV productions 10 days ago, so..."A New Deal for Christmas" from Annie , by Strouse and Charnin: Video posted by BroadwayTVArchive As I've mentioned before, both Charles Strouse (music) and Martin Charnin (lyrics) are Jewish. "Tomorrow" notwithstanding, the show won seven Tony Awards, two Broadway revivals (so far), three movies (not counting sequels), and the aforementioned live-on-TV production, starring Harry Connick, Jr. as Daddy Warbucks, so it's doing pretty well without spawning a Christmas standard. (But I confess to being a bit sorry that FDR'...

After all, "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile"! Video posted by anniemovieVEVO (Manhattan will look like that again. I promise.) (Only grumpier, unless you come equipped with dancing moppets.) (Maybe even if you come equipped with dancing moppets.) (Maybe especially if you come equipped with dancing moppets, because come on.) Well, that's the 2014 cover by Sia. The original, from the first Broadway run of Annie , went more like this rendition from the 1977 Tony Awards: Video posted by LMFA (I miss the reference to Beau Brummell. It made me feel smart in high school to know who Beau Brummell was--thank you, Georgette Heyer!) *** As we've already established, Charles Strouse (the composer of Annie , is Jewish , and so was the lyricist , Martin Charnin, the man who had the idea for Annie . A pretty good idea as it turned out--not only did it run forever (not counting the two movies, the TV movie, and the various revivals), but the original picke...