Broadway: The American Musical I Got Plenty o' Nuttin': 1929-1942 (Season 1, Episode 3)
TV Episode | Documentary, Music

Primary photo for I Got Plenty o' Nuttin': 1929-1942

Broadway: The American Musical

I Got Plenty o' Nuttin': 1929-1942 (Season 1, Episode 3)

TV Episode | Documentary, Music

The Great Depression ushered in a new era of the Broadway musical. Gone were the frothy, nonsensical shows of the 1920s. Broadway musicals were now either reflective of the harsh times (such as "Americana" which featured the unofficial ...See moreThe Great Depression ushered in a new era of the Broadway musical. Gone were the frothy, nonsensical shows of the 1920s. Broadway musicals were now either reflective of the harsh times (such as "Americana" which featured the unofficial anthem of the era, 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?'), political (such as the Gershwin's satire "Of Thee I Sing", the first musical whose book won the Pulitzer Prize) or earthy (such as the Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess"). Shows even dared to have as the leads unsavory characters, such as in "Pal Joey". When the shows were lighter in fare, they were more glamorous and sophisticated, which was evidenced in the shows of the young, urbane composer, Cole Porter. The Broadway musical was also aided by the Federal Theater, designed to mount productions so that people could work. One of the most notorious of these productions was "The Cradle Will Rock". New stars of the era included Ethel Merman with her trumpet-like voice, Ethel Waters who could not read music but who could sing a variety of musical styles, and young dancers Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. The United States' entry into World War II was also reflected on Broadway, most notably in Irving Berlin's "This Is the Army", which featured real life enlisted soldiers and Berlin himself. Written by Huggo See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
51 cast members

Name	Known for
Julie Andrews Self - Host Self - Host See fewer	The Sound of Music (1965)
Fred Astaire Johnny Brett / Guy Holden (in 'The Gay Divorcee') (archive footage) Johnny Brett / Guy Holden (in 'The Gay Divorcee') (archive footage) See fewer	The Towering Inferno (1974)
Hank Azaria Marc Blitzstein (archive footage) Marc Blitzstein (archive footage) See fewer	The Simpsons (1989)
Mary Ellin Barnett Self (as Mary Ellin Barrett) Self (as Mary Ellin Barrett) See fewer	Broadway: The American Musical (2004)
Irving Berlin Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)
Anne Brown Self Self See fewer	Rhapsody in Blue (1945)
John W. Bubbles Actor (archive footage) (as John Bubbles) Actor (archive footage) (as John Bubbles) See fewer	A Song Is Born (1948)
Kitty Carlisle Self (as Kitty Carlisle Hart) Self (as Kitty Carlisle Hart) See fewer	A Night at the Opera (1935)
Carol Channing Self Self See fewer	Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
Jerome Chodorov Self Self See fewer	Murder in the Big House (1942)
Bing Crosby Billy Crocker (archive footage) Billy Crocker (archive footage) See fewer	White Christmas (1954)
Stanley Donen Self Self See fewer	Charade (1963)
Ann Douglas Self Self See fewer	Broadway: The American Musical (2004)
Todd Duncan Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Syncopation (1942)
Philip Furia Self Self See fewer	Broadway: The American Musical (2004)
George Gershwin Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Manhattan (1979)
Ira Gershwin Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	An American in Paris (1951)
Brendan Gill Self Self See fewer	Playdate (1961)
Micki Grant Actress (archive footage) Actress (archive footage) See fewer	American Playhouse (1980)
Michael C. Hall Self (voice) Self (voice) See fewer	Dexter (2006)
Ernest Harburg Self Self See fewer	Song of the Century
June Havoc Self Self See fewer	Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
Erin Hill Sandra Mescal Sandra Mescal See fewer	Erin Hill: Eleanor Rigby (2021)
Al Hirschfeld Self Self See fewer	Fantasia 2000 (1999)
John Houseman Self Self See fewer	The Paper Chase (1973)
Margo Jefferson Self Self See fewer	New York: A Documentary Film (1999)
Gene Jones Self (voice) Self (voice) See fewer	The Hateful Eight (2015)
Gene Kelly Joey Evans (archive footage) Joey Evans (archive footage) See fewer	Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Robert Kimball Self Self See fewer	Hard Times for an American Girl: The Great Depression (2009)
John Lahr Self Self See fewer	Prick Up Your Ears (1987)
Angus Macfadyen Orson Welles (archive footage) Orson Welles (archive footage) See fewer	Equilibrium (2002)
Audra McDonald Self (voice) Self (voice) See fewer	Beauty and the Beast (I) (2017)
Ron McLarty Self (voice) Self (voice) See fewer	The Postman (1997)
Ethel Merman Actress (archive footage) Actress (archive footage) See fewer	It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
George Murphy King Shaw (archive footage) King Shaw (archive footage) See fewer	This Is the Army (1943)
Ronald Reagan Johnny Jones (archive footage) Johnny Jones (archive footage) See fewer	Kings Row (1942)
Tim Robbins Self Self See fewer	Mystic River (2003)
Ginger Rogers Mimi Glossop (archive footage) Mimi Glossop (archive footage) See fewer	Kitty Foyle (1940)
Franklin D. Roosevelt Self (archive footage) (as Franklin Delano Roosevelt) Self (archive footage) (as Franklin Delano Roosevelt) See fewer	The President's Mystery (1936)
Jonathan Schwartz Self Self See fewer	Broadway: The American Musical (2004)
Artie Shaw Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Rocketeer (1991)
Jonathan Marc Sherman Self (voice) Self (voice) See fewer	tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)
Stephen Sondheim Self Self See fewer	Dick Tracy (1990)
Stephen Spinella Self (voice) Self (voice) See fewer	Ravenous (1999)
Mary Testa Self (voice) Self (voice) See fewer	The Bounty Hunter (I) (2010)
Tommy Tune Self Self See fewer	Hello, Dolly! (1969)
John Turturro Aldo Silvano (archive footage) Aldo Silvano (archive footage) See fewer	Fading Gigolo (2013)
Ethel Waters Actress (archive footage) Actress (archive footage) See fewer	Cabin in the Sky (1943)
Emily Watson Olive Stanton (archive footage) Olive Stanton (archive footage) See fewer	Gosford Park (2001)
Andrew Weems Self (voice) Self (voice) See fewer	Person of Interest (2011)
Max Wilk Self Self See fewer	Lights Out (1946)