THE LADY EVE
Song description for Adapted Scene 3
Libretto Class ESPA
Harriet Reisen
March 19, 2014
Libretto-ers: some background on my choice. Your mission, should you be the
lyricist, would be a challenge but also a lot of fun. For both reasons, I’d like to give
you the chance to see if it’s for you….. Harriet
The Lady Eve, a screwball comedy starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda
written and directed by the great Preston Sturges, was released in 1941 to critical
accolades and continues to be held in great esteem.
Roger Ebert sings its praises, describes its delights, and puts it in context:
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-lady-eve-1941
Here’s Ebert’s description of the scene I picked to adapt for a song:
The movie establishes Jean Harrington in an inspired early scene, as she joins
her father, a phony colonel, in the ship's lounge. Using the mirror in her compact,
she spies on Charlie Pike as he sits alone and reads a book (its title, "Are Snakes
Necessary?,” is a sly addition to the movie's phallic imagery). Sturges cuts to the
view reflected in the mirror, and Jean provides a tart voice-over narration for her
father, describing the attempts of every woman in the room to catch the
handsome bachelor's eye. Then, as Charlie leaves the room, she simply sticks out
a foot and trips him; as he picks himself up she blames him for breaking off the
heel of her shoe.
The Criterion Collection’s site has the trailer
http://www.criterion.com/films/639-the-lady-eve
Links to plot summaries and the whole film, if you have Netflix or other clever ways.
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=The+Lady+Eve&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8
If this film isn’t great musical theater material, as Sturges might say – I’ll eat my hat.
Harriet
THE LADY EVE
Song description for Adapted Scene 3
Libretto Class ESPA
Harriet Reisen
March 19, 2014
TO THE LYRICIST: The song is a mashup of Jean’s observations from the scene, the diners
singing their versions of what Jean attributes to them, and Charlie singing his.i They
combine, alternate, one serves as background to another, etc., to produce the hubbub that’s
in the room.1 I’ve scribbled below the opening, roughly, the gist of the lyrics needed to
convey the action and advance the scene. Lyricist should adapt the dialogue of the movie
scene from “Scene to Be Adapted” doc.
After the dialogue at the bar, the spotlight goes to CHARLIE and the passengers near him.
The table with the QUARTET OF PARENTS AND TWO ELIGIBLE DAUGHTERS might begin:
PARENTS
He’s looking this way, girls! This is your chance
Pick up your Pike’s and smile!
TRIO
(Anderson sisters-style)
He’ll see we’re unique – well three-nique
And then when his interest is piqued
it’ll be every girl for herself!
SOLO YOUNG LADY
I’m batting my eyelashes sweetly
And blushing and shyly I’m leaning his way
He seems bashful, too, so it’s I who must woo
Very gently
(eyeing competition)
but also quite soon.
SOLO SIREN BRUNETTE
I’m taking the louche approach
Cigarette holder in hand
I’m inhaling thus knowingly, letting him know,
Unmistakably smokin’ -- I am woman and he—man!
BOOZEHOUND DAUGHTER
TO RECAP: The scene shifts to CHARLIE looking up from his book and around. He glances toward a
table with smiling QUARTET of PARENTS of two young DAUGHTERS and four bottles of Pike’s ale
raise glasses to him. A TRIO of women who were staring at Charlie see he is looking their way and
flash stilted smiles. Charlie turns to his book, then sees the YOUNG LADY who bats her eyelashes
rather sweetly Charlie quickly returns his gaze to his book, then sees the YOUNG LADY bat her
eyelashes, then the sultry-looking beautiful BRUNETTE, then the YOUNG LADY drinking beer whose
MOTHER pokes her. She smiles woozily at Charlie, then belches.
1
THE LADY EVE
Song description for Adapted Scene 3
Libretto Class ESPA
Harriet Reisen
March 19, 2014
hey look-a-here
wanna have a beer (BELCH)!
Jean’s song could have a refrain about what she’s doing and asking of the mirror with
changes as her valuation and feelings for Charlie develop.
Mirror mirror be my eye
Help me spy on that bashful/awkward/interesting/charming guy
She plays a lot of roles in the song. She’s a play-by-play announcer, reporting for her father
but since he’s not interested, somewhat to herself. She “speaks” to the women she’s
observing, to Charlie as if she’s speaking his thoughts while reporting his actions, etc. e.g.
JEAN
Not good enough
COLONEL HARRINGTON
What?
Jean
Not good enough
COLONEL HARRINGTON
Good enough?
JEAN
Not good enough for that nice young man
And they’re coming on hard, and he knows it That they’re not good enough they’re a waste of time
Adapt Jean’s dialogue from the rest of the scene. The song ends when Charlie gets up
from his table and heads towards Jean’s as he tries to leave the dining room. Maybe
the music continues through this tripping and ends with the dishes crashing.
RECAP END OF SCENE: As CHARLIE walks past her table, JEAN puts out her foot and trips him. As he
falls, he knocks down a waiter’s tray to an embarrassing accompaniment of breaking dishes. JEAN (to
the waiter) Oh, I’m very sorry, sir.(to Charlie) Why don’t you look where you’re going? /CHARLIE
Why don’t I look?/ JEAN(picking up her shoe) Look, you knocked the heel off., etc.
i
The groupings of singers in the dining room will appear through the first act (on the boat)
and reappear as different characters in the second act, which is set in wealthy Connecticut.