The Legacy of Ethel Merman

Ethel Merman was New York City’s girl next door. She went from being a stenographer from Queens and became the queen of the Broadway musical in its golden age. On October 14, 1930 she brought the house down with her performance of George and Ira Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm. Ethel’s rag to riches story fueled the hopes of everyday people. Any office girl or newspaper boy could make it. Marty will discuss the following standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals: Everything’s Coming Up Roses, Rose’s Turn, Anything Goes, Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries, There’s No Business Like Show Business, and Alexander’s Ragtime Band. Facilitated by Marty Schneit, New Yorker and Historian