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Show WORDS TO HIT THE MUSsIC Writing light verse had brought him success—and self-doubt; then little man with a foreign accent claim all-purpose i # are expected to do many jobs. PAZO whispered a phrase that renewed his faith in himself iH suppositories, however, are a scien- ii tifically developed combination of Hi tested ingredients... each chosen #! for its ability to do one primary job ii with full-strength effectivences. 7 : Net| ta Orant | bey = VA v L. Vv By OGDEN NASH Author of “Everyone But Thee and Me” and “The Adventures of Isabel” made no direct criticism, but every time I mentioned the delicate, mysterious image called up by the phrase, his smile became enigmatic. The song was discarded. MuchlaterI dis- covered that our word “mist” is also the German word for manure. Meanwhile, the work had gone on. In addition to the lyrics I now was writing the book, in collaboration with S. J. Perelman. Wehadfinished the first act and sent it off to Miss Dietrich for her approval. It came back almost overnight with a unique objection to the script of a musical comedy—too funny and too sexy. We had lost our Venus. Kurt was not to be denied. He had faith in the idea, in the script, in the score. He knew that Mary Mar- tin, who had been away from Broadway for some years, might be available; her new show had just closed in Boston. Talks began and got nowhere. Mary had great self-confi- dence, but it was tempered by prudence and modesty. It seemed that the idea of a girl from Weatherford, Texas, assuming the role of the classical queen of love and beauty left her more than hesitant. She liked the book andthe score, but still... Kurt was a wise and patient man, and he knew his stars. He came to me with a new melody which gave me the spinal tingle that you get from “Begin the Beguine,” “Old Black Magic,” and Kurt’s own “September Song.” A tingle good for a lifetime. “If we can find the right wordsfor it, I think Mary would like to sing it,” he said. 0 IT WAS up to me. I was a novice, S and in this particular crisis the future of the show was in my hands—or in myskull. No one could take over the responsibility; not Cheryl Crawford, the producer, not Agnes DeMille, the choreographer, not even thebrilliant Elia Kazan, the director. For days the tune haunted me, but no words would come.I dis- carded banality after banality. One day Kurt came to the table where I was working, vainly trying to draw inspiration from the sounds of the mountain brook outside the window. “Have you read ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ lately?” he asked. “No. Why?” “There is a line in it that might help you: ‘Speak low, if you speak love.” Think about it.” I did think about it, and the fog lifted from my brain. The rest of the lyric flowed easily from the opening phrase, and we had the song. Kurt played it for Mary, singing in his thin, true voice with its unBroadway accent. 66 PEAK LOW”was the high spot of Mary's triumph in “One Touch of Venus” when we opened in New York. That was more than 20 years ago, and the song is growing stronger every year—in sheet music, on recordings, and on the air. It has mentis needed. No daily hesives. Get Snug brand Denture Cushions today! 2 Hees for upper or lower plates become a “standard.” You might say I was like a pitcher who has been pulled out of trouble by a brilliant double play; a unique double play started nearly 400 years ago by Shakespeare and completed by a tiny German émigré who knew Shakespeare better than I did. I hope that Kurt realized the inspiration that his patience, his kindness, and his continuing faith in me had given to me. I was out of the doldrums and ready once more to stand up and face the world with whatever abilities I possessed. My life since then has been a happy and creative one, and for that life I shall always be grateful to him. OH, MY e _ ACHING BACK i i # Now! Youcan get the fast reliefyouneed backache, headache and Hf muscular aches and # restless feelings. i with over-ex Family Weekly, April 5, 1964 @ good ni 13 that often cause tired-out i [ !ii on the title phrase, “Love-in-a-Mist,” which as well as being the name of a flower seemed to me to express the feeling of our heroine Venuson finding herself wandering bewildered through the modern world. The lyric turned out well and fitted the situation; I was pleased with it and could not understand Kurt's gentle but implacable opposition. He 3 words, which I set out to find. I hit Whee |