Kern–Sally Whip-poor-will

The next show of note to come to Broadway was Jerome Kern’s Sally, which opened on December 21, 1920. It ran for 561 performances and included a new Kern singing star, Marilyn Miller. The show had a book by Guy Bolton and did not break any new ground. The two songs that we have selected have lyrics by Buddy DeSylva. The first one is a duet called “Whip-poor-Will” and was rescued from the 1919 show, Zip Goes a Million, which never made it to Broadway.

The second number is also a duet, called “Look for the Silver Lining,” which was written just for Sally.

Both duets were sung in Sally by Marilyn Miller and Irving Fisher.

In addition, Victor Herbert wrote the “Land of Butterflies,” a ballet used in Act 3, Scene 1.

Here is “Whip-poor-Will” sung by Jeanne Lehman and George Dvorsky, under the supervision of John McGlinn.