Damn Yankees–Their Second and Final Hit Show

In their second and last show, Adler and Ross adapted another novel with the help of George Abbott; this time the novel’s author was Douglass Wallop, and the book was titled, The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant. The plot was fairly simple: a die-hard fan of the Washington Senators baseball team utters some fateful words, something like “I’d sell my soul to win the pennant,” and presto the devil (Applegate) appears with pen in hand. In literary circles this is called a “Faustian” bargain, and it can involve fame, money or other material desires.  However, in this case, the fan being tempted, Joe Boyd, asks for and receives an “escape” clause, if he wants out. Although Applegate does all in his power to seduce Joe to the “dark side” and to forget about his wife (Meg), Joe finally realizes that nothing is important without her. His love for Meg sets him free from his bargain with the devil. That is the essence of the plot of Damn Yankees, the 1955 smash Broadway hit.

While the score is not on a par with The Pajama Game, it is a dynamic score that pushes the plot forward and makes us believe that Joe could lose his soul. It is the tension between pent up desire and true love that forces us, in the audience, to take sides and root for Joe Hardy to go back to being Joe Boyd. It was an unspoken wish in the audience but a powerful one that screamed inside our heads: “Go back to your wife, you fool.”

For those not knowledgeable about baseball, the story is set in the early 1950’s when there were two leagues, the National League and the American League; and at the end of every year the team in each league with the most wins won the “Pennant” and would go on to play in the World Series. The hapless Senators were called “cellar dwellers,” signifying that they were at the bottom of the won/loss standings and did not have a chance to win the Pennant. In those days, the Yankees seemed unbeatable. In order to keep morale high in the locker room, the coach of the Senators urges on his team by trying to substitute character for talent. As the saying goes, that only works in the movies.

Here is the movie version of the song, “Heart.”

As Joe Boyd strikes his bargain with Applegate, he realizes that he is going to have to leave his wife, Meg, without an explanation; after all, how do you explain that you have made a deal with the devil. We have a clip from the movie that was provided on youtube, along with a comment made by Rik Shafer, Robert Shafer’s son.

“This is kind of weird. My father was Bob Shafer, he played Joe Boyd in the original play and the WB movie. It’s very strange to see him as if this stuff was shot three weeks ago. He died in 1983. Nice to have it available.”

In order to keep the young Joe Hardy in line and prevent him from returning to his wife via the “escape” clause, Applegate recruits his finest temptress, Lola. Here is clip from the movie scene (“A Little Brains, A Little Talent”) with Ray Walston and Gwen Verdon.

Lola does her best to seduce Joe Hardy, but nothing works. Here is the first version of the seduction song, “Whatever Lola Wants,” performed by Gwen Verdon in the movie.

Please join us for the second version in Part Two, coming shortly.