Gershwin–George White Scandals of 1922, Stairway to Paradise

The next Broadway opening that we want to explore is George White’s Scandals of 1922. The entire score was written by George Gershwin and, according to Howard Pollack, one of Gershwin’s biographers, “revealed impressive technical command…”

However, the finale for Act One stood out: “But the daring and brilliance of “(I’ll Build a) Stairway to Paradise,” rendered with such panache by the [Paul] Whiteman band that years later Gershwin referred to the performance as ‘one of those “thrills” that come once in a lifetime,” set this song apart from the others.”

We have two renditions: one from the movie, An American in Paris, and the second from the movie, The Aviator.

First, here is Georges Guetary singing “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise.”