Top Banana statistics
Song List ................... Sung By
Act 1
The Man of the Year This Week .................. Ensemble
You're So Beautiful That .................. Cliff Lane
Top Banana ................... Jerry Biffle, Vic Davis, Cliff Lane, Pinky and Moe
Elevator Song .................. Ensemble
Hail to MacCracken's .................. Ensemble
Only If You're in Love .................. Cliff Lane and Sally Peters
My Home Is in My Shoes ................... Tommy and Ensemble
I Fought Every Step of the Way (Orchestrated by Bill Finnigan and Composed by Johnny Mercer) ................ Betty Dillon
O.K. for TV .................. Jerry Biffle, Vic Davis, Sally Peters, Pinky, Moe, Danny and Russ Wiswell
Slogan Song ................... Jerry Biffle, Betty Dillon, Vic Davis, Sally Peters, Cliff Lane, Tommy, Pinky, Moe, Danny, Russ Wiswell and Mr. Parker
Meet Miss Blendo ..................... Entire Company
Act 2
Sans Souci (Orchestrated by Bill Finnigan and Composed by Johnny Mercer) ..................... Betty Dillon, Featured Dancer and Ensemble
A Dog Is a Man's Best Friend................... Jerry Biffle, Ted (Sport) Morgan and The Grenadiers
That's For Sure .................... Cliff Lane, Sally Peters and Ensemble
Be My Guest (replaced "That's For Sure" during run) .....................
A Word Is Day .................... Jerry Biffle and Betty Dillon
Top Banana Ballet ................... Jerry Biffle and Ensemble Finale
Opening Night Production Credits
Produced by Paula Stone and Michael Sloane
Music by Johnny Mercer
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Book by Hy S. Kraft
Vocal arrangements and direction by Hugh Martin
Musical Director: Harold Hastings
Music orchestrated by Don Walker
Featuring songs by Bill Finnigan
Directed by Jack Donohue
Choreographed by Ron Feitcher
Scenic Design by Jo Mielziner
Lighting Design by Jo Mielziner
Costume Design by Alvin Colt
Company Manager: Joe Roth
General Manager: Harry Zevin
Production Stage Manager: Fred Hebert
Stage Manager: Danny Brennan
Assistant Stage Mgr: Louis De Mangus
Orchestra Personnel Manager: Meyer Davis
Production Associate: Harry Zevin
General Press Representative: Bill Doll
Opening Night Cast
Phil Silvers: Jerry Biffle
Jack Albertson: Vic Davis
Florence Baum: Sales Girl, Dancer
Marion Burke: Model, Singer
Dean Campbell: Announcer, Singer
Nikki Cellini: Dancer
Zachary A. Charles: Russ Wiswell
Donald Covert: Stagehand, Photographer, Singer
Sara Dillon: Bubble Girl, Elevator Operator, Singer
Lindy Doherty: Cliff Lane
Herbie Faye: Moe
Joey Faye: Pinky
Herb Fields: Photographer, Singer
Joan Fields: Customer, Featured Dancer
Ed Hanley: Danny
Mary Harmon: A Passing Girl, Singer
Ken Harvey: TV Technician, Photographer, Singer
Bradford Hatton: Mr. Parker
Claude Heater: Juggler, Singer
Eve Hebert: Script Girl, Sales Girl, Dancer
Betsy Holland: Customer, Miss Pillsbury, Singer
Bill Joyce: Dancer
B.J. Keating: Customer, Singer
Bob Kole: Singer
John Laverty: Dancer
Hal Loman: Featured Dancer
Douglas Luther: Customer, Dr. Leroy, Singer
Judy Lynn: Sally Peters
George Marci: Dancer
Rose Marie: Betty Dillon
Don McKay: Photographer, Singer
Ted (Sport) Morgan: Ted (Sport) Morgan
Basha Regis: Model, The Magician's Assistant
Bob Scheerer: Tommy, Dance Team
Laurel Shelby: Customer, Singer
Judy Sinclair: The Widow, Singer
Joy Skylar: Sales Girl, Dancer
Gloria Smith: "Bubbles", Dancer
Vivian Smith: Dancer
Walter Stane: Dancer
Bill Sumner: Dancer
Thelma Tadlock: Dancer
Johnny Trama: A Man
Ken Urmston: Dancer
Walter Wahl: Walter
Polly Ward: Sales Girl, Dance Team, Dancer
Beverly Weston: Bubble Girl, Singer
Understudies: Jack Albertson (Jerry Biffle), Dan Brennan (Danny), Dean Campbell (Cliff Lane), Donald Covert (Walter), Louis De Mangus (Russ Wiswell), Sara Dillon (Sally Peters), Ed Hanley (Moe, Pinky), Ken Harvey (Vic Davis), Hal Loman (Tommy), George Marci (Featured Dancer), Gloria Smith (Featured Dancer), Hope Zee (Betty Dillon).
Hy Kraft, a writer acquaintance of Phils, had come up with an idea about doing a musical about a comedian; it was called Jest for Laughs, and Johnny Mercer had agreed to participate by writing the songs. Phil found Kraft's material corny so he suggested that they come up with a different formula. 'Mr. Television' - Milton Berle was enjoying huge success, at this time, and Phil thought it would be funny if they did a parody of his old friend. They worked on doing a show about a highly strung former burlesque comedian (renamed Jerry Biffle to keep lawsuits at bay) who had now become a huge but difficult television star. The show was renamed Top Banana.
First to climb aboard the Banana bandwagon were former Phil mentor. Herbie Faye and his namesake Joey Faye, no relation, who appeared with Phil in High Button Shoes. Also recruited was Jack Albertson, a colleague from Phil's early days at the Minskys. Walter Dare Wahl, the ageing vaudeville comedian and former body contortionist, came out of 'early retirement' to play Biffle's masseur. Possibly so that he and Phil could relive the old days!
Rose Marie was brought in to play Betty Dillon, the female lead in the show. She remembered this about her experience with the show: "Phil called and said, 'I want you to do this show with me,'" ---- Rose Marie said, "Well, send me a script.' It wasn't even a show ---- it was twelve pages! Rose Marie said 'Where the hell's the show?' Phil replied, 'Well, we'll do it as we do it.'"
Phil Silvers called East to play the lead in the Broadway production of Top Banana. This was like casting Lassie in Lassie. Phil was, of course, a natural. Phil and his old routines were sensational. His job was to play the thinly disguised part of an ex-banana, Milton Berle, and his then sensational rise into television fame. One night, after his timing was off and the show went bad, Phil walked into Lindy's, a Broadway cheesecake and bagel parlor, and spotted Berle. "Boy," he said, "Were YOU lousy tonight."
When Milton Berle asked Phil about his new show and the plotline, Phil had no choice but to tell him that it was "about a guy who's been 'on' all his life. His only goal is the laugh........Everything to him is a comedy bit.........He never listens to anyone's conversation --- He's just thinking of what he'll say next. The poor guy never had a chance to develop in any other areas." Milton replied, after a bit of a pause, with a beaming smile, "I'll be a sonofabitch --- I know guys just like that!"
The words and songs for Top Banana were developed 'off-the-cuff' in rehearsals. The show proved to be possibly the most explosively funny musical that has ever been produced. The critics fell over themselves to give it 'Triple A' ratings. Celebrated actor and funnyman, Mel Brooks watched the show at the time and says that Phil "Had more pep and energy that I've ever seen in a leading comic. He got in the middle of the two guys doing an old-fashioned stuck-together --- hands, arms --- and he was literally hysterical. I can't even describe it. Top Banana taught me a lot about how to write a Broadway show to get really big laughs. When I was writing The Producers, I said, 'I've gotta bring that back to the theatre.' It was a mandate to me."
During one performance an actor playing an advertising executive was sick, so a skinny, assistant stage manager filled in. At his first entrance, the spectacle of the kid in the fancy suit with the homburg over his ears broke Phil up. He just couldn't stop himself laughing. He said this at the time, "That wasn't too bad, everybody was laughing; the orchestra was dropping their trombones and the audience could see what I was laughing about; they could understand it. But later on, I was there on the stage all alone. And suddenly I thought of that character's entrance and I broke up again. Now it was serious. The orchestra wasn't laughing and neither was the audience. They just stared at me, alone on the stage and laughing. It was awful."
A major highlight of the show was the skit with the dog named Sport.
Jerry Biffle and Sport would grab the attention of animal lovers everywhere with their rendition of A Dog is a Man's Best Friend.
When Jerry (Phil) reached the end of the lyrics ".........when I'm blue and lonesome too, nobody understands me like my dog......." the dog suddenly would point his snout upwards and yowl and yowl to the tune.
The dog was now upstaging Jerry, who became angrier and angrier at this, until finally roaring the tagline, "If you want a pal that's quiet and peaceful .........BUY A CAT!"
Phil Silvers became great friends with Sport, sometimes the pooch would even stay with him in his hotel.....after every performance of A Dog is a Man's Best Friend Phil fed the show-stopping canine.
Phil in Jerry Biffle mode
 | ||||
| ||||
Pinky (Joey Faye) and Moe (Herbie Faye) with Biffle
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
Jerry Biffle and Sport Yowl together
'
