There seem to be an unusual amount of topical pop culture references, and obsure terms in Bye Bye Birdie, at least old-timey to us living sixty two years later. We've done quite a bit of dramaturgy with the cast during rehearsal, and wanted to share a list (we stole from Snooksville Theatre) of things that need explaining in the world of the late 1950s to more fully enjoy the little jokes tossed around in the show or at least to gain a better understanding of what the characters are talking about.
- Arpege: This perfume was first sold in 1927. You can still buy it today (around $40 for a 1.7 ounce bottle). It smells of honeysuckle, jasmine, roses and orange blossoms. Albert's quote is an advertising slogan first used when the product was introduced.
- Dentifrice: This is just a fancy word for toothpaste; although it could be any tooth-cleaning substance, not just a paste.
- Nero: Roman Emperor from 54-68 A.D. Born 12/15/37. Died 06/09/68. Known for fiddling.
- Ed Sullivan: Variety show impresario. Born 09/28/1902. Died 10/13/1974. "The Ed Sullivan Show" ran from 1948 -- it was called "Toast Of The Town" then -- until 1971.
- Margo/Shangri-La:In 1937's "Lost Horizon" (based on the book of the same name), a group of travelers are stuck in a utopia called Shangri-La, somewhere in the Himalayas. One of the residents of Shangri-La is Maria, played by Margo, a Mexican dancer and actress. When the travelers finally escape, Maria insists on going with them. But outside the realm of Shangri-La, her youthful beauty can no longer be maintained and she reverts to her true age, causing her to die and her appearance to transform to the hideously withered, wrinkled features of someone who has lived way beyond a normal life span.
- Albert Schweitzer: Nobel Prize winner. Born 01/14/1875. Died 09/04/1965. Schweitzer was a theologian and musician before becoming a doctor at age 38. Then he started a hospital in Africa. For his work there, and his writings and lectures, he received the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize. With the Nobel money, he started a leper colony. I can only speculate as to why Rosie would say she's not his type.
- Benedict Arnold/Mussolini: American traitor. Born 01/14/1741. Died 06/14/1801/ Italian dictator. Born 07/29/1883. Died 04/28/1945.
- Ingrid Bergman: Oscar winning actress. Born 08/29/1915. Died 08/29/1982. In 1950 she had an out-of-wedlock son with Italian director Roberto Rossellini (not Mussolini), which was quite the scandal, and a few months later married him. (And seven years after that, they divorced.)
- Terramycin: This antibiotic was approved by the FDA in 1950. You may know it by its generic name, tetracycline. It's used mostly for skin problems, such as acne.
- Henry Luce: Publisher. Born 04/03/1898. Died 02/28/1967. Luce was a co-founder of Time, Inc. in 1922. By the time of "Bye Bye Birdie", his empire included Time, Fortune, Life, and Sports Illustrated. (Today, Time, Inc. publishes 150 magazines and is a division of Time Warner.)
- Amapola: The song, "Amapola", was first published in 1924, but it became a #1 hit for the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra in 1941.
- Peter Lawford: Actor. Born 09/07/1923. Died 12/24/1984. Member of Frank Sinatra's rat pack, Lawford was also part of the Kennedy family by marriage to John F. Kennedy's sister.
- Flying Down To Rio/Greed: 1933's musical "Flying Down To Rio" starred Dolores Del Rio and Gene Raymond. It was also the first movie with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. "Greed" is from 1924. The only connection I can see which might make them a great double bill is that they both involve love triangles.
- Dolores Del Rio: Actress. Born 08/03/1905. Died 04/11/1983. Originally from Mexico, Dolores Del Rio was a regular on the Hollywood party circuit when she was discovered in the 1920s and made a career in both silent movies and the talkies.
- Gene Raymond: Actor. Born 08/13/1908. Died 05/03/1998. He debuted on Broadway at age 12 and had 40 years of work in the movies.
- Mr. Keen: "Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons" was a radio show that ran from 1937-1955. Mr. Keen was played by several people over the years, and apparently the crimes rarely involved the need to trace lost persons.
- The Shadow: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" The Shadow was a popular radio and comics character for many years, fighting crime in a dark, mysterious way. Lamont Cranston was a man ("wealthy young man about town") whose identity the Shadow sometimes assumed.
- Granada: The original version of this song, about Granada, Spain, came out in 1932 in Spanish. Popular versions have also been recorded in English and as instrumentals.
- Abbe Lane: Singer and actress. Born 12/14/1932. Abbe Lane is Jewish. She became popular initially in Italian movies. For many years she was known as a nightclub singer of Latin songs, due to her marriage to Xavier Cugat. Fun fact: She was Beebe Gallini on "The Brady Bunch", the owner of a cosmetics company who wanted Mike to design a new factory for her.
