Dancer / NYC / Winter Garden Theatre
September 21, 1938 - November 26, 1938 / 78 performances
Music by
Cole Porter / Book by Rowland Leigh
Choreography by Robert Alton / Direction by Rowland Leigh
Mel Ferrer's first appearance on Broadway was as a
chorus boy in this little know Cole Porter musical that ran for only 78
performances at the Winter Garden Theatre. Although Porter was
enormously popular at this time, "You Never Know" was one of his few
failures, written while he was recovering from a painful horseback
riding accident that left him crippled for the rest of his life.
Based on the play "By Candlelight," the light-hearted story is set in
1929 Paris and revolves around a case of mistaken identity. Baron
de Romer is a sophisticated playboy growing weary of the game - tiring
of his latest involvement with a blues singer named Ida and having
second thoughts about his newest flirtation with Mme Beltin, the unhappy
wife of a wealthy German industrialist. His butler Gaston, on the other
hand, is eager to experience for himself the life of the upper crust, so
when he intercepts a phone call for his master, he becomes utterly
enchanted with the voice on the other end whom he believes to be Mme
Beltin. The charming voice actually belongs to her maid Maria, who
enjoys pretending to be her mistress, thus setting into motion a
confusing series of encounters with neither knowing who they're
really meeting nor with whom they're falling in love.
An all star cast graced the musical, which was lead by Clifton Webb in
the leading romantic role of Gaston opposite volatile Latina movie star
Lupe Velez as his true love Maria. Popular chanteuse Libby Holman played
Mme Beltin and Rex O'Malley played her bored paramour Baron de Romer
while Charles Kemper enacted her husband Henri Beltin and Toby Wing
played the cast-off Ida.
Although the musical had one decided hit song in "At Long Last Love,"
the show itself met with lukewarm reviews from critics and audience
alike, both of whom deemed it far too overblown and extravagant for the
rather sweet love story at its core. Big musical numbers abounded with a
huge cast of dancers and singers in an over-staged production done by
Porter himself. These criticisms could well be correct, but it should
probably be noted the musical was staged much later in a far more
simplified production and that staging fared no better.
Melchor Ferrer was not in the opening night cast, though he had already
been selected as a dancer for the show and joined the chorus shortly
into the run. One of Mel Ferrer's favorite stories over the years was
how he was taught to dance in two hours by the star of the show -
Clifton Webb, whom he knew casually through his socially privileged
background. Spotting him at auditions, Webb drawled, "My dear boy, what
ARE you doing heah?" Realizing his young acquaintance hadn't any idea
what was expected of him, he took the apt pupil aside and crammed enough
dance knowledge into him to help him keep the gig.
Ferrer had been living in Vermont before his appearance in this musical
and in later interviews he indicates he decided to go to New York on a whim
of despair
after he and his wife Frances lost their first child. Once the gig was secured,
the young couple relocated to New York City and a second musical quickly
followed. Ferrer was never reviewed in the show, but his appearance was
noted in a NY society column, which snidely chortled, "Melchor Ferrer must be the
only chorus boy listed in the Social Register." Mel found the mention
amusing, but his mother most assuredly did not and promptly had his name
removed from the prestigious social blue book.
