Sir, - More out of curiosity than a desire to correct Mr Comiskey in his lament for the passing of the great lady of song, Ella Fitzgerald, I write to query mention of the song Manhattan. Mr Comiskey twice credits Cole Porter as the author of this great song, whereas Manhattan was, in fact, composed by Richard Rodgers in partnership with his lyricist Lorenz Hart in the late 1920s, so there's the correction out of the way!
Now for my curiosity. In Ella's rendition, she sings "And My Fair Lady is a terrific show they say . . ." At least one other artiste I've heard, although I can't recall who it was, sings "and South Pacific is a terrific show they say...", which forms a clever internal rhyme. But, since at least 20 years passed before either of these shows opened, the question which arouses my curiosity is what was the name of the show named originally by Larry Hart?
- Yours, etc.,
Lower Albert Road,
Sandycove,
Co Dublin.