Mexican Hayride "too sexy for GIs"
Bobby and Luba Malina in Mexican Hayride. Luba
was one of the only original castmembers to appear
in the 1948 Universal film adaptation. Click on the
thumbnails for full-sized images.
was one of the only original castmembers to appear
in the 1948 Universal film adaptation. Click on the
thumbnails for full-sized images.
I found this on eBay a couple of weeks ago. It seems that some portions of Bobby Clark's 1944 Broadway hit Mexican Hayride were considered so salacious that the USO banned it as a camp show for GIs overseas. That's right.. Civilians could see Mexican Hayride whenever they felt like it, but not servicemen getting their asses shot at. Lord knows what the moral guardians at the USO got their knickers in a twist over. Universal certainly had no problem converting Herbert and Dorothy Fields' play into a toothless, Cole Porter-less, kid-friendly Abbott and Costello vehicle. Considering that the USO lost Bobby's collection of skits that very same year, I doubt he harbored many warm feelings for that particular institution.
Labels: Bobby Clark, stage
posted by Aaron Neathery at 8:47 AM
3 Comments:
I won the eBay auction referred to here - it was a picture of one of the "objectionable" scenes in the play - and would like to find out more about why the USO objected to it. So if anyone out there knows, please post your comments.
I read that Clark had written an autobiography that his widow had. She was reputedly a former burlesque dancer.
Does anyone know her name (stage name?) and whatever happened to his unpublished autobiography?
I've heard that rumor, too. Clark's wife's name was Angele Gaignat (and I'll bet she went by something else on stage), but I've had no luck tracking her or her family down. They had no children, which just makes things that much more difficult.
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