| I have always thought this was one of the most beautiful melodies I ever heard. Bu the lyrics are so specific to the plot of Goodtime Charley that it never stood much of a chance to become a standard. I got to see this show and I had a vested interested in its success because my dear friend Kate Dezina (MM in JC Superstar, and Estelle in All My Children) was Ann Reinking's standby, so I had hoped to see Kate go on if Ann was ever out. And because I now live in Ojai, CA I can identify with the lyrics about surviving fires and floods. I often visited Kate on the set of All My Children. Her character of Estelle was the hooker with a heart of gold in an abusive relationship with her pimp, Billy Clyde, played with a grimy cruelty by Matthew Cowles, who Kate eventually married. It was always fun to walk down the streets of NYC with a well-known entertainer but when I was with Kate and Matthew, the looks were hilarious. How could this sweet whore be friendly offstage with that horrible pimp??? Matthew eventually married Christine Baranski until he died about 8 years ago. |
