| They might have tried a sung-through musical (although "Most Happy Fella" actually does have dialogue) after the world-wide success of "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" which is pretty much all sung. This would have been early 1960s when "Most Happy Fella" was a relatively recent show. I don't know who might have been cast as Tony back then though without dubbing. I suppose George Sanders, a usually suave character man, could have played him, and sung the role himself, based on his own lovely singing in "Call Me Madam". Or James Cagney with dubbing, but most folks knew what Cagney sounded like, so the dubbing would have been obvious. Jane Powell or Shirley Jones would have been lovely as Rosabella. |
