Before the Parade Passes By: Gower Champion and the Glorious American Musical

By John Anthony Gilvey

Book Overview

On August 25, 1980, the curtain fell on the first night of the original production of 42nd St. David Merrick, the show's megalomaniacal producer, stepped to the footlights and told the audience that the show's director, Gower Champion, had died that afternoon. Some believe he took the classic Broad-way musical with him. Starting his career as one-half of a song and dance team with his wife, Gower and Marge Champion first wowed audiences in nightclubs around the world and then moved to Hollywood where they starred in many films, most notably the 1951 MGM remake of Showboat. But the stage always called to Gower and in 1960, he was hired to direct Bye, Bye Birdie. It was a smash and Champion's career was off and running. John Gilvey had extensive access to all of his archives as well as to everyone associated with Champion, including Marge Champion, Carol Channing, Jerry Hermann, Jerry Orbach, Chita Rivera and others. This is one of the great theatre biographies that every Broadway devotee will want.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312337760
• ISBN13: 9780312337766
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.7" x 1.4" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

The Glorious Parade

When thinking of the "Golden Era" of Broadway and some of its "glorious musicals," it is likely that Bye Bye Birdie, Hello, Dolly! or 42nd Street will come to mind. With these, as with many of Broadway's finest musicals, the name Gower Champion is closely related. In John Anthony Gilvey's Before the Parade Passes By, the life and works of Gower Champion are chronicled and brought to the public eye for the first time, allowing readers to experience the story of the man behind the musicals. The book encompasses his whole life, both on and off stage, providing an intimate portrait of who he was and how his personal life affected him and his work. It also does not skip a single major work that Gower was part of. Not only are all of his creative endeavors mentioned (including his nightclub and films with partner/wife Marge Champion), but they are discussed in such detail that even if you had not seen the productions (as was the case with this reader for the majority of them), it feels as though you have because costumes, sets, choreography and casting are described so vividly. This well researched and detailed book is written with a passion and respect for Gower Champion and a love for the classical, elegant "Golden Era" in which he was a prominent driving force. Those who lived through that time will enjoy this "behind-the-scenes" look at how Gower shaped and molded some of Broadway's biggest successes as well as works that should have been laid to rest. For those unfamiliar with this time, Parade is an opportunity to gain knowledge of where present-day musicals find their roots: in the heartfelt, extravagant days of the "glorious American musical."

A read for Academic and Non-Academic--Truly Authoritative

After reading John Gilvey's work "Before the Parade Passes By" I felt compelled to share some thoughts that I believe promote Gilvey's book to a universal level of readership. Gilvey writing is understandable, clear and well researched. It appears that every statement that Gilvey makes is grounded in primary sources. This authoritative text embodies many of the characters that have graced Broadway as they submit for review the life of one of Broadway's greatest legends, Gower Champion. Gilvey's documentation is nearly flawless as he relates Gower's life in an way that is understandable to a Theater director as well as a person who is marvelled by excellent biographies. Gilvey's command of using contacts to portray a factual--gossip free--depiction of Gower Champion's life should be commended. I welcome Gilvey's book to my library and reccommend it any serious reader, both academic and non-academic alike.

A must have from the Stage hand to the Director

Gilvey portrays Gower with a new clarity that many published and soon to be published works fail to do. While his style is chatty--making the book more interesting to read--his writing is based on solid factual information with wonderful nuiances. This work is authoritative and should be used in the classroom as well as on the stage. I found it to be informative, enjoyable and free from common gossip.

Celebration of Broadway

I thought this was a well-written, enjoyable and informative look into a great dancer and behind the scenes of the world of Broadway and show biz. It placed Mr. Champion within context of not just Browadway but of the dance world and Hollywood as well. It gives one a good idea what goes into creating a Broadway show and how the people relate to and interact with each other in the creative process, and gave insight not only into Mr. Champion himself but into the other many talented people he worked with==producers, actors, creative people, etc. Thoroughly enjoyed it and found it fascinating.

A Man and a Time on Broadway

It could be argued that the Golden Age of the American Musical Theater ran from Gower Champion's 'Bye Bye Birdie' in 1960 to Gower Champion's '42nd Street' in 1980. John Gilvey thinks so and in this biography, this tribute to Gower Champion he makes a good case. It is certainly a well written and intimate story of his life and of the way he re-defined the way musicals were made. The book is quite detailed in the description of how the hits, 'Birdie' and '42nd Street' of course, but also 'Mame,' 'Hello Dolly' (10 Tony Awards), 'I Do, I Do,' and others were made. He also covers the flops that if nothing else showed how not to do it. Professor Gilvey is a professor of speech and theater, and wrote this book based on extensive interviews with family, friends and colleagues including Marge Champion, and many well known Broadway names including Carol Channing, Jerry Orbach and Debbie Reynolds. It is an excellent tribute to Gower Champion and a good history of this time in the theater.