# Take Me Along

Take Me Along is a 1959 musical based on the 1933 Eugene O'Neill play Ah, Wilderness!, with music and lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Joseph Stein and Robert Russell.

## Background

The idea to musicalize Ah, Wilderness! came to David Merrick when George M. Cohan came through St. Louis with the original production of the O'Neill play. (It was rare of Merrick to mention his hometown, as he hated it, and once he refused to fly TWA to the coast because it flew over St. Louis). While producing The Matchmaker in 1955, he began working on Connecticut Summer. Things came to a halt when lyricist/librettist John La Touche died suddenly in 1956 at the age of 41. But in 1957, an adaptation of another O'Neill play, Anna Christie, came to town, called New Girl in Town. Merrick decided to ask the composer, Bob Merrill, to take another stab at it.

## Synopsis

In a small Connecticut town on July 4, 1906, Nat and Essie Miller head a middle class New England family with teenage children who are coming of age, falling in love, and desperately trying to stay out of trouble. Bob Merrill's rousing and lovely score includes "Staying Young," "That's How It Starts," "Promise Me A Rose," and the title song.

## Original cast and characters

| Character | Broadway (1959) | First Broadway Revival (1985) |
| Sid Davis | Jackie Gleason | Kurt Knudson |
| Nat Miller | Walter Pidgeon | Robert Nichols |
| Lily Miller | Eileen Herlie | Beth Fowler |
| Essie Miller | Una Merkel | Betty Johnson |
| Richard Miller | Robert Morse | Gary Landon Wright |
| Wint Selby | Peter Conlow | Joel Whittaker |
| Muriel McComber | Susan Luckey | Taryn Grimes |
| Dave MacComber | Fred Miller | Richard Korthaze |
| Belle | Arlene Golonka | Nikki Sahagen |
| Mildred Miller | Zeme North | Alyson Kirk |
| Arthur Miller | James Cresson | Stephen McDonough |
| Tommy Miller | Luke Halpin | N/A |
| Bartender | Jack Collins | David Vosburgh |
| The Drunk | Gene Varrone | N/A |

## Songs

Knights on White Horses was added for Lily (Beth Fowler) in the 1985 revival. Volunteer Firemen's Picnic has been borrowed twice by animated TV show Family Guy: first for the episode PTV as The Freakin' FCC. The song then returned for a special appearance at the Emmy Awards as If You Want It You Can Find It On TV, taking potshots at Desperate Housewives, Two and a Half Men and The Sopranos among others.

## Productions

Take Me Along was directed by Peter Glenville with choreography by Onna White, production design by Oliver Smith, lighting by Jean Rosenthal, costumes by Miles White, musical direction and vocal arrangements by Lehman Engel, dances and musical numbers staging by Onna White, ballet and incidental music by Laurence Rosenthal, orchestrations by Philip J. Lang; and was produced by David Merrick. It opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on October 22, 1959 and closed on December 17, 1960, after 448 performances.
A revival opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theater in April 1985, closing after 7 previews and 1 regular performance following seven months of successful runs at The Goodspeed Opera House, The Shubert Theatre New Haven, and The Kennedy Center. Kurt Knudson scored a Tony nomination for the role of Sid Davis and Gary Wright received a Theatre World Award nomination for his role as Richard Miller.
The musical opened at the Irish Repertory Theater, New York City, in a limited run, from February 28, 2008, through April 13, 2008.

## Use in advertising

In 1967, United Airlines' advertising agency, Leo Burnett, adapted the title song for a massive ad campaign, anchored by promotional films directed by Michael Cimino, who would later become a noted motion picture screenwriter and director. An urban legend then goes on to say that the ad campaign backfired when United offered a two-for-one "take me along" fare in ads encouraging (male) business travelers to take their wives with them on business trips. United then sent "thank you" letters to the wives of business travelers who had taken advantage of the promotion. Unfortunately, many of these wives had not been "taken along" on those trips. Instead, many husbands had supposedly traveled with their mistresses. In truth, companions were only offered discounts, never freebies.

## Awards and nominations
### Original Broadway production

| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 1960 | Tony Award | Best Musical | Best Musical | Nominated |
| 1960 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Jackie Gleason | Won |
| 1960 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Robert Morse | Nominated |
| 1960 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Walter Pidgeon | Nominated |
| 1960 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Eileen Herlie | Nominated |
| 1960 | Tony Award | Best Direction of a Musical | Peter Glenville | Nominated |
| 1960 | Tony Award | Best Choreography | Onna White | Nominated |
| 1960 | Tony Award | Best Conductor and Musical Director | Lehman Engel | Nominated |
| 1960 | Tony Award | Best Costume Design | Miles White | Nominated |
| 1960 | Tony Award | Best Stage Technician | Al Alloy | Nominated |