Good News!

**"Good News!"** is a 1927 Broadway musical written by Laurence Schwab, with music by Buddy G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, and Ray Henderson. The show has received two major revisions, ultimately mixing in enough material from other, less popular shows to make this the definitive DeSylva, Brown, and Henderson musical.

## Characters

* Tom Marlowe
* Connie Lane
* Babe O'Day
* Bobby Randall
* Patricia Bingham
* Charles (Charlotte) Kenyon
* Coach Bill Johnson
* Pooch Kearney
* Beef Saunders
* Millie
* Flo
* Sylvester
* Windy

## Songs

### Act One

* Opening Chorus (Students Are We/He's a Ladies Man/Good News) - All
* Flaming Youth - Babe, Millie, Flo, Slats, Windy
* Happy Days - Tom, Jim, Ben, Pete
* Just Imagine - Connie, Patricia, Millie
* The Best Things in Life Are Free - Tom, Connie
* On the Campus - Flo, Millie, Windy, Sylvester
* Varsity Drag - Flo, Millie, Windy, Sylvester
* Baby! What? - Babe, Bobby
* Lucky in Love - Tom, Connie
* Tait Song - Kearney, Johnson, George, Ensemble
* Finaletto - All

### Act Two

* Girl of the Pi Beta Phi - Patricia, Girls
* Today's the Day - Girls
* In the Meantime - Babe, Bobby
* Good News (Reprise) - Flo, Ensemble
* The Best Things in Life Are Free (Reprise) - Tom, Connie
* Finale - All

## Revisions

*Good News!* has had two major revisions. The first, shown on Broadway in 1974 after a year of touring the US, was the most drastic and poorly received, while the 1993 Wichita version, a revised production that combined elements from both Broadway productions, was well-received and is currently available for licensing alongside the original. Although changes can be found throughout, the following are major:

### 1974

* This version of the show transfers the setting from the end of the Roaring Twenties to the Great Depression, a choice, among other things, that critics generally saw as unnecessary and confusing.
* An overture is added in place of the "Opening Fanfare," transforming it into a large dance sequence showing the commotion surrounding the big game.
* "He's a Ladies Man" is expanded into its own song. Pat is removed from the number, making it a feature for Millie, Flo, and the female ensemble.
* "Flaming Youth" and "On the Campus" are cut from the first act.
* The role of Charles Kenyon is genderbent into Charlotte Kenyon, giving them more plot significance as the love interest of Coach Johnson.
* "The Best Things in Life Are Free" is now placed earlier in the show, performed by Professor Kenyon in a rebuttal to the students who want her to pass Tom.
* "Baby! What?" is replaced with a song from sister show *Follow Thru*, "Button Up Your Overcoat." Bobby now has no romantic attraction to Pat, and the engagement between her and Tom is legitimate. Meanwhile, Bobby no longer makes advances on girls other than Babe.
* Kenyon and Johnson are given a love song with the addition of sister show *Hold Everything!'s* "You're the Cream in My Coffee."
* "Varsity Drag" is made into a showcase for Babe, rather than Flo. Flo and Millie have both been relegated to being Pat's sidekicks.
* A popular song written by the authors, "Together," becomes a love ballad for Kenyon.
* The finaletto is expanded into "Lucky in Love (Reprise)."
* "Today's the Day" becomes a lead-in for "Girl of the Pi Beta Phi," instead of vice versa.
* "In the Meantime" is cut.
* Professor Kenyon and Connie now lead "Good News (Reprise)."
* "(Keep Your) Sunny Side Up," originally written for the 1929 film of the same name, now appears in the second act as a number for Pooch to rally the football team.
* "I Want to Be Bad" (from sister show *Follow Thru*) and "The Professor and the Students" are added into the story's climax as a new ending of Kenyon's character arc. Instead of Tom getting by on his test for the sake of the team, he legitimately passes. Kenyon now rallies up the crowd to show their support, effectively lifting his spirits. Her motivations for helping come from a love of Johnson, rather than just her love of Tait Football.

### 1993

* This version built off of the '70s rendition, as it was produced by that production's Bobby Randall, Wayne Bryan. Bryan would perform the part in the studio cast recording.
* The action is placed back in 1928, placing it right before the Great Depression and right at the end of the Roaring Twenties.
* "The Football Drill" is added as a dance sequence for the football team.
* "Happy Days" and the Glee Club Trio have been cut.
* "Sour Apples" (a parody of "Battle Hymn of the Republic") is added as a sequence where Johnson rallies the students to confront Kenyon.
* "Together" is sung in counterpoint with "My Lucky Star," a song from sister show *Follow Thru*. The former is now sung as a duet between Kenyon and Johnson, while the latter is sung by Connie.
* "On the Campus" has been placed back into the show, and "The Best Things in Life Are Free" is given back to Tom and Connie.
* "Never Swat a Fly," from the film *Just Imagine*, restores a moment from the original production that originally featured "In the Meantime."
* "Tait Song" and "Just Imagine" are moved to the second act. The latter is given new emotional context as Connie's farewell to Tom, rather than a song about a crush. (This is a change originally made in the 1947 film.) At the end, she rips up her ticket and leaves it on the ground, to be discovered by Babe. This prompts Babe to tell Bobby, who has placed money on Tait winning the game and is now fearing for his life at the news that he (and the school) will probably lose if Tom is in poor spirits.
* "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries," first performed by Ethel Merman in George White's Scandals of 1931, replaces "I Want to Be Bad" and "The Professor and the Students." Kenyon's plan now involves Babe and Connie in a comedic farce. Kenyon dresses as Connie to save Coach Johnson, Babe dresses as Connie to make sure Bobby wins a bet he placed on Tait, and Connie decides to come to the game despite ripping her ticket. All three are mistaken for one another by the Ticket Taker and denied entry until they tie him up and gag him.
* The character of Muffin, who only appeared in the 1974 version, is removed.

## Film and Radio Adaptations

MGM produced two adaptations of the story in 1930 and 1947. The 1930 version's plot adhered closely to the source material, which had only just closed on Broadway, despite its soundtrack being almost entirely revamped. The 1947 film was more faithful to the original soundtrack, but the plot was noticeably stretched out to put more focus on Tom and Connie.

In 1948, NBC adapted the musical into the first episode of *The Railroad Hour*, condensing the story into a 45-minute program (including two ads for the Association of American Railroads) consisting of three acts. The broadcast consisted of songs from the original show, although various plot points were changed, omitted, or otherwise quickly explained for the sake of time.

The production of *Good News!* was touched on in the 1956 DeSylva, Brown, and Henderson biopic *The Best Things in Life Are Free*.

## See Also

* *Sunny Side Up*
* *Just Imagine*
* "Together"
* *Follow Thru*
* *Hold Everything!*

## Media

#### Licensing

License Good News! (1927)

License Good News! (1993)

#### Music

The 1947 film recording is available for purchase on all major platforms, and for streaming on Apple Music.

The 1993 Wichita Cast Recording is available for physical purchase from Amazon, as well as digital purchase and streaming from iTunes and Apple Music.

#### Movies

Rent/Purchase Good News (1947) on iTunes

Rent/Purchase Good News (1947) on Google Play

Rent/Purchase Good News (1947) on Amazon Video

#### Sheet Music

Purchase Sheet Music for "The Best Things in Life Are Free"

Purchase Sheet Music for "Button Up Your Overcoat"

Purchase Sheet Music for "Girl of the Pi Beta Phi"

Purchase Sheet Music for "Good News"

Purchase Sheet Music for "He's a Ladies' Man"

Purchase Sheet Music for "I Want to Be Bad"

Purchase Sheet Music for "Just Imagine"

Purchase Sheet Music for "(Keep Your) Sunny Side Up"

Purchase Sheet Music for "Lucky in Love"

Purchase Sheet Music for "Together"

Purchase Sheet Music for "The Varsity Drag"

Purchase Sheet Music for "You're the Cream in My Coffee" (Nat King Cole version)