Du Barry was a Lady

Du Barry was a Lady (1939), a musical comedy by B. G. De Sylva, Herbert Fields (book), Cole Porter (music, lyrics). [46th Street Theatre, 408 perf.] Louis Blore (Bert Lahr) is a nightclub washroom attendant. He loves the floor show's star, May Daley (Ethel Merman), who has eyes only for a reporter, Alex Barton (Ronald Graham). Louis attempts to give Alex a mickey, but accidentally drinks it himself. Unconscious, he dreams that he is Louis XV and that May is Madame Du Barry. When he awakes he realizes the futility of his quest, so resumes scrubbing basins. Notable songs: Do I Love You?; Friendship; Katie Went to Haiti; Well, Did You Evah? Although the De Sylva–produced musical had a rather flimsy premise, the brashness and brassiness of the Porter songs and its superb stars turned the offering into a hit.