Music for LAUGH IT OFF by Diana Ayres (Baby Peggy Montgomery) 1942. RARE-UNIQUE!

Description: Original LYRICS for a Musical entitled LAUGH IT OFF, written by Diana Aryes (Baby Peggy Montgomery) and Margaret Haliday, with Music by Gregory Fisher. Copyright 1942. NOTE: These items as described below are one of a kind, and as far as I know no other copies exist. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire such a unique collectible. LAUGH IT OFF (1942) American Theatrical MusicalThese are lyrics to what was to have been a musical for legitimate theatrical production. As described in her autobiography WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY PEGGY? on page 260, Baby Peggy Montgomery [was a silent film child star who also worked in vaudeville and a few talkies] (aka) Diana Serra Cary. At the time of this musical was written she was married to Gordon Ayres (a playwright), they married in 1938. She describes after Pearl Harbor "Among the many vaudevillians who had moved west were the Duncan Sisters; they planned to open a nightclub called the Pirate's Den, a far cry from "Topsy and Eva." They talked glowingly about staging musical comedies. Encouraged by their ambitious pans and in the patriotic spirit of the times, Greg and I turned out an entire musical entitled "Laugh It Off!" It was filled with stirring wartime songs and production numbers: I Promise to Remember" (war-parted lovers), "The Capital Guy on Capitol Hill!" (FDR). "Swinging on the Swing Shift" (home-front fare), and a flag-waving finale worthy of Irving Berlin himself, "It Won't Be Over, 'Til Someone Hollers Uncle, and It Won't bye Uncle Sam!'"THE SONGS IN THIS COLLECTION include:TITLE PAGE Page 1. LAUGH IT OFF A Musical Comedy Book and Lyrics by DIANA AYRES and MARGARET HALIDAY. Music by GREGORY FISHER. Copyright 1942, All Rights Reserved.OVERTURE in Bass title in right corner (A)"Fancy of my Heart" (B) "Land that God Remembers" and (C) Piano Vamp "Room in My Heart". Note: this is one page of a four page leaf, one page is written on, other three are blank.No. 5 PICKIN' COTTON IN THE SKY Song and Dance (Blodgett, Aspirin and Chorus) Piano. Note: this is one page, (Page 38); attached to No. 6, on the backside INCIDENTAL MUSIC Moderato Piano and Trombone. One page of music where Mammy is picked up by a spot, and she wrings clothes. Page 37, at bottom. Following on from Page 38 above, are 5 (five) sets of pages, two pages in each set, numbering 39-40, 41-42, 43-44, 45-46 and 47-48 which seems to be Blodgett and Chorus in a continuation of No. 5 PICKIN' COTTON IN THE SKY.No. 17 THE CAPITAL GUY ON CAPITOL HILL. Song for Bill, Aspirin and Workmen. Piano Moderato Pages 165-166, 167-168, 169-170.No. 18 MY DRIFT FENCE OF DREAMS (Duet for The Cowboy and Peggy), typed across the upper right corner of page 125 is Music by Greg Fisher and underneath Lyric by Diana Ayres. Pages 125-126, 127-128, 129-130, 131-132, 133 (single page residue of like brown packing tape partly removed in upper right corner?).No. 21 FINALE-ACT II (Peggy) Pages 199-200, 201-202.No. 25 I'M NOBODY'S COUSIN Song (Peggy) Allegro Moderato. Page 161-162, 163-164.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~THE ABOVE ITEMS is/are what Diana Serra Cary termed to me in a letter, dated September 26, 1997, as: "Enclosed is a pot pouri of production numbers from the musical comedy I helped write back in 1942...it was written to open the Duncan Sister's PIRATE DEN on Sunset but it never was produced because the city fathers decided the night club was too close to the Blessed Sacrament Church to be issued a permit to operate! LAUGH IT OFF! was a wartime trip through the U.S.A. which is why there is a cowboy song laid in the American West (DRIFT FENCE OF DREAMS) and a Deep South ditty set in the cotton fields of Georgia. The song entitled I'M NOBODY'S COUSIN is a spoof on Hollywood nepotism, and the original show ended with a tour of the Swing Shift at a local L.A. aircraft factory." Later in the letter she said she 'tossed the rest of script as it is too bulky to drag through one more move.' Personal note: It was too late to say 'STOP!', as I received this package after the script (or Book as they call it in theatre) was already long in the dust bin of history. However, on the telephone I did convey to Diana that I wish she had sent the whole 'damned' package. So, as they say the script (book) is forever "lost" to entertainment history.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Baby Peggy Montgomery was born October 29, 1918 and died on February 24, 2020, at the age of 101. Baby Peggy was the daughter of Jack and Marian (Baxter) Montgomery. Jack was a western cowboy, who also made a living as a stunt man and extra in Westerns, and one day Marian came to visit, and Peggy was noticed by Century Pictures (subsidiary of Universal Pictures), and the rest is history - becoming a child star that was an early prototype of the later day Shirley Temple. Baby Peggy was an equal rival to the male child star Jackie Coogan (in fact in later years they remained good friends) and she wrote the biography of "Jackie Coogan: The World's Boy King." She acted in over 50 short and feature films, beginning in 1921, she also made 8 sound films, as well as, appeared in Vaudeville. In later life she worked as a book buyer, and eventually, after selling a truncated version of her life to Reader's Digest magazine, decided to embark on a writing career. Her first book THE HOLLYWOOD POSSE was a tribute to her father and the men and women who relived the Old West in films, and later Television. Her second book HOLLYWOOD'S CHILDREN told the tales of child performers in theatre, film and TV, including her own; and this book led to her own autobiography WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY PEGGY? She appeared at numerous Hollywood Memorabilia Shows and Conventions, and lectured about early Hollywood, including guest spots on television. I was fortunate enough to meet Diana Serra Cary, in September 0f 1996 at one such memorabilia show and film convention, Cinecon, as a dealer, and as Diana said that meeting was both happenstance and serendipity. We remained close friends until her death, almost 24 years.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These pages are 81 years of age. These items are from my personal collection. They were given to me by Baby Peggy also known as Diana Ayres, and later Diana Serra Cary. PLEASE NOTE: These pages are sold AS IS. And are sold one collector to another. No Rights are given or implied.NO RETURNS for whatever reason. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Postage and Handling: All items are shipped in bubble wrap or cardboard, and secure packaging. I try to reuse tubes and cardboard, bubble wrap at every opportunity to save the environment. Postage prices are what is determined by eBay, and/or United States Post Office pricing. I do not make up prices. Postage like everything else has risen in costs over the years. Also, please note, I try to get my packages out on a timely basis, and provide tracking so you can follow it's progress. Unfortunately, I have found since the pandemic that services sometimes take longer, so if your package(s) are delayed please do not hold me accountable if said items do not reach you in time for a gift (birthday, Santa Day, anniversary, et cetera) once the item(s) are with the carrier I can do nothing except wait, just like you. All my packages (posters, photographs, slides, ephemera) are shipped in the USA via PRIORITY MAIL with Insurance included. If the bid price goes higher then additional insurance is added to the winning bid. I can mail multiples of the same item (books or photos, posters, slides, but added items may increase the weight adding to postage costs, and will add to the Insurance total. Rest of the World I will ship via USPS First Class Mail International/First Class Package International Service, and again with Insurance. Insurance is to protect both the bidder and seller from unfortunate circumstances which can happen beyond the control of you or me. INSURANCE IS ADDED TO EACH INVOICE, and is a must. NOTES (regarding insurance): I will combine like items. Single or multiple items that fall under $100.00 US, are covered in standard PRIORITY MAIL boxes. Anything over $100.00 is computed using the USPS calculator to figure the total costs of insurance. This will be noted on the INVOICE as 'charge'. And, I will detail same in my Invoice email to you from the eBay site. Do Not Pay for Your Item(s) Until I send you an Invoice. If you pay, and proper Insurance is not added you will receive another invoice with the additional charges to cover the Insurance, No If ands or Buts! *** I do not ship any item without insurance protection.*** All my packages are shipped with Tracking. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PLEASE NOTE: I DO NOT ACCEPT RETURNS, for any reason. If you have questions please ask.I have been in the entertainment and collectors businesses for over 40 years combined. I am selling portions of my collection as they are no longer needed, having served their purpose for research, or personal enjoyment. I am offering these items in my auctions or But It Now options for others to collect, cherish and enjoy as I have. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thanks for reading and looking at my auctions. Enjoy! I will combine shipping of like items. Let me know, what you are bidding on, so I can combine all items for correct packaging, weight and postage/insurance.

Price: 39.99 USD

Location: Rancho Mirage, California

End Time: 2024-11-07T21:22:40.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD