STAGE TUBE: On This Day for 9/04/16 - Frank Loesser's THE MOST HAPPY FELLA

Hello and welcome to BWW's ON THIS DAY Series! Please read along as, each day, we celebrate birthdays, shows' openings and all kinds of theatrical events that have happened on this date.

On 4 September 1991, New York City Opera opened their production of "The Most Happy Fella", a relatively little-known musical by Frank Loesser, whose more famed work includes Guys and Dolls.

Based on Sid Howard's film, "They Knew What They Wanted", this touching, dramatic and intensely personal love story is about a middle-aged vintner, Tony, whose mail-order marriage proposal is accepted under the girl's mistaken assumption a photo of his young, handsome foreman is her intended husband. Her hurt and humiliation when she learns the truth, as well as a terrible accident which nearly kills Tony as he hurries to meet her, almost ends the relationship before it begins, but a loving understanding blossoms between them during Tony's long convalescence.

Here's a clip from a more recent performance.