Ankles Aweigh

Ankles Aweigh was a pretty big flop. I couldn't believe there was a cast recording considering it ran for 176 performances in 1955 and lost money. Apparently they even cut the salaries of the performers to try and save money (they quit in response, naturally).

So, critics hated Ankles Aweigh, and so did audiences. The main complaint was that it was dated (it was more of a vaudeville style from the pre-Oklahoma! era) and people wanted the songs and book to flow together and to not have characters doing impersonations of Zsa Zsa Gabor.

I didn't hate the music. I thought the song Honeymoon was pretty ahead of its time lyrically, but, of course the song, Nothing Can Replace a Man, made me angry, even if it was satirical.

Ankles Aweigh
Music by Sammy Fain
Lyrics by Dan Shapiro
Book by Guy Bolton, Eddie Davis