The Revuers Emerge, Soar … and Coast

Abstract

Betty Comden and Adolph Green suddenly found themselves thrust into the limelight in New York in 1939 when they formed, with Judy Holliday and two other friends, a sketch-comedy group named the Revuers. They performed initially at the Village Vanguard, and strong critical response meant that they were soon performing in larger and more upscale venues, such as the Rainbow Room and Carnegie Hall. The group’s rise to the top seemed to be assured when they got a offer to appear in a movie, but it fell through shortly after they traveled to California. Undaunted, they secured another project, but their work in that ended on the cutting room floor. As 1944 wound down Comden and Green returned to New York, wondering what would come next.