Steppin’ in Society

Abstract

Chapter 3 begins with Bolger’s first work abroad, as he appeared in London while honeymooning with his wife, Gwen Rickar Bolger, the summer before the stock market crash of 1929. The Brits enjoyed American entertainers. Bolger’s act was new to them, but his style resonated with the British, who were no strangers to pantomime or dry humor. Bolger’s eccentric steps and faux British accent were well received at the Kit Kat Club. The chapter then chronicles Bolger’s first major Broadway book musical, Rodgers and Hart’s Me for You, which became Heads Up!, and his first critically acclaimed Broadway show, George White’s Scandals of 1931.