Tag: Lord Byron of Broadway

Synopsis

A young woman waits outside the Trocadero Cafe to speak to Roy Erskine, who has been avoiding her. She  says she knows Roy is through with her. She is not complaining because she always knew she would end up as “just another song”. Roy makes love to girls, breaks their hearts, and then turns it into material for a new song. Roy says he did not get a song from her, implying she was just a golddigger. 

Roy goes into the Trocadero, where he plays piano. He meets flirtatious Bessie, who offers to let him use the piano in her apartment to work. Back at her apartment, Bessie reveals that she has been in love with Roy for months. She has only been in love once before and, to prove it, she shows Roy a bundle of old love letters. While they are kissing, Roy gets an idea for a song. 

Later, in the Trocadero, Bessie introduces Roy to Mr Millaire, who plays in a vaudeville theatre orchestra and is interested in Roy’s songs. Roy agrees to bring an example to the theatre. Now he has written a new song, Roy starts to avoid Bessie.  

Roy goes to a music shop and asks Nancy Clover to produce a piano copy of a song for him, because he does not read music. Roy and Nancy are attracted to each other. Roy takes Nancy to the theatre [The Japanese Sandman] where his new song is being performed by Joe Lundeen [A Bundle of Old Love Letters]. Roy is shocked to find that Millaire has taken credit for writing the song. 

Going to  Joe’s dressing room, they find him talking to his agent, Phil. Roy and Nancy perform the song to a sceptical Joe and Phil [A Bundle of Old Love Letters]. Joe and Phil are convinced and Phil suggests Joe, Roy and Nancy form a new act. 

Three months later, Lundeen and Erskine with Nancy Clover are a hit [A Bundle of Old Love Letters]  and so is the song. Roy is flirting with a dancer “for inspiration,” making Nancy unhappy. In the dressing room, Joe advises Nancy to be patient, saying Roy is on a merry-go-round for the moment. Riccardi, the dancer’s husband, bursts in looking for Roy. Joe pretends he is Roy and that Nancy is his wife, and Riccardi calms down. 

Joe warns Roy to stop chasing women for inspiration, but Roy ignores him. Time passes and Roy continues composing, using one woman after another. 

Roy, Nancy, Joe and Phil visit an expensive nightclub [Blue Daughter of Heaven]. Roy is introduced to the audience and asked to perform [Should I?]. Roy then goes to a party, leaving Nancy with Joe. 

The next morning, Roy, Joe and Nancy are at a recording studio and hear, over a loudspeaker, the voice of a woman singing Should I?. Joe recognizes the voice as someone he knew a long time ago [Should I?]. Nancy and Joe hear Roy introducing himself to the singer, Ardis Trevelyn. Ardis pretends not to remember Joe, who is upset by this. 

Ardis takes Roy back to her apartment for lunch. He tells her meeting her has made this the most important day of his life, and immediately starts composing lyrics based on the idea. Later, Ardis calls Roy when he is performing in Boston: Roy is to write the numbers for her new Broadway show, and he, Joe and Nancy will also perform. [The Woman in the Shoe]. 

Joe tells Nancy that they have to break up Roy’s relationship with Ardis, because she is not capable of loving anyone. He then realizes that Nancy loves Roy, and decides to set Roy straight. 

Roy is asking Ardis why she will not marry him when Joe enters. Joe tells Roy that Ardis cannot marry him because she is already married: he and Ardis married seven years ago and she gave him the air after four. Roy gets belligerent and orders Joe to get a divorce. Joe leaves the theatre and is knocked down by a taxi. Back at the apartment Roy and Joe share, a doctor tells Nancy that Joe is dying. Roy and Ardis arrive and hear the news. Joe dies before Roy can see him. 

Later, Roy writes a song in Joe’s memory. He tells Phil it is the best thing he has written and wants more money for it. Nancy visits Roy and asks him not to exploit Joe’s death in a song. She asks him to do it for her, because she loves him. She does not want him to be cheap and selfish. After Nancy leaves, Roy tells Ardis that he realizes everything he has written was squeezed from someone’s misery and tears. Ardis says she always knew he never had an idea he did not steal. Roy rips up the song about Joe. Ardis tells him he will starve if he stops writing popular songs, and walks out on him. 

Some time later, Roy only has $200 left and has been unable to write anything, and he has started drinking. 

Later still, Roy looks the worse for wear and fails to get back his old job at the Trocadero. He meets Bessie and goes back to her apartment. Roy reminds her of when he called her old love letters mush and says the joke is on him now, because he  has been carrying around a letter from Nancy for months. Roy had sent Nancy a song he wrote for her, but she says she has never listened to it and they should not see each other again. Bessie turns on the radio and Roy recognizes the song he wrote for Nancy [Only Love Is Real]. He realizes that she did play it after all. Roy rushes off to find Nancy, leaving Bess alone. 

The song is a big hit and Roy and Nancy marry. At their new apartment, Roy gets the inspiration for a new song [You’re the Bride and I’m the Groom].