"Gay Divorce" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Gay Divorce (1932 Broadway Musical) — Music & Notable Recordings" Soundtrack Description

Overview

Which Broadway score gave the world “Night and Day” and sent Fred Astaire to Hollywood? Cole Porter’s Gay Divorce (1932) did. The show’s music isn’t a wall-to-wall cast album—there wasn’t one in 1932—but a suite of urbane Porter numbers that later lived on as singles and revivals. The breakout was immediate: Astaire introduced “Night and Day” on opening night and recorded it within days; the song quickly escaped the theatre and entered the standard repertoire.

Think of the “soundtrack” here as two strands: (1) the stage score—“After You, Who?,” “How’s Your Romance?,” “Mister and Missus Fitch,” “I’ve Got You on My Mind,” and the immortal “Night and Day”—and (2) the recordings that preserved them, led by Astaire’s 1932–33 studio discs and later anthologies. Trusted source: Internet Broadway Database confirms the song stack, cast, and production data. The 1934 film adaptation (The Gay Divorcee) kept “Night and Day” but replaced most other songs, so the movie album is not the stage score in miniature.

Questions & Answers

Was there an Original Broadway Cast Recording in 1932?

No. The OBC era began later. What survives are contemporary singles (e.g., Astaire’s “Night and Day” with Leo Reisman; its flip side “I’ve Got You on My Mind”).

Which songs were in the original Broadway production?

Key numbers included “After You, Who?,” “Night and Day,” “How’s Your Romance?,” “I’ve Got You on My Mind,” “Mister and Missus Fitch,” and “You’re in Love.”

What changed in the 1934 film (The Gay Divorcee)?

The movie retained “Night and Day” but swapped in new songs (“The Continental,” etc.). It’s a different listen from the stage score.

Are there later recordings that approximate the stage show?

Yes—studio anthologies and film-sourced albums circulate. Concert revivals (1993 Weill Recital Hall; later “Lost Musicals”/regional revivals) helped document the material.

Who introduced “Night and Day” on stage?

Fred Astaire, opposite Claire Luce. He recorded it days later; that disc became a major seller of the season.

Were any songs added or altered outside Broadway?

London added items like “I Love Only You” and a borrowed Porter piece (“Where Would You Get Your Coat?”); titles vary by production.

Where can I check authoritative credits?

Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) and the show’s reference entry summarize producers, orchestrators (Hans Spialek, Russell Bennett), and the song list.

Notes & Trivia

• Opening night: November 29, 1932 (Ethel Barrymore Theatre); transfer to the Shubert Theatre on January 16, 1933; 248 performances total.
• Astaire cut the original Victor single of “Night and Day” on November 22, 1932—one week before Broadway opened.
• “Mister and Missus Fitch” sported barbed society lyrics; later revivals sometimes tweak language.
• The film version (The Gay Divorcee, 1934) kept “Night and Day” but introduced “The Continental,” the first Oscar-winning song.
• Trusted source named here: The New Yorker (on Porter tailoring “Night and Day” to Astaire’s voice).

Genres & Themes

Porter balladry as obsession: “Night and Day” builds on a repeating rhythmic cell and AAB form; its persistence mirrors Guy’s fixation on Mimi.

Urban wit & society swing: List songs and gossip numbers (“Mister and Missus Fitch,” “How’s Your Romance?”) lampoon class and headlines.

Light-English-resort color: Ensemble novelties (“Salt Air,” “What Will Become of Our England?”) sketch Brighton’s hotel milieu.

Tracks & Scenes

“After You, Who?” — Guy (Fred Astaire)
Where it plays: Act I, early—Guy sings to the memory of a brief encounter, in his London flat; non-diegetic within the stage world.
Why it matters: Sets the romantic vector and introduces Porter’s elegant, slightly rueful tone.

“Night and Day” — Guy & Mimi
Where it plays: Act I, hotel-suite scene at the seaside, night.
Why it matters: The score’s cornerstone—Porter’s AAB ballad formalizes longing; it became a standard within months.

“How’s Your Romance?” — Tonetti & Chorus
Where it plays: Act I, comic interlude with the hired “co-respondent.”
Why it matters: A breezy temperature drop between big romance beats; classic Porter wit via the clown.

“What Will Become of Our England?” — Waiter & Girls
Where it plays: Act II, resort satire.
Why it matters: Topical chorus poking at national airs; showcases Porter’s social-pinprick humor.

“I’ve Got You on My Mind” — Guy & Mimi
Where it plays: Act II, reunion/clarification scene.
Why it matters: Companion piece to “Night and Day”; Astaire recorded it as the Victor flip side.

“Mister and Missus Fitch” — Hortense
Where it plays: Act II, salon gossip turn.
Why it matters: A razor-edged society item; the lyric’s bite became part of the show’s legend.

“You’re in Love” — Company
Where it plays: Act II, finale.
Why it matters: Conventional resolution number, harmonically sunny after Porter's cooler ballads.

Music–Story Links

Guy’s arc runs on two Porters: the declarative opener (“After You, Who?”) and the hypnotic confession (“Night and Day”). Comic relief from Tonetti deflates pretense just as suspicion peaks. In Act II, “I’ve Got You on My Mind” and “You’re in Love” turn private longing into public agreement, while Hortense’s “Mister and Missus Fitch” reminds us that reputations—in tabloids and plots—can be manufactured overnight.

How It Was Made

Credits: Music & lyrics by Cole Porter; book by Dwight Taylor (adapted by Kenneth Webb & Samuel Hoffenstein). Produced by Dwight Deere Wiman & Tom Weatherly; directed by Howard Lindsay; choreography by Barbara Newberry & Carl Randall; scenic design by Jo Mielziner. Orchestrations by Hans Spialek and Robert Russell Bennett; musical director Gene Salzer.

Recordings: No cast album in 1932. The key documents are Astaire’s Victor single “Night and Day” (backed with “I’ve Got You on My Mind”), later UK Columbia takes, and film-sourced releases tied to The Gay Divorcee.

Reception & Quotes

“He wrote ‘Night and Day,’ in ‘Gay Divorce,’ to fit Fred Astaire’s voice…” The New Yorker

“A neglected Cole Porter show with an indestructible song.” The New York Times (headline, 1993 concert review)

Contemporary sources and later retrospectives agree that the show’s book aged, but the songs—especially “Night and Day”—never left circulation.

Additional Info

• Broadway run: Nov 29, 1932 – Jul 1, 1933; 248 performances.
• Original cast included Fred Astaire (Guy), Claire Luce (Mimi), Luella Gear (Hortense), Erik Rhodes (Tonetti), Eric Blore (Waiter).
• London (1933) added/altered numbers; later revivals vary in song order and content.
• Film adaptation (The Gay Divorcee, 1934) introduced “The Continental” and other non-Porter items; Max Steiner handled scoring duties.
• Astaire’s “Night and Day” Victor 24193 (recorded Nov 22, 1932) is the best single-disc snapshot of the stage score’s impact.

Technical Info

• Title: Gay Divorce (Broadway musical)
• Year: 1932 (Broadway premiere)
• Type: Stage musical; no original 1932 OBC album
• Music & Lyrics: Cole Porter
• Book: Dwight Taylor (adapt. Kenneth Webb & Samuel Hoffenstein)
• Producers: Dwight Deere Wiman; Tom Weatherly
• Director: Howard Lindsay
• Orchestrations: Hans Spialek; Robert Russell Bennett
• Venues: Ethel Barrymore Theatre (opening); Shubert Theatre (transfer)
• Significant numbers: “After You, Who?,” “Night and Day,” “How’s Your Romance?,” “I’ve Got You on My Mind,” “Mister and Missus Fitch,” “You’re in Love”
• Key recordings: Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman and His Orchestra — “Night and Day” / “I’ve Got You on My Mind” (Victor 24193); film recordings from The Gay Divorcee (1934) preserve “Night and Day.”

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Internet Broadway Database; Wikipedia (Gay Divorce; Night and Day); OVRTUR; The New Yorker; SecondHandSongs; Discogs; CastAlbums; IBDB production pages.

November, 09th 2025