Wintergreen for President “Put Love In
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Treasure.final 8/5/04 12:25 PM Page 100 TREASURE Wintergreen for “Put love in President the White House!” hen the Harvard Band trots onto the football field at halftime this fall, it will doubtless play the perennial favorite “Win- Wtergreen for President.” That’s John P. Wintergreen, of course, the candi- date of love, the greatest lover in a love-sick land, whose campaign for ton) poses with president is chronicled in Of Thee I Sing. his vice president, With a story by George S. Kaufman the uproariously and Morrie Ryskind and music and useless Alexander lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, the Throttlebottom show opened in 1931, ran for 441 perfor- (Victor Moore); a mances, and won the Pulitzer Prize for called the musical “a flyer with prancing the best American play of 1932, the first taut and lethal satire….It attacks Supreme Court jus- musical ever to win a Pulitzer. with the rapier and the club in- tices; Mary (Lois “Never has there been such a belabor- discriminately….It is funnier Moran) and the boys ing of our self-seeking and pettifogging than the government, and not assume a patriotic government,” wrote Brooks Atkinson ’17, nearly so dangerous.” position; President theater critic of the New York Times. He When Wintergreen and Wintergreen and the party bosses decide to make First Lady, at their love his platform, they stage a beauty con- double desk in the test, the winner to be Miss White House White House, settle momentous a≠airs of or perhaps more (“If a girl is sexy, She may state; and sheet music to the title song be Mrs. Prexy”). But Wintergreen refuses (“Of thee I sing, baby, Summer, Autumn, to court Miss White House—which ulti- Winter, Spring, baby, You’re my silver lin- mately brings the United States to the ing, You’re my sky of blue; There’s a love brink of war with France—because he light shining, Just because of you”). meets Mary Turner, a secretary, and falls Other grand old songs from the show in love with her corn mu∞ns. They take include “Who Could Ask for Anything the oath of o∞ce and marry simultane- More?” “Who Cares?” and “Love Is ously, and the rest is history. Sweeping the Country,” sung with confi- Shown here, from the Harvard Theatre dence by the politicians near the end of Collection, are the first act: “Love is sweeping the coun- original-produc- try, Waves are hugging the shore. All the tion items docu- sexes From Maine to Texas Have never menting the ad- known such love before. See them billing ministration: and cooing Like the birdies above. Each from the top, the girl and boy a-like, Sharing joy a-like, suave Winter- Feels that passion-’ll Soon be national. green (played by Love is sweeping the country, There never William Gax- was so much love.” Images courtesy of the Harvard Theatre Collection.