Jerome Kern

An enduring love story set against the back drop of racial prejudice.

In this first volume of a lavishly produced two-volume collector's edition, The Library of America presents eight enduring masterpieces charting the evolution of the musical from the groundbreaking Show Boat through the genre's glorious mid-century. Based on new research, the complete libretto of each musical is presented in its Broadway opening night version, making these beloved cultural treasures available as never before. The texts are supplemented...

"The selections are presented in their authentic settings, excerpted from the original vocal scores."

All-American football player John Kent arrives in Paris with his friend, band leader Huckleberry Haines, and his orchestra. As John falls for a fashion designer, Huckleberry runs into a childhood sweetheart who is now pretending to be a European countess for her showbiz career. With glamorous fashion and the Paris hotspots to dance in, it's easy for romance to bloom.

One night in the tropics: Abbott and Costello play "two stooges employed by Roscoe, a crooked nightclub owner. Having financed a dubious 'love insurance' policy, Roscoe wants the boys to ensure that Steve marries his hard-to-get girlfriend as they travel to fun in the sun aboard a luxury ocean liner bound for San Marcos, South America." Buck privates: Abbott and Costello hide in an enlistment center to elude the police, and find themselves in the...