Thursday, February 17, 2011

No Sirree!

Upon receive this inquiry:
Do you know where I can find any information on "No Sirree!" -- the 1922 production written by Parker, Benchely, and others? I can not find a script.
The Robert Benchley Society responded:
Benchley's first performance of "The Treasurer's Report" was in the musical revue No Sirree. It was a one-time performance, and although it was rehearsed, Benchley's contribution came at the last moment. I don't believe that there was a script written.

The theater program is reproduced on pages 84-87 of Marc Connelly's memoirs Voices Offstage (Holt, 1968). He mentions that Benchley's name was left off the program (due to the lateness of his contribution).

Further information can be found in As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin by Laurence Bergreen (Viking, 1995); and in Billy Altman's Laughter's Gentle Soul: The Life of Robert Benchley (Norton, 1997).

No comments:

Robert Benchley Society

For more information about the Robert Benchley Society, local chapters near you, our annual Award for Humor, and our Annual Gathering, visit The RBS Website