Cy Feuer, RIP

Producer of "Guys and Dolls", among other shows, passes away at 95:

Feuer and [Ernest H.] Martin made their Broadway producing debut with "Where's Charley?" — hiring a Hollywood songwriter, Frank Loesser, to compose the score.

The show, based on the farce "Charley's Aunt" and starring Ray Bolger, was panned by most critics. But it became a hit after Bolger began leading the audience in singing what became the musical's best-known song, "Once in Love With Amy."

The two producers collaborated next with Loesser on "Guys and Dolls," considered one of the greatest of all Broadway musicals. Based on a Damon Runyon short story, it chronicled the colorful characters of Times Square. "Guys and Dolls" ran for 1,200 performances and had a successful Broadway revival in the 1990s.

In 1953, Feuer and Martin produced Cole Porter's "Can-Can," which also was derided by critics. Yet the show was embraced by audiences because of Porter's score, which included "I Love Paris" and "C'est Magnifique," and because it featured a blazing new dance talent, Gwen Verdon.

The following year, Julie Andrews made her Broadway debut in "The Boy Friend," Sandy Wilson's gentle spoof of 1920s musicals. And in 1955, Feuer and Martin produced Porter's last Broadway musical, "Silk Stockings," which was based on the Greta Garbo film "Ninotchka."

In 1961 they again collaborated with Loesser and writer Abe Burrows on "How to Success in Business Without Really Trying," which starred Robert Morse and Rudy Vallee. It told the story of a disarming young man who works his way up the corporate ladder to become chairman of the board of the World Wide Wicket Co.