Destry Rides Again (musical)

Destry Rides Again
1959 Original Cast Recording
Music	Harold Rome
Lyrics	Harold Rome
Book	Leonard Gershe
Basis	Film Destry Rides Again

Destry Rides Again is a 1959 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Harold Rome and a book by Leonard Gershe. The play is based on the 1939 classic film of the same name.

The show opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on April 23, 1959 and closed on June 18, 1960 after 472 performances. Michael Kidd was the director and choreographer. The cast starred Andy Griffith as Destry and Dolores Gray as Frenchy. The national tour starred John Raitt and Anne Jeffreys, while Yvonne De Carlo appeared in the show in such venues as the Paper Mill Playhouse and the Dallas Summer Musicals.

The plot was loosely based on a story by Max Brand. The song made famous by Marlene Dietrich in the film, See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have, was not used in the stage production.

The opening song ("Bottleneck") shows the roughness and violence of the town Bottleneck. Then, at the Last Chance Saloon, Frenchy and her girls perform for the male patrons of The Last Chance ("Ladies"). After the song, Clagget stomps into the bar with Sheriff Keogh. Clagget accuses Frenchy and Kent of stealing his ranch in a crooked poker game last night. Kent strides out calmly, greeting the sheriff. Kent states that he won and Clagget lost. Sheriff Keogh asks for them to go into his office. Kent, Gyp and Bugs Watson, and the sheriff go into Kent's office. Clagget angrily storms out of the saloon while Rockwell and Frenchy reveal that she did steal one of his aces. But in the middle of their laughter a gunshot is heard and the laughing grinds to a halt. Kent and his gang comes out, explaining that Gyp Watson's pistol had accidentally gone off. Slade tells Kent that shooting Keogh was a mistake and they were moving too fast. One of Kent's gang hands Slade the sheriff badge and Kent tells Slade that it was up to him to appoint a new sheriff. Slade makes an announcement to the patrons of the saloon that Sheriff Keogh has left town on urgent business and Washington Dimsdale would be taking his place. Wash tells the town that he'll bring law and order to the town with the help of Tom Destry ("Hoop De Dingle").