Zip! Stage Door Reissues, Expands London Cast Albums of "Zip Goes a Million" and "Happy Holiday"

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Stage Door Records is heading back to the 1950s with a new CD presenting two U.K. musicals from the team of composer George Posford and librettist/lyricist Eric Maschwitz: Zip Goes a Million and Happy Holiday. It's due from the label on June 26.

1951's Zip Goes a Million was based on George Barr McCutcheon's 1902 novel Brewster's Millions about a young man left an inheritance by his grandfather with an unusual twist: he must spend the entirety of the inheritance within one year, resulting in no assets or property held from the wealth, in order to receive an even larger fortune from an also-deceased uncle. If he fails to do so, he's left penniless. (The novel has also been adapted into a 1906 play and more than a dozen international film versions including a 1914 silent film by Cecil B. DeMille and a popular 1985 remake starring Richard Pryor. No less an eminence than Jerome Kern attempted to musicalize Brewster's Millions in 1919, also under the title Zip! Goes a Million. Kern's version closed out of town before reaching New York, but happily the composer recycled its standout "Look for the Silver Lining" in 1920's Sally.)

This Zip was written for entertainer George Formby who made his legitimate musical debut in the show as Percy Piggott (the new character based on the novel's Montgomery Brewster). With a cast also featuring Sara Gregory and Warde Donovan, the musical opened at London's Palace Theatre, today the home of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Only six songs were recorded by HMV with the original cast, but Stage Door has gone to the distance to provide a more complete look at the musical. Seven cover versions are appended (including a recording of "Ordinary People" by Formby's replacement in the show, Reg Dixon) as well as original cast selections from a live BBC broadcast of the show on Henry Hall's Guest Night. A live rendition of "Ordinary People" by Formby and Petula Clark is a bonus track. (This duet was also included on Stage Door's Petula Clark On Air 1951-1961 CD.) The musical ran for 544 performances.

In December 1954, the new Posford/Maschwitz musical Happy Holiday followed Zip into the West End and into the Palace Theatre. Subtitled "A New Christmas Show of Fun, Mystery, and Song," it was based on Arnold Ridley's play The Ghost Train about a group of railway passengers stranded overnight at a remote train station with some strange (and supernatural?) goings-on. Reg Dixon was tapped once again for the lead role of Charlie Purseglove, and was joined by Janet Brown, Marie Burke, and Austin Melford. Alas, the production didn't match the success of Zip and folded after just 31 performances. HMV did record four songs from the show, all of which are included here in their CD debut as well as three covers of the show's presumptive hit, "Surprisingly."

The release, made possible via current U.K. public domain laws, includes a booklet with new liner notes by director and historian Stewart Nicholls. Look for Zip Goes a Million/Happy Holiday on June 26 from Stage Door Records. Pre-orders made directly through the label's site are shipping now. You'll find pre-order links and the track listing below!

Original London Cast Recordings, Zip Goes a Million/Happy Holiday (Stage Door Records STAGE 9074, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Stage Door Records)

SELECTIONS FROM 'ZIP GOES A MILLION' ORIGINAL LONDON CAST (HMV B.10179/80/81, 1951)

Saving Up for Sally - George Formby
Pleasure Cruise - George Formby
Ordinary People - George Formby, Sara Gregory
Zip Goes A Million / Running Away to Land - George Formby, Warde Donovan
It Takes No Time to Fall in Love - Warde Donovan, Sara Gregory
Nothing Breaks But the Heart - Warde Donovan

COVER RECORDINGS FROM ZIP GOES A MILLION

Ordinary People - Reg Dixon (Decca F 9931, 1952)
Ordinary People - Pearl Carr (Decca F 9773, 1951)
It Takes No Time to Fall in Love - Pearl Carr (Decca F 9773, 1951)
Ordinary People - Frank Barber and His Orchestra (Columbia 33SX1233, 1960)
It Takes No Time to Fall in Love - Frank Barber and His Orchestra (Columbia 33SX1233, 1960)
Nothing Breaks But the Heart - Frank Barber and His Orchestra (Columbia 33SX1233, 1960)
Selections from 'Zip Goes a Million' - BBC Variety Orchestra

EXCERPTS FROM ZIP GOES A MILLION from HENRY HALL'S GUEST NIGHT