St. Louis Woman is a 1946 American musical by Arna Bontemps and Countee Cullen with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The musical opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York on March 30, 1946, and ran for 113 performances. The original cast included Robert Pope (Badfoot), Harold Nicholas, Fayard Nicholas (Barney), June Hawkins (Lilli), Pearl Bailey (Butterfly), Ruby Hill, Rex Ingram, and Milton J. Williams (Mississippi). The production's scenic designer and costume designer was Lemuel Ayers. It is based upon the novel God Sends Sunday by African-American writer Arna Bontemps.
1946 Original Cast Recording
Pearl Bailey in the role of Butterfly, July 5, 1946
Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, including "Over the Rainbow", which won him the Oscar for Best Original Song, he was nominated as composer for 8 other Oscar awards. Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the Great American Songbook. "Over the Rainbow" was voted the 20th century's No. 1 song by the RIAA and the NEA.
Arlen in 1960
Arlen (left) performs with Peggy Lee and Vic Damone in 1961