Playwright and screenwriter Leonard Spigelgass (who wrote the GYPSY's screenplay, along with that of his own Broadway play A MAJORITY OF ONE) had the original idea of basing a musical on the Silent Film era. He began working with Jerry Herman, under producer Joe Kipness's auspices, and the project was called HUNDREDS OF GIRLS. Only after beginning the writing did the idea come up with a focus more specifically on Mack Sennett; the project ran aground and they stopped writing for some time. Herman then restarted it, as a full Mack Sennett musical, bringing in his HELLO, DOLLY! collaborator Michael Stewart, and only then did Gower Champion come in, followed by David Merrick.
I have no doubt Stewart had seen or looked up "Hollywood Cavalcade" – it's a striking resemblance in the scene when Mack realizes that mayhem and pies in the face mean box office dollars and public acclaim (and better depicted in the movie.) |
