June Moon (1974)

Two giants of American humor, Ring Lardner and George S. Kaufman, collaborated for this stage comedy (a major success on Broadway when it was first staged in 1929) about a young tunesmith's struggle to succeed in the dog-eat-dog world of Tin Pan Alley. An up-and-coming songwriter (Tom Fitzsimmons) arrives in the big city hoping to make good, and is soon befriended by a veteran composer (Jack Cassidy) whose career isn't what it used to be. The kid looks like he may have a solid career ahead of him, but he soon attracts the attentions of a brass-hearted dame (Susan Sarandon) who wants to take him for his future fame and wealth. This production of June Moon (created for PBS, where it first aired in 1974) features a top-notch supporting cast, including Kevin McCarthy, Estelle Parsons, Austin Pendleton, Marshall Efron, Lee Meredith, and one of Broadway's greatest composers, Stephen Sondheim, in a rare acting role as a fellow Tin Pan Alley melody maker. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi