June Moon

trip. Fred I seen the Goddest of Liberty, too⁠—I mean the statue. It cost a million dollars and weighs 225 ton. Maxie Gently. She ought to cut out sweets. He indulges in a fancy run. Fred A gesture in the direction of Maxie. He can play the piano!⁠ ⁠… And I seen some of the big ocean liner steamboats. I seen the President Harding just coming in from London or Europe or somewheres, and the other day I seen the Majestic tied up to the dock. She’s pretty near twicet as long as the President Harding and weighs 56,000 ton. The President Harding only weighs 14,000 ton. Lucille Imagine! Fred To Lucille. Have you been through the Holland Tunnel? Lucille No, I haven’t. Fred To Paul. Have you been through the Holland Tunnel? Paul No. Fred Not for a minute giving up. Have you been through the Holland Tunnel, Mr. Schwartz? Maxie I’ve been waiting for somebody to go with. Fred I’ll go with you! Maxie Fine! Fred I want to go every place so as to get ideas for songs. I was telling Mr. Sears about one idea⁠—I haven’t got it written yet-it’s a song about the traffic lights. Green for “Come ahead!” and red for “Stop!” Maybe a comical song with a girl signaling her sweetheart with different colored lights in the window; a green light when it’s all right for him to call⁠— Lucille And a red one when her husband’s home. Fred Shocked. No, I was thinking about her father. I wouldn’t write about those kind of women⁠—I got no sympathy for them. Lucille I guess you’re right. Fred I was thinking of another idea on the way up here. Maybe a song about the melting pots⁠—all the immigrants from overseas who’ve come to the Land of Liberty. Take the Jews⁠—do you know there’s nearly two million Jews in New York City alone? Maxie What do you mean alone? Fred And then there’s the Hall of Fame, up to Washington Heights. They got everybody up there. Washington, Lincoln, Longfellow. They got two dozen⁠—what do you call ’em⁠—busts? Lucille Sweetly, to Paul. That’s the place for you, dear. Fred No. A man’s got to be dead for twenty-five years. Lucille Well, that fits in. Maxie It’s too much for him. I’ve got to be going along. Paul Wait! I want Stevens to show you one of his lyrics⁠—have you got that one with you? About the game? Maxie I’ve got to be downtown at ten. Paul This won’t take a minute. To Fred. Go ahead. Fred I’ll have to explain first, so you’ll understand. The idea came to me at a football game between Syracuse and Colgate. They beat them, and they felt pretty bad, so the idea come to me for this little song. I call it “Life Is a Game.” Maxie A novelty! Fred Here’s the verse. Are you ready? Paul Yeah. Fred

“I don’t know why some people cry
When things appear to go wrong;
I always say ‘Laugh and be gay!’
Things cannot always go wrong!
No use to pine, no use to whine,
Things will come right if you just give them time.”

That’s the verse.

Lucille Uh-huh! Fred

Then here’s the refrain:

“Life is a game; we are but players⁠—”

Maxie Hey, bring it here! Maybe we can put some music to it. Fred Just play some chords. Maxie I’ll see if I know any. Maxie Sings as well as he can to Maxie’s improvisation.

“Life is a game; we are but players
Playing the best we know how.
If you are beat, don’t let it wrangle;
No one can win all the time.
Sometimes the odds seem dead against you;
What has to be, has to be,
But smile just the same, for life is a game,
And God is a fine referee.”

Maxie picks up the last line and sings it again, tacking on a rousing musical finale to fit. It is really the finish of “All Those Endearing Young Charms,” but so far as Fred is concerned it has been composed especially for his lyric. He is beaming with pleasure.

I haven’t got the second verse yet.

Maxie You won’t need one. Lucille I like a song with love interest. Fred Well, I got an idea and a title for another one⁠—I mean, of course I got lots of ideas, but this one, I told it to a party and she⁠—he catches himself, embarrassed⁠—I mean, this party seemed to think it was pretty good. Paul Let’s hear it. Fred It’s just a title. You told me you’d rather have just a title and then write the tune first. Paul What’s the title? Fred “June Moon.” That’s the title⁠—“June Moon.” Maxie A war song. Fred No, no. The verse will be about a fella that’s met a girl in June, when there was a moon shining, and then something happened so that she went away, or maybe he went away, and then whenever he looks up at the moon after that, he thinks of her. In the second verse, she’ll be doing the same thing for him. Lucille That’s fair enough. Paul I don’t know⁠—another moon song. Maxie Dashing to the piano. “June Moon”⁠—I’ve got it! He ad-libs a melody; Fred chimes in with some extemporized words. Fred Singing. June Moon, how I wish you so-and-so, how I miss my so-and-so, spoon! He comes out strong on the “spoon”⁠—that’s right, anyhow. Meanwhile the phone has rung again, and under cover of the music Lucille has answered it. Lucille Hello.⁠ ⁠… No, this is Lucille. Just a minute. She puts down the receiver. Eileen! Paul Who has managed, despite the confusion, to make mental note of Maxie’s melody. Well, I might be able to dig up something for that. Fred Plunging expansively into explanation. I got the idea coming in on the train. I happened to look out of the window⁠— He stops abruptly as Eileen comes back on. She has put on a dress, but, in view of the news that Maxie had brought, not the evening dress. She looks smart, however, and Fred is impressed,