| The Most Happy Fella | |
|---|---|
 London studio cast recording | |
| Music | Frank Loesser |
| Lyrics | Frank Loesser |
| Book | Frank Loesser |
| Basis | They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard |
| Productions | 1956 Broadway 1959 Broadway revival 1960 West End 1979 Broadway revival 1980 US television 1991 Goodspeed Opera House 1991 Ahmanson Theatre 1992 Broadway revival 2006 New York City Opera |
The Most Happy Fella is a 1956 musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Frank Loesser. The story, about a romance between an older man and younger woman, is based on the 1924 play They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard. The show is described by some theatre historians and critics as operatic. The original Broadway production ran for 14 months and it has enjoyed several revivals, including one staged by the New York City Opera.
It was broadcast in a live telecast of The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday, October 28, 1956, the night of Elvis Presley's second appearance on that show. That broadcast was seen in some 168 stations in North America and garnered a 34.6 rating, a 57% share, with an estimated audience of 56.5 million viewers.[1]
- ^ , as per Trendex, the precursor of Nielsen