Leave It To Jane

The pleasantly sentimental story of Leave It To Jane tells of "good old" Atwater College in the annual Thanksgiving Day football game with Bingham College. Prospects for victory for Atwater are poor, even though a muscle-bound center by the name of Murphy has been recruited to play. Murphy has great difficulty convincing President Witherspoon that he is taking a special course in art. Then Billy Bolton, son of a patron of Bingham College, appears on the Atwater campus with his father Hiram. Word gets around that he is an all-American footballer who has failed out of several schools. Jane Witherspoon, the frolicsome, come-hither daughter of President Witherspoon, plots that perhaps she can get Billy to enroll at Atwater and play on the football team. Handsome, manly, rich Billy falls for Jane at first sight. Together they have him impersonate and enroll as Elmer Staples, a botanist who was supposed to attend Atwater but could not register.

We see the football season progress through the eyes of Ruby Talmadge, a busy undergraduate; Bessie, an athletic girl; and Flora Wiggins, a prominent waitress. Jane, it is said, will "bury" Billy at commencement if not as soon as the Bingham game is over. The energetic action continues as Bub Hicks, the painfully awkward freshman, develops into a cool and hip student.

The girls in long shirts and boys in blazers give way to antique football togs without shoulder pads; and it is the day of the Bingham game. Hiram Bolton wagers on the game and even tries to fix it before being stopped by Stub. The game is close and tense. At last, thanks to Billy’s great playing, Atwater wins, and in spite of Hiram Bolton’s warning to his son, Jane crumples into Billy’s arms.

The Jerome Kern score includes the graceful and charming "A Peach of Life", "Leave It To Jane", "Siren’s Song", "Sir Galahad" and "Cleopatterer."

(In order of appearance)

Ollie Mitchell – a Sophomore
Matty McGowan – a trainer
Jimmy Hopper – a student
Dick McAllister – another student
“Happy” Jones – another student
“Stub” Talmadge – a busy undergraduate
“Silent” Murphy – a Center Rush
Peter Witherspoon – President of Atwater
Bessie Tanners – an athletic girl
Flora Wiggins – a prominent waitress
Howard Talbot – a tutor
Jane Witherspoon – a daughter of Peter Witherspoon

Hiram Bolton, D.D. LL.D.
Sally Cameron – a co-ed
Bertha Tyson – town girl
Cora Jenks – town girl

Dancers:
Martha Abbott
Josephine Barglay
Louella Banks
Marion Mooney
Cissie Summers

Billy Bolton – a Half Back
Hon. Elan Hicks – of Squantumville
Harold (Bub) Hicks – a Freshman

College Students, Co-Eds, Town Girls, etc.