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| Episode Number | 3.1 |
|---|---|
| Written By | Amy Sherman-Palladino |
| Directed By | Amy Sherman-Palladino |
| Premiered | December 5, 2019 |
| Runtime | 59 minutes |
| Previous Episode | All Alone |
| Next Episode | It's the Sixties, Man! |
Strike Up the Band
Strike Up the Band is the first episode of the third season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Table of Contents
Official Description
Midge performs at a USO show ahead of touring with Shy while Susie learns the ins and outs of contract negotiation. Abe and Rose grapple with their new financial situation. Joel finds the perfect spot for his new club until he discovers the space isn't as it appears.
Plot Synopsis
Partial draft:
Burns greets Midge and Susie as they arrive, scolds them for being late, and informs them of the schedule. He then passes Midge off to Carson, who escorts her to Dinkins, who escorts her on-stage, where Buck is introducing each of the performers. Buck introduces Mary Ann Mobley, then Midge. Once Midge has been introduced, Collins escorts her off-stage to Burns, who orders Fielding to drive Midge to the Green Room.
In the Green Room, Susie helps Midge to steal Mary Ann Mobley's spot in the dressing room. Meanwhile, the Silver Belles perform on stage. Eventually, Burns fetches Midge back to the stage, Buck introduces her, and she goes on as the Silver Belles come off. During her set, Broome tries to recruit Susie into the military. Midge's set goes well, and involves a light degree of audience participation, with prompts coming from Hawkins, Orlinoff, Hazlett and others. As she leaves the stage, Midge realizes that she forgot to introduce Shy, so she runs back and does so. Shy does his set, with backing from the Silver Belles. As soon as he gets off stage, Midge apologizes and introduces him to Susie. Shy introduces them to Lou and leaves. Lou gives them some money to tide them over and presses them to get the contract done.
Midge calls Joel. Meanwhile, on the stage, Buck brings Orlinoff onstage and surprises him by getting into drag and doing a bit with him.
At the end of the show, all the performers go on an perform White Christmas together. Shy notices that Midge is mouthing along behind everyone else. Afterwards, as Midge descends from the stage, she is swarmed by soldiers. She signs several autographs, including for one of the soldiers who participated in her set, then poses for a photo on a Jeep with the boys, including Hawkins, Hazlett and Carson. Burns then approaches and requests Midge's presence at the dance that night. After dithering over outfits, Midge resolves to go home and change then come back, while Susie decides to wait there. Dinkins presses Midge's baggage onto Susie, who has been desperately trying to get rid of it all day.
Later, as the dance is beginning, Susie plays cards with Dinkins, Carson and Frommer in the barracks.
At the dance, Midge and Susie have words with Burns when they realize that none of the male talent have been pressed into visiting the dance, and that Midge is there specifically to provide female companionship to the boys.
Cast
Starring
Guest Starring
- Stephanie Hsu as Mei
Co-Starring
(in order of appearance)
- Andrew Polk as Fred
- Brennyn Lark as Dawn
- Clem Cheung as Hong
- Jack O'Connell as Jerry (voice)
Dance/Music/Stunts
- Darius de Haas as Shy Baldwin Vocals (voice)
Uncredited
- Mark Berman as Tim
- Rosie Cheeks as Miss December (photograph only)
- Unknown as Jiao-long
- Unknown as Private Fielding
Locations
(in order of appearance)
Soundtrack
Trivia
- The scene at the USO show features a huge 49-star flag backdrop. The 49-star flag was flown for only one year, from July 4, 1959 until July 4, 1960, the time between Alaska achieving statehood and Hawaii achieving statehood. The episode takes place in December 1959, meaning the flag is historically accurate. (Source: IMDb)
- This episode was dedicated to Gary Stewart, a music producer of this show. Producer Dan Palladino wrote: “We are deeply saddened by the death of our friend Gary Stewart. His generosity and enthusiasms were infectious. He was a tireless warrior for social causes and fought injustice every day of his life. He was a magic genie with a trunk full of CDs and a love of music that was unparalleled. He produced our Gilmore [Gilmore Girls] soundtrack with as much energy and devotion as if it was The White Album, and will continue to be an influence on the sounds of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He was the best of the best.” (Source: IMDb)
- The Lenny Bruce standup bit portrayed in the episode is adapted from a section of the real Lenny's book, “How to Talk Dirty and Influence People” (1965). During the set, Lenny is arrested by Officer Peluso. Abe protests the arrest and winds up being arrested as well. The scene is based on a real-life incident in which comedian George Carlin was arrested with Lenny. Carlin can be heard describing the event here.
- From page 213 of Madly Marvelous: The Costumes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2021) by Donna Zakowska, costume designer for the show:
“From the early 1940s, and especially after World War II, USO shows – entertaining the troops – became a high-profile pursuit for entertainers of all stripes, including many comedians, not least because the pied piper of the USO was comedian Bob Hope.
And in order to fill a very large airplane hangar in New Jersey for our USO reenactment without resorting to CGI, we costumed over a thousand extras in period uniforms, which, I was told, broke – or at least rivalled – a New York record for the largest number of extras on set for a single day of shooting. “A lot of khaki,” as Midge so aptly put it, and a daunting challenge for wardrobe. So, unable to build or find enough complete uniforms in the necessary time frame, we developed a system I liked to describe as resembling a Napoleonic battle formation, with the front lines perfectly costumed, successive lines less so – starting, of course, with shoes – until we reached the extras I called “shadow warriors,” the farthest from the camera, who were dressed in just essential pieces, sometimes only shirts or T-shirts – but always dyed to the perfect shade of khaki!”
Quotes & Dialogue
ABE: Gandhi went to jail. Galileo died under house arrest. Emma Goldman was deported.
LENNY: I just tell jokes, man, that's all.
– S3E1