How to succeed in business without really trying coffee break

From The Lost Media Wiki

The film's theatrical poster.

Status: Lost

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was a successful 1961 Broadway musical. It was based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Shephard Mead.

Among the popular revivals and tours, it was adapted into a major motion picture in 1967. Like most musical to movie adaptations, they dropped a few songs. Among those were mainly the female-led numbers such as "Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm" and "Paris Original".

The Scene[edit | edit source]

One of the dropped songs was the ensemble number "Coffee Break" lead by Frump and Smitty. However, instead of just scrapping the song and forgetting about it, the song was recorded and the scene was filmed. It took place near the beginning of the movie, right after a man comes in with coffee and donuts and says "Coffee Break." One of the secretaries says "It's about time!" and then the musical number would start. However, in the theatrical release all the way up to the 2017 Blu-Ray, she says "It's about time!" and then immediately cuts to the next scene.

The song itself is actually included on the film's soundtrack meaning the scene was most likely scrapped late in production.[1] The reasoning for cutting it was apparently to speed up the movie's pacing. An eyewitness account from someone who has been searching for the scene says that they've seen it, but that claim hasn't been confirmed, a still from the scene is also on the Laserdisc cover.

External Links[edit | edit source]

• Discogs page on the How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying soundtrack. Retrieved 4 Apr 19

References[edit | edit source]

1. ↑ DVD Talk page on the missing scene.

Coffee Break

FRUMP:
There's no coffee!

COMPANY:
No coffee?! Ohhhhhh!

FRUMP:
If I can't take
My coffee break,
My coffee break,
My coffee break...
If I can't take
My coffee break,
Something within me dies.

SMITTY:
If I can't make
Three daily trips
Where shining shrine
Benignly drips,
And taste cardboard
Between my lips.
Something within me dies.

COMPANY:
Dies down and something within me dies.

No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!

SMITTY:
That office's light
Doesn't have to be florescent.
I'll get no pains
In my head.

That office chair
Doesn't have to be foam rubber,
So if I spread, so I spread.
But only one chemical substance
Gets out the lead.

COMPANY:
Like she said?
If I can't take
My coffee break,
My coffee break,
My coffee break...
If I can't take,
My coffee break...

SMITTY & FRUMP:
Gone is the sense of enterprise.

COMPANY:
All gone and something within me dies.

No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!
No coffee!

COMPANY:
If I can't take
My coffee break.

SMITTY:
Somehow the soul no longer tries.

COMPANY:
Coffee, coffee...

FRUMP:
Somewhere I don't metabolize.

COMPANY:
Coffee, coffee...

SMITTY & FRUMP:
Something within me ...

COMPANY:
Coffee, or otherwise...
Coffee, or otherwise...
Coffee, or otherwise...

Something inside of me...
Dies! Last Update: June, 14th 2014

Lyricist：Frank Loesser

Coffee break

There's no coffee
No coffee?
No coffee
No coffee

If I can't take my coffee break
My coffee break, my coffee break
If I can't take my coffee break
Something within me dies

Dies down
And something within me dies

If I can't make three daily trips
Where shining shrine benignly drips
And taste cardboard between my lips
Something within me dies

Dies down
And something within me dies

No coffee

No coffee, no coffee, no coffee
No coffee, no coffee, no coffee

No coffee

That office light doesn't have to be florescent
I'll get no pains in the head
That office chair doesn't have to be foam rubber
So if I spread, so I spread
Find more lyrics at ※ Mojim.com

But only one chemical substance
Gets out the lead
Like she said

If I can't take my coffee break
My coffee break, my coffee break
If I can't take my coffee break
Gone is the sense of enterprise

All gone
And something within me dies

No coffee, no coffee, no coffee
No coffee, no coffee, no coffee
No

If I can't take my coffee break
My coffee break, my coffee break
If I can't take, my coffee break

Somehow the soul no longer tries
(Coffee, coffee)
Somewhere I don't metabolize
(Coffee, coffee)

Something within me
Coffee or otherwise
Coffee or otherwise
Coffee or otherwise

Something inside of me
Dies