Expectations were high when Lucille Ball opened in Wildcat at Broadway's Alvin Theatre December 16, 1960. She had finally said goodbye to Lucy Ricardo earlier in the year with the end of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, and turned her sights to Broadway, finding what seemed like a sure-fire hit: A Cy Coleman-Carolyn Leigh score, a book by N. Richard Nash, direction and choreography by Michael Kidd, and a brassy, self-sufficient character as far removed from Lucy Ricardo as possible.

The show was plagued by problems almost from the start, with a blizzard forcing the rescheduling of opening night (the sets and costumes were stranded in trucks on the Jersey turnpike), lukewarm reviews, and a very ill Ball, who took time off from the show to recuperate but collapsed onstage when she returned. The show closed June 3, 1961, after 171 performances.

Nevertheless, the musical has a sparkling score, including one bona fide classic that has earned scores of covers over the years: the anthemic "Hey, Look Me Over." Ball and co-star Paula Stewart performed the song on The Ed Sullivan Show; watch that video below!