1949 was a year when gas was 17 cents a gallon, dinner at Schrafts was $2.00, and the top ticket price to a Broadway show was $6.60. It was the year legendary producer Cheryl Crawford was quoted as saying of a new work by young playwright Arthur Miller, "Who would want to see a play about an unhappy traveling salesman?", and it was also the year that produced one of musical theatre's all-time great shows, Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific. That year Jule Styne had one of the biggest hits of his career, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and it also saw worthy scores from Irving Berlin (Miss Liberty), Kurt Weill (Lost In The Stars), Marc Blitzstein (Regina) and Johnny Mercer (Texas L'il Darlin'). Bringing this iconic year (1949) to life at the April 19, 2004, Broadway By The Year Town Hall concert were some of Broadway and cabaret's most luminous stars; special guests Karen Ziemba and Cady Huffman, with Martin Vidnovic, Marla Schaffel, Robert Westenberg, Scott Coulter, Lennie Watts, Nancy Lemenager and Noah Racey. Scott Siegel delivered his usual witty narration, and as always the Ross Patterson Little Big Band were on hand to supply the terrific musical accompaniment.