The musical describes the rise and fall of New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker, whose career was marred by corruption.

It was a romanticized version of Walker's tenure as mayor, as presented in the 1957 film Beau James, starring Bob Hope.

[1] The film came from a biography of Walker, also titled Beau James, written by Gene Fowler.

Jimmy had a brief Broadway run from October 1969 to January 1970, starring Frank Gorshin as Walker, Anita Gillette as Betty Compton, and Julie Wilson.

[2] Jack L. Warner and Don Saxon produced the original Broadway production under the direction of Joseph Anthony.