Showing posts with label Judy Garland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judy Garland. Show all posts

Monday, November 30, 2020

Who performed Howard Dietz ; Arthur Schwartz "By Myself"👤📏👥 best?

 











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Saturday, August 22, 2020

What is your favorite Ginger Rogers 💃song?

 




 









 














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Saturday, October 5, 2019

Who performed Richard Rodgers ; Lorenz Hart "Johnny One Note" 🗣️♪ ‼️best?









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Friday, May 24, 2019

Who performed James V. Monaco ; Joseph McCarthy "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)" ❤️ best?




























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Monday, May 6, 2019

Who performed George W. Meyer ; Edgar Leslie ; E. Ray Goetz "For Me and My Gal" 👰🤵best?









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Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Who performed Hugh Martin ; Ralph Blane "The Trolley Song" 🚎 best?




















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Monday, April 29, 2019

Who performed George Gershwin ; Ira Gershwin "They Can't Take That Away from Me" 📜🙅‍♀️💪best?





























FollowUp Poll





















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Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Who performed Gus Kahn ; Walter Donaldson "Carolina in the Morning" 🌞🌴best?
















FollowUp Poll:
















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Saturday, April 13, 2019

Who performed Jerome Kern & B.G. DeSylva "Look for the Silver Lining" 🌧️🔭 best?














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Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Who performed Harold Arlen ; Yip Harburg "Over the Rainbow" 🌈 best?




























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Saturday, March 30, 2019

Who performed George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin "Embraceable You" 🤗 best?






































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Saturday, March 9, 2019

Who performed George Gershwin ; Ira Gershwin "I Got Rhythm" 💓best ?

























































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Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Who Sang "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" Better?





In case above link breaks:










In case the above link breaks, a clip from "That's Entertainment II"












In case above link breaks, a clip from 2018 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting:














In case above link breaks another clip from the 2018 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting:






Martin, Hugh. “The Story Behind 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas'.” NPR, NPR, 19 Nov. 2010, www.npr.org/2010/11/19/131412133/the-story-behind-have-yourself-a-merry-little-christmas. Heard on Fresh Air




And a follow up poll:


And another follow up poll:

































FollowUp Poll














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Thursday, January 5, 2017

#NameThatTune w/ #GingerRogers

Merv Griffin played a mini version of "Name that Tune" with his guest, Ginger Rogers.




Oddly enough, Griffin only chose one song that Ginger recorded for film.

The first song was "They Can't Take That Away From Me" from the Gershwin score to "Shall We Dance":



but it was a song that Fred Astaire sang to Ginger's character:






The second song was "But Not For Me" from the Broadway show "Girl Crazy", in which Ginger played the lead on stage


























Rogers is depicted second from left in a rather unflattering Hirschfeld cartoon of the cast:


















A clip from the documentary "Astaire and Rogers: Partners in Rhythm"






Ginger Rogers wrote in her memoirs that her castmates accidentally used her real name on stage in the middle of a performance. Since the audience thought it was funny, they kept it as a bit. She contended this was the reason MGM changed the name of the character she played from Molly Gray in the stage production













 to Ginger Gray in the film:






























Rogers' character was depicted on screen by Judy Garland.







The third song was "The Continental" from Cole Porter's "Gay Divorcee"





I only remembered the dance finale in which Ginger didn't sing:








but she did sing the lyrics to the song earlier in the film:





The final song was another selection from "Girl Crazy," "Embraceable You"







Again, sung by Judy Garland for the film adaptation:





Ginger recorded a slow dance jazzy disco version in 1978:


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Saturday, February 20, 2016

Judy Garland, Steve Allen, Mel Tormé American Songbook Medley

"The Judy Garland Show" included a wittily arranged and executed trio with three performers, each singing a separate medley of tunes, artfully interwoven and braided together @3:45:




A highly motivated youtuber by the moniker TheManThatGetsAway already reversed engineered the song titles for each singer's medley. The closed captioning keyboard exploded in places, so I transcribed the tidbits of lyrics from each song as bet as I could make out:

Ain't Misbehavin' (Judy) /
 With lyrics by Andy Razaf and score by Thomas "Fats" Waller and Harry Brooks

"No one to talk with
All by myself
No one to walk with
But I'm happy on the shelf
Ain't misbehavin'
I'm savin' my love for you"

Sung by Sarah Vaughan:






Makin' Whoopee  (Mel)/
Gus Kahn

"Another bride, another June
Another sunny honeymoon
Another season, another reason
For makin' whoopee"

Sung by Ella Fitzgerald






The Glory Of Love (Steve) / 
Billy Hill


"You've got to laugh a little, cry a little
Before the clouds roll by a little
That's the story of, that's the glory of love"

Sung by Dean Martin:




Way Back Home (Judy) /

Al Lewis and Tom Waring

"The trees are the sappiest
The days are the nappiest
The dogs are the yappiest
The kids are the scrappiest
The jokes the snappiest
The folks the happiest
Way back home"


Sung by Bob Crosby:







Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (Mel) /
Harry Barris

"Your castles may tumble
That's fate after all
Life's really funny that way
No use to grumble
Just smile as they fall
Weren't you King for a day"


Sung by Bing Crosby:



You Took Advantage Of Me (Steve) /
Lorenz Hart

"I'm so hot and bothered that I don't know
My elbow from my ear.
I suffer something awful each time you go
And much worse when you're near."

Sung by Rosemary Clooney:



Mean To Me (Judy) /
Ahlert, Fred E./ Turk, Roy

"It must be great fun to be mean to me
You shouldn't, for can't you see
What you mean to me"

Sung by Billie Holiday:



 The Girl Friend (Steve, Mel) / 
Rodgers and Hart

"Isn't she cute?
Isn't she sweet?
An eyeful you'd die full
Of pleasure to meet.
In my funny fashion
I'm cursed with a passion
For the girl friend!"

Sung by George Olsen:



Tip Toe Through The Tulips (Judy) /
Joe Burke

"Tiptoe through the window
By the window, that is where I'll be
Come tiptoe through the tulips with me"


Tiny Tim w/his ukulele ruined this song for ever and all time:




 Truckin' (Mel) /
Rube Bloom; Ted Koehler

No, Mel Torme did NOT sing the psychedelic Grateful Dead version:







"We had to get something new
A dance'll do up here in Harlem.
So someone started truckin'"

Sung by Ivie Anderson:




Gypsy In My Soul (Steve) /
Clay Boland and Moe Jaffe

"I've  got  to  give  vent  to  my  emotions
Cause I'm  only  content having  my  way"

Sung by Doris Day:




Nice Work If You Can Get It (Judy) / 
George Gershwin


"Just imagine someone
Waiting at the cottage door
Where two hearts become one
Who could ask for anything more?"


Sung by Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee



The Glory Of Love (Steve) /
Billy Hill

"That's the story of, that’s the glory of,
That's the story of, that’s the glory of,
That's the story of,
That's the glory of love"


My Heart Stood Still (Judy) / 
Rodgers and Hart

"I took one look at you
that's all I meant to do 
and then my heart stood still! "


Sung by the Mamas and the Papas:





Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love) (Judy, Steve, Mel)/
Cole Porter

"Some Argentines without means do it
People say in Boston even beans do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love"


Sung by Louis Armstrong:




And in case the above Judy Garland Show video link breaks, here's a cludgy recording:


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Saturday, September 12, 2015

Judy Garland "The Man that Got Away" in #AStarIsBorn

Point - counter point - counter counter point wrt "The Man that Got Away"

Point: Singer Judy Garland's POV:

From the "American Masters" PBS documentary "Judy Garland: By Myself" , she specifically trash talks Hugh Martin accusing him of wanting her to sing in her old MGM style:




Narrator: The heart and soul of 'A Star is Born' is found in the musical number acknowledged to be one of the greatest ever filmed
Director George Cukor: For that number, I wanted the camera to follow her, always in front, all in one take. It isn't easy for an actor or an actress to carry a long take. You have to be strong. I wanted to do it with Judy because she could sustain it.
Judy Garland: Hugh Martin wanted me to sing this in my MGM style. I told him, 'I can't sing in that voice anymore. Can't you see? I'm a woman now.'

According to random ppl on imdb, allegedly Hugh Martin stormed off the stage because of artistic differences and was replaced by Roger Edens:

Hugh Martin, who was hired as vocal arranger, stormed off the set after a row with Judy Garland over her interpretation of "The Man That Got Away". Garland's mentor and MGM vocal arranger Roger Edens replaced him.

Even tho Judy slammed Hugh, he still called her a genius in this documentary:





Narrator: Once again gripped by fear and self-doubt, Judy at times was immobilized and unable to perform.
Hugh Martin: She was terrified. She thought of this as her last chance to get in pictures. (laughs) This marvelous genius, terrified of not making it in a comeback.
Director George Cukor: I said to Judy, 'Why? You're so accomplished and you're so good. What the hell are you worried for?' She said, 'I'm always afraid that this is the time they're going to catch me.'

from the "Real to Real" documentary:





 on the making of the biopic film on Jerome Kern "Till the Clouds Roll By" Richard Sherman of "Mary Poppins" fame concurs with Hugh Martin's assessment of Judy Garland's genius talent:


 "Judy [Garland] was a great Marilyn Miller.  I think she had the heart, and the sincerity. 

 Sherman then proceeds to express a seeming tautology:

You know, magical things happen when great performers performs. A lot of people sing words and music, but Judy sang the song. She sang the soul of the song.  




Counter point: Song writer Hugh Martin POV:

On the dvd commentary for Astaire and Rogers film "Shall We Dance", Hugh Martin talks about his experience on "A Star is Born." He still insists that he thought Judy should have sung the song in what he describes as an "after hours voice" vs "MGM style".



Kevin Cole: There was rumors after these three Gershwin films this one [Shall We Dance], A Damsel in Distress, and The Goldwyn Follies that once [his brother] George Gershwin died that Ira was just going to retire and hang it up basically. He certainly didn't. Of course he missed George and there was nothing to fill the loss. But you know that is was 1940 [year the stage play premiered vs 1944 for the film] when Lady in the Dark came out. Hugh, when you worked on 'A Star is Born', did you meet Ira?
Hugh Martin: I did. They took me to his house and I heard the score there. And he didn't say a word all evening. I think he was depressed. He had depression certain nights and I, unfortunately, hit a night when he was very low.
Kevin Cole: To be around Ira Gershwin and Harold Arlen with that marvelous score.
Hugh Martin: I was lucky with Harold, he came to my apartment and sang the whole score....And when I returned from Hollywood, I called Harold and I told him that I had fought with Judy. And he said, 'Why?' And I said because she belted 'The Man that Got Away' and I didn't think it should be belted. And he said, 'You're absolutely right. It should not be, it should be contemplative...and should be very introverted, and low key, after hours kind of thing' So I felt vindicated that Harold thought I was right [or so he told you...snarky snark snark]   

All the principles in "Shall We Dance" were deceased by the time the dvd commentary was recorded and it seems Mr Martin was chosen in a 6 degrees separation from Kevin Bacon logic. The Gershwins wrote the music for "Shall We Dance". Ira wrote lyrics for "A Star Is Born", and Mr Martin worked on a "A Star Is Born" with Ira.

Counter Counter Point: Production Assistant Gene Allen POV:

Conversely,  Richard Glazier  in "From Broadway to Hollywood" said "The Man that Got Away" was filmed three different ways. Glazier doesn't specify, but presumably it was filmed Judy's, Hugh's and the director Cukor's way:



Glazier "begs the question", as lawyers would say, stuffing quite a bit of expository into his interrogatory, but the production assistant, Gene Allen, still manages to wander off script and not offer very many specific insights into Miss Garland's performance except that she made the camera grips' jobs challenging:

Richard Glazier: Talk a little bit about "The Man that Got Away" which is of course one of Judy's iconic numbers in her entire career and I understand that the scene was shot three different times with Judy wearing three different outfits and the camera work was done three completely different ways and the set design was even different...ah could you comment on that a little bit?
Gene Allen: Yeah, it was such a key moment that beautiful song ... pull those notes out, you've got a hit. And that's what it was. And it was so much fun to work on it. What Cukor wanted he always liked to do is something new when you've got somebody singing with an orchestra with instruments around. So in that he tried to have the movement always where it would do this [moves hands across screen] I would work with that where the camera is at any given moment and what trombone comes in and what goes around. So we worked that all out. And I always give credit to the grips with the camera dolly. They do two things: they move back and forth and the camera goes up and down. Well, to shoot a number like that with Judy and you never knew what she was going to do [raises arms above head] and suddenly you're in too close or back too far. So we had marks on the stage floor where we had rehearsal, all morning, no shots the first day. And then Judy does it differently...you don't...artists like that don't have a routine...some people know when you just do this I know where I am...with Judy [waves arms around] it was from the heart and soul of whatever she was doing but Cukor only wanted certain things in the film so when you look at the total thing it's sort of a ballet of Judy and the instruments.
How the song finally ended up in the film after all this Sturm und Drang Mishegas:



As a coda, it seems Norman Jewison was able to encourage Judy to sing in an understated manner and keep her acting in frame for her performance in "Judy, Frank, and Dean - The Legendary Concert" @22:40




In case the link breaks:







It's somewhat ironic that Jewison, director of "Fiddler on the Roof" opened the scene with a shot without either a roof or a ceiling.















And proving you can't please everyone:



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Friday, August 8, 2014

German "Happy Days are Here Again" Wochenend Und Sonnenschein - Comedian Harmonists

I thought Judy Garland's version of "Happy Days are Here Again" was the saddest and creepiest, or at least ironically poignant:




and in case the above link breaks:




but this 1930 German version is orders of magnitude creepier and weirder, especially considering two years later the majority of Germans would elect mass murdering psychopath Hitler to take over their country and attempt to ruin the world:




A cludgy recording in case the above link breaks. Artists were the Comedian Harmonists singing the   Milton Ager and Jack Yellen song "Happy Days are Here Again" translated into German by Charles Amberg "Wochenend und Sonnenschein"



As the clip from the Ginger Roger 1939 film "Bachelor Mother" illustrates, the song was, in retrospect irony, used by FDR all through the Great Depression as his administration theme song, making it further ironic that Germans would try to coopt the theme song whose administration would work to ultimately defeat their Third Reich:


 


British people must have also realized the creepy irony, they used the German language version of "Happy Days Are Here Again" as background music in the BBC documentary "The Nazis: A Warning From History":



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