Moonstruck Melodians!

 Young Man With A Horn

was released in 1950,

starring Kirk Douglas, Doris Day, Lauren Bacall, 

and Hoagy Carmichael,

though the real "star" of the show 

(according to the critics)

was Harry James, who played the trumpet (cornet?) for Kirk.

The screenplay was based on the life of Bix Beiderbecke,

but with a happy Hollywood ending.

 Doris has been quoted as saying that 

the entire movie production was "utterly joyless",

with Kirk being "too self-centered" to bother getting to know

other cast members.

 No quotes from Lauren,

who played the Other Woman. 

We'll hear one of Doris' numbers from the movie,

"There's A Rising Moon,"

written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster.

Doris turned 96 just a couple of months ago!

 Then Liza's 1974 live concert rendition of 

"Shine On, Harvest Moon",

the oldest song on 2 On The Aisle this Sunday:

1908!

Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth,

stars of the Ziefeld Follies,

were the ones to introduce it,

but who wrote it?
Edward Madden and Gus Edwards?

Dave Stamper (Nora's piano accompanist in the Follies)?

Nora and Jack themselves?

Look it up (in YOUR Funk & Wagnell)!

 Two competing songbirds of the 1920s and 30s:

Annette Hanshaw, above

and Ruth Etting, below. 

Annette was known as The Personality Girl,

and sang with the Casa Loma Orchestra,

the Original Memphis Five,

and Rudy Vallee's Connecticut Yankees

(to name but a few).

Ruth, not to be outdone, was called 

America's Sweetheart Of Song,

and her signature songs were

"Ten Cents A Dance", "Love Me Or Leave Me",

and "Shine On, Harvest Moon"!

We'll hear Annette with "Moon Song"

and Ruth's "Dancing In The Moonlight."

 Ann Hampton Callaway,

songwriter, cabaret performer and Broadway star,

performs "Blue Moon"

a song written back in 1934,

when we were all NUTS for moon songs,

by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.

And what a history this song has;

3 different sets of lyrics for 

a.) the movie, Hollywood Party (never released),

b.) 2 different sets of lyrics for the movie, Manhattan Melodrama.

One cut, the other not a hit.

And c.) the lyric we now (thankfully) have!

Wait...that's 4 ...

 Bea Arthur,

with a great recipe for Lamb Curry...

oh, and "The Man In The Moon Is A Lady"

from Mame (first) and her one-woman show,

Just Between Friends (second).

Skip Hinnant playing a mean invisible keyboard,

and Reva Rose singing along to

an old Beethoven hit:
Moonlight Sonata.

You're Good Man, Charlie Brown,

but Lucy's cap (or headband) was set on Shroeder.