This is the life!

 

 Golden Boy (1964)

starring Sammy Davis, Jr., Paula Wayne, and Billy Daniels.

Music...Charles Strouse and Lee Adams,

the song-writing team that brought us Bye Bye Birdie,

All American, Applause, and It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman!

Billy Daniels played Eddie Satin, 

the fight promoter.

Billy had early vocal hits, like

"That Old Black Magic",

sang in all the top clubs, did movies, even had a television show back in 1952.

His Broadway credits include Memphis Bound,

Hello Dolly, and Bubblin' Brown Sugar.

We'll hear him and Sammy with "This Is The Life" on Sunday.

A young Lola Falana...born Loletha!

The story goes that Sammy "discovered" her and got her a part

in Golden Boy.

Lola would tour with him until 1969.

If you read Charles Strouse's account of the 

making of Golden Boy (and life as a songwriter in general)

....Put On A Happy Face...

it seemed writing for Sammy was way difficult.

He wanted songs that would show off his nightclub singing style,

and rejected many of their attempts. 

He very much controlled the production and the content of the show.

But the music that WAS kept was jazzy and urban,

the content pretty cutting edge for 60s Broadway.

In our oldies corner,

Helen Kane (the inspiration for Betty Boop
but not the voice of BB: that was furnished by Mae Questal!)

sings "I Want To Be Bad."

Helen did 7 movies between 1929 and 1931...

and then the flapper age peaked.

However, in 1950, she dubbed for Debbie Reynolds

in Three Little Words,

for the song "I Wanna Be Loved By You",

Helen's biggest hit.

Al Bowlly,

a South African/British vocalist,

who recorded over 1,000 songs!

He performed with the bands of Roy Fox 

and Ray Noble in the 1920s and 30s,

as well as his own band, The Radio City Rhythm Makers.

Al came to a rather horrible end, unfortunately...

he was killed in 1941

by a Luftwaffe parachute mine outside of his London apartment.

We'll hear his rendition of "If I Had You"

recorded with the Fred Elizalde Band in 1928.

In the 1940 Disney film, Pinocchio,

Walter Catlett voiced the part of 

Honest John Worthington Foulfellow (below)

and got to sing "Hi Diddle Dee Dee (An Actor's Life For Me)", 

written by Leigh Harline and Paul J. Smith.

You'll find Walter in character roles in

Bringing Up Baby, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Mr. Deeds Goes To Washington,

as well as Disney productions like Davy Crockett. 

From Promises, Promises (1968-72),

with Jerry Orbach and Jill O'Hara, 

we'll hear "Half As Big As Life."

Burt Bacharach and Hal David did the music,

choreography by Michael Bennett,

and produced by David Merrick.

Quite an ensemble, too:
Baayork Lee, Donna McKechnie, Kelly Bishop, 

Ken Howard, and Marian Mercer.

Just a couple of years later,

Bennett would use several of these folks for A Chorus Line.

And Sammy returns for another LIFE song,

"The Rhythm Of Life" from Sweet Charity, the movie.

Fosse choreography, Davis energy...what a duo!