Zis and Zat!

In our oldies corner this week

(still crushing on Miss Fisher music!),

is Maurice Chevalier singing

"Sweepin' The Clouds Away"

in Paramount On Parade...

a revue featuring the all the stars 

"in the celebrity firma-mint!,"

like William Powell, Kay Francis, Jack Oakey...and Maurice,

who played a chimney sweep for this song.

That's Maurice below in another skit 

with Evelyn Brent.

 

Above, Red Nichols who usual led his Five Pennies orchestra,

but with "Building A Nest For Mary"

he conducted The Captivators, back in 1929.

And then we'll sample Isham Jones and his Orchestra

(that's Isham and his 'phone, below)

playing "There's A Wah Wah Girl in Agua Caliente"

with Eddie Stone on vocal.

The title alone sends me. :)

Irving Berlin's Face The Music, originally from 1932,

was resurrected by Encores!

in 2007 with Judy Kaye, Lee Wilkof and Walter Bobbie

(we'll also hear Walter in the Nathan (Detroit) Lane/Faith Prince

Guys and Dolls revival on Sunday)...

ANNND can we just thank the theatre gods for organizations

like Encores! for bringing back these shows for all to appreciate!

And they even made a cast album!

We'll hear Walter (in pink below) with "How Can I Change My Luck?"

Below, the original playbill with stars Mary Boland

(remember her from The Women?)

and J. Harold Murray.

What a trio to release on NYC!

Cris Alexander, John Battles and Adolph Green

in On The Town.

We'll hear "Lucky to Be Me" with John...

a song NOT included in the movie version.

Roger Edens didn't think much of Leonard Bernstein's melodies 

(did he know who Lenny WAS? He was LEONARD BERNSTEIN!!),

finding his tunes too complex and operatic.

So he chucked most of the score and wrote his own.

Lenny boycotted the film.  

John was 23 when he was cast as Gabey.

Prior to this, he was a chorus boy in Ethel Merman's 

Something For The Boys,

and Follow the Girls with Jackie Gleason.

After decent notices for "Town",

John would go on to perform in Allegro,

that R&H not-quite-a-hit,

and later joined the Gate Theatre in Dublin for a time.

John with Sono Osato,

who played Ivy (Miss Turnstiles)...

Sono had a very interesting career,

from performing with the Ballets Russe de Monte-Carlo

to acting in films (The Kissing Bandit?)

and Broadway.

ANNNND she lived to be 99!