Above is the British version of the sheet music for "How'dja Like to Love Me" from the 1938 Paramount feature "College Swing."
The British versions can be very interesting due to changes that would appear to be for the benefit of the British public.
This one is extreme as it not only has completely different artwork, it also sports the British title of the movie, which was "Swing Teacher Swing!"
Must be a reason. Something to do with "college" not meaning exactly the same thing both here and there?
I'm presuming that it has the big picture of John Payne and Florence George (who are the romantic leads but not really in the movie that much) because British audiences were probably not familiar with the stars of the movie at that time.
They probably had no clue who Bob Hope was in 1938, as they wouldn't have heard him on the radio.
Gracie Allen is shown on the sheet music, though, and maybe British audiences knew Burns & Allen from other movies, but not from American radio.
Gracie carries the movie and does a great job. George Burns's role is pretty much tacked on to give him some scenes with Gracie. George is a good straight man to be sure, but Gracie is also very funny when interacting with Bob Hope and with Edward Everett Horton.
In any event, let's listen to another version of "How'dja Like to Love Me," this one from Horace Heidt and his Brigadiers on Brunswick Records:
Of course, I have a few things to point out!
The billing of Horace Heidt and his Brigadiers always seems odd, as shortly after they switched to the longer-running Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights name!
Also, this is the period when Alyce King of The King Sisters had quit the Heidt band and vocalist Charlie Goodman was singing with the other three sisters, so the group was just The Kings!
This "Downbeat" blurb from December 1937, totally sanitizes the whole thing:
As for the record itself, the vocal is pretty hep and, it's also interesting to hear a few guitar touches from Alvino Rey, but Horace Heidt was a total square!
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