In addition to being written by the same team - lyricist Sam Coslow and composer Arthur Johnston - each song appeared in a different Paramount film featuring Duke and his orchestra.
And in a twist no one in 1934 could have predicted, both tunes would later become best-known through novelty records!
Duke recorded this as an instrumental for Victor in April 1934:
It’s an interesting take. If I were given a blindfold test, I’m not sure I’d immediately say, “Hey, that’s Duke!” The arrangement is elegant but not especially Ellingtonian - which makes sense, given that this was very much a pop assignment.
Duke didn’t perform the song in the film itself; it was sung by Carl Brisson. The song itself celebrates the end of Prohibition!
“My Old Flame” (from Belle of the Nineties)
Duke did perform this one on screen, accompanying the film's star Mae West in the film. For Victor, he recorded his own version in May 1934 with Ivie Anderson on the vocal:
This one feels more like home turf. Ivie is wonderful, and the arrangement has more of that Ellington glow - especially with Cootie Williams delivering a classic growl-trumpet solo.
A fun label detail: the Victor disc says the song is from the Paramount film It Ain’t No Sin. That was the original title, but between Vanities and Belle of the Nineties, the Production Code went into effect, and a Mae West movie with the word sin in the title was not going to fly! Hence the last-minute retitling.
And if you ever see Murder at the Vanities, you’ll know instantly that it’s very much pre-Code!
Other Takes Before the Mayhem
After these initial recordings, the tunes had perfectly respectable lives in the swing era. Here are a couple of versions...
Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra — “Cocktails for Two” (1938)
A swinging, polished version with TD on trombone, Johnny Mince on clarinet, Babe Rusin on tenor and Yank Lawson on trumpet. Very cool!
Cootie Williams and his Sextette — “My Old Flame” (1944)
Cootie revisits his old flame with a small-group lineup featuring Bud Powell on piano and “Lockjaw” Davis and “Cleanhead” Vinson on tenor and alto. Nicknames everywhere, and a wonderfully moody performance!
Now the Mayhem Begins
As mentioned earlier, both songs are perhaps best remembered today for their radical reworkings by Spike Jones and His City Slickers.
Spike Jones and his City Slickers - “Cocktails for Two” (1945)
This was cut at Spike’s first post–recording ban session and became the biggest hit of his career. His earlier Bluebird sides (like Der Fuhrer’s Face) were wacky, but this is where the controlled chaos really begins. During the ban, Spike and his brilliant arranger Country Washburne had developed this new, hyper-detailed approach - a kind of musical slapstick where every sound effect is perfectly placed.
And Spike could never really replace Carl Grayson after he left the band; his ability to sing a straight vocal and make those glugs was unmatched!
Spike Jones and his City Slickers — “My Old Flame” (1947)
If Cocktails is chaos, this is theater. The contrast between Paul Judson’s straight vocal and Paul Frees’ Peter Lorre parody is wild enough, but it’s what “Peter” says that puts it over the top. And the Slicker Chorus in the middle is brilliant!
Closing Thoughts
As a long-time Spike Jones fan, I first knew these songs through his versions. Sam Coslow was often quoted as disliking Spike’s treatment of “Cocktails for Two,” and it is hard to imagine a time when these songs were taken completely seriously.
But Duke’s 1934 recordings take us back to that moment - before the sound effects, before the anarchy, before the songs became punchlines.
They were just two new Hollywood tunes making the rounds. Duke gave them elegance; Spike later gave them immortality of a very different kind!
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