Word Association Wednesday: First Mood

As we move from Mood Indigo into Word Association Wednesday, my head is spinning a little - there are so many songs with “mood” in the title! But I’ve settled on a few favorites, and we’ll visit them over the next couple of days.

The Original: Frances Langford (1935)

Today we start with the great Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields standard I’m in the Mood for Love, introduced in the 1935 Paramount picture Every Night at Eight. 

Frances Langford introduced the song in the film and recorded it for Brunswick.

Very Nice! Here is a clip of her from the movie:

It’s interesting that Frances got to sing the hit song and play George Raft’s love interest, especially with the higher-billed Alice Faye in the cast. But Hollywood had its own logic: Alice would soon become a major star at Fox, while Frances carved out a long, successful career on radio. 

The Satchmo Touch: Louis Armstrong (1935)

As a contrast, here’s a contemporary cover by Louis Armstrong on Decca:

Satchmo is absolutely the whole show here - trumpet solo, vocal, and a final trumpet solo - all riding over those vaguely Lombardo-esque saxophones!

The Evolution: James Moody (1949)

If we jump ahead to 1949, we find a very different use of a saxophone: an alto in the hands of James Moody. He recorded this brilliant improvisation in Sweden, which was issued in the U.S. on the Prestige label:

This version caused such a sensation that it earned its own nickname: “Moody’s Mood for Love.” It’s a great example of how a musician can find a completely new architecture within a familiar melody.

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Which version puts you in the mood for love? Are you partial to the classic Langford vocal, Satchmo's trumpet, or the bebop brilliance of the Moody mood?

Word Association Wednesday: Mountain Music

It was a pretty short trip on my train of thought from Duke’s “Old Man Blues” to the 1932 song “The Old Man of the Mountain.” Once that title popped into my head, the rest of today’s playlist practically assembled itself.

The Straight Shoot: Cab Calloway (1932)

Let’s start off with Cab Calloway’s budget-label recording. Cab sings the vocal relatively straight here - almost restrained by Cab standards - which lets his great band stretch out and show off those crisp early-’30s choruses. Even on a bargain imprint, they sound like a million bucks.

The Harmony: The Mills Brothers (1932)

Next up are The Mills Brothers, who bring their signature early-1930s blend of vocal harmony and uncanny instrument imitations. 

We're fortunate that The Mills Brothers were captured on film singing "The Old Man of the Mountain" as featured in the 1933 Paramount short "The Little Broadcast":

That's pretty awesome! The emcee is Roy Atwell, perhaps the preeminent exponent of spoonerisms prior to Doodles Weaver!

The Studio Oddity: Victor Young, The Boswells & The Mills Brothers

Things get even more interesting with this next record. It brings back The Mills Brothers, but also includes Connee Boswell and The Boswell Sisters, plus Fran Frey, all backed by Victor Young (who co-wrote the song). It’s a true crossover before crossovers existed. The “Lucky” designation likely ties it to the Lucky Strike radio shows. If anyone has the deep discographical scoop on this one, I’m all ears!

I like how Connee (still "Connie" at this point) gets a solo chorus and solo billing but also gets a hot chorus with sisters Martha and Vet! (I put this sentence in Helvetica font as a little wink to Helvetia Boswell!)

The Curveball: Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians

Now for a fun one: Fred Waring on Victor, with session singer Chick Bullock and drummer Poley McClintock chiming in as the Old Man himself. 

Waring made some wonderfully oddball novelty sides in this era - playful, tightly arranged, and just a little unhinged. It's hard to believe this is the same Fred Waring who, after a decade-long break from recording, would reemerge as the patron saint of square respectability in the 1940s!

The Visual: Betty Boop & Fleischer Surrealism

Of course, no discussion of The Old Man of the Mountain is complete without the Betty Boop cartoon. This is where the song goes full pre-Code surrealism. Through rotoscoping, Cab becomes the Old Man—slinky, supernatural, and just a little dangerous. It’s fascinating how the character shifts from a harmless hermit in the song to something far more sinister on screen.

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So that’s today’s trek - from budget labels to animated cliffside shimmies. Does the Old Man feel like a friendly neighbor to you, or does that Fleischer rotoscoping make him a little too "Mountain King" for comfort?

Monday Side Session: Saying the Words

Yesterday, we saw how Kalmar and Ruby provided Duke Ellington with one of his biggest hits, Three Little Words, in 1930. Two years later, that same songwriting duo provided the musical heartbeat for what is arguably the greatest Marx Brothers movie of them all: Horse Feathers (1932).

Continuing our "Word" theme, today’s side session focuses on the delightful Ev’ryone Says ‘I Love You.’ I've always thought of this as a sort of sequel to Three Little Words, as everyone is now saying said words!

I've written about this song before, but I think it's time to revisit it in this context!

The Marx Brothers Connection

One of the best things about Horse Feathers is that every brother gets a crack at this song. You get the "straight" version from Zeppo, the harp-driven beauty of Harpo, the piano-pounding of Chico, and of course, Groucho delivering it with his trademark guitar-strumming sarcasm while sitting in a canoe.

Here's a link to a montage of all the brothers giving the song a whirl (with Spanish subtitles):

But while the movie is a comedy classic, the song was also a genuine hit for the dance bands of the day.

The Sweet & Bouncy: Anson Weeks (1932)

Let's go "Dancin’ with Anson!" Anson Weeks and his Orchestra give the song a treatment that is incredibly bouncy and fun. Featuring the Moreing Sisters on the vocal, this Brunswick record captures the optimistic, lighthearted spirit that kept people's spirits up during the early '30s.

The Classy Contender: Isham Jones (1932)

For a slightly more sophisticated take, we turn to the legendary Isham Jones. His band was always top-tier and "classy." This Victor record features violinist/vocalist Eddie Stone, and it shows how a great melody can move seamlessly from the zaniness of a Marx Brothers film to the high-end ballroom.

The Warehouse Favorite: Russ Carlson (1932)

Finally, from the depths of the Warehouse collection, we have Russ Carlson and his Orchestra on the budget Crown Records label. There’s something special about these less-discussed recordings. I especially enjoy the vocal here by Elmer Feldkamp - it’s a delightful performance that rounds out our look at how "ev'ryone" was indeed singing this song in 1932.

The Warehouse Find: Raie Da Costa (1933)

Everyone was saying it, but was anyone playing it? Yes, indeed! Popular South African born pianist recorded an extremely snappy instrumental version in 1933 for the British HMV label.

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Five very different versions of the same Kalmar & Ruby tune. Are you a fan of the "bouncy" Anson Weeks style, or do you prefer the Marx Brothers' original mayhem?

"Let's Celebrake" (1938)

It's New Year's Eve and a great way to add to the celebration is by viewing the 1938 Popeye cartoon "Let's Celebrake" from Fleischer Studios and Paramount pictures!

No spoilers except to say that Popeye is a total class act!

You can watch it here:

Popeye the Sailor - Let's Celebrake

Happy New Year!

"Betty Boop" (1932)

We just heard the theme song of Popeye the Sailor, so let's back up a couple of years to 1932 where we run into another star from the Max Fleischer cartoon studio - Betty Boop!

Popeye's screen debut in 1933 was actually in a cartoon entitled "Popeye the Sailor" from the Betty Boop series. Kind of like a backdoor pilot!

Betty's theme gets a snappy treatment from Phil Spitalny (in the days before he lead his all-girl orchestra) on this cut from a Hit of the Week record:

Lots of fun with the Eton Boys on the vocals!

Kind of a follow-up to the earlier HotW record of another Betty (Co-Ed) from the Spitalny boys!

I had mentioned Hit of the Week records before, how you got two songs on one side of a Durium disc for 15¢ in an attempt to stimulate records sales during those dark days of the Depression.

I would never want to shortchange anyone, so let's hear the other cut from that record, "Lullaby of the Leaves" again from Mr. Spitalny, this time with vocalist Ben Alley:

I know 15¢ was a lot of money in 1932, but I think I would've been satisfied, especially if Arthur Murray really supervised the tempo!

"I'm Popeye the Sailor Man" (1934)

Since we’re talking about Popeye in 1934, let’s hear this commercial recording of his theme song from his Paramount cartoons by his voice at the time, Billy Costello:

 

That’s a lot of fun!

“Did You Ever See a Dream Walking” (1933) - Part 4!

No review of the 1933 song “Did You Ever See a Dream Walking” from Paramount’s “Sitting Pretty” is complete without a shoutout to the brilliant Popeye cartoon “A Dream Walking” from 1934! 

The song is featured prominently as Popeye and Bluto fight over who’s going to rescue the sleepwalking Olive Oyl as she wanders into the construction site of skyscraper.

This is only the 14th entry in the Popeye series, but the Fleischer studio is already hitting on all cylinders with these cartoons! 

A real gem!

“Did You Ever See a Dream Walking” (1933) - Part 3!

While we’re listening to the song “Have You Ever Seen a Dream Walking” from Paramount’s “Sitting Pretty” from 1933, let’s hear this terrific version by Paramount star Bing Crosby on Brunswick Records:

 

Tough to beat Bing!

“Did You Ever See a Dream Walking” (1933) - Part 2!

Also performing in Paramount’s 1933 picture “Sitting Pretty” was the popular radio act the Pickens Sisters! 

Although they didn’t sing “Did You Ever See a Dream Walking” in the movie, they did record the song for Victor Records:

 

Great version! There are a couple of interesting things about the label: The movie is shown as “Sittin’ Pretty” and a question mark is added to the song title, which is better grammar than the sheet music employs! Plus a helpful note that the girls are from Georgia!

 

“Did You Ever See a Dream Walking” (1933)

Back in 1933, we come across the wonderful Mack Gordon/Harry Revel song “Did You Ever See a Dream Walking” from the Paramount picture “Sitting Pretty” starring Jack Oakie, Jack Haley and Ginger Rogers. 

It’s a fun movie with the two Jacks playing songwriters trying to break into movies. 

I’m very partial to 1930s movies that have a show biz background and this one has some good-natured swipes at the movie biz!

Also featured is Thelma Todd as a temperamental actress. Thelma is probably best-remembered as having died under mysterious circumstances in 1935, but she’s a delightful presence in quite a few 1930s movies! 

“Did You Ever See a Dream Walking” was sung by Art Jarrett and Ginger as part of an enormous production number à la Busby Berkley. 

Neither Art nor Ginger recorded it commercially, but a bunch of artists did! 

Here’s a snappy budget label version by Gene Kardos and his Orchestra with a vocal from the prolific Chick Bullock:

 

Such a nice mid-1930s flavor!

"Accent on Youth" (1935) Part 2!

For another version of the title song from the 1935 Paramount picture “Accent on Youth,” we move about as far away from the band of Orville Knapp as possible: to the band of Duke Ellington! 

Here’s Duke’s instrumental take on Brunswick Records:

 

Sounds good!

 

"Accent on Youth" (1935)

We go back to 1935 for the relatively obscure Paramount release “Accent on Youth” starring Sylvia Sidney and Herbert Marshall! 

Here’s the title song as recorded on Decca Records by Orville Knapp and his Orchestra with Norman Ruvell:

 

I’m fascinated by Orville Knapp’s band and this record in particular. I think it’s because it seems so overly stylized in a sweet band way that it’s awesome! 

Orville was sadly killed in an airplane accident in 1936. I wonder if he would have adapted his band to a more modern sound if he had lived.

"Will I Ever Know" (1936) - Part 2!

As mentioned yesterday, Frances Langford did get the chance to record "Will I Ever Know" from Paramount's "Palm Springs" from 1936!

So, here's her Decca record with backing from Victor Young:

So nice!

"Will I Ever Know" (1936)

I had mentioned earlier that Smith Ballew's good looks led the singer to a movie career, so here we have him co-starred with fellow singer Frances Langford in Paramount's "Palm Springs" from 1936!

Nice looking couple!

Frances sang the song "Will I Ever Know" in the movie and did record the song, but let's listen to Tommy Dorsey's Victor recording with vocalist Edythe Wright:

I really like Edythe Wright!

"Lovelight in the Starlight" (1938) - Part 2!

Not to sleep on is the back cover of the sheet music for 1938's "Lovelight in the Starlight" featuring a puffy biography of "Her Jungle Love" star Dorothy Lamour's then-husband Herbie Kay!

Dorothy recorded "Lovelight in the Starlight" for Brunswick Records backed by Herbie's band, which is pretty fun, so let's give it a listen:

Dottie was all that, wasn't she?

"Lovelight in the Starlight" (1938)

Here's a nice sheet music for the song "Lovelight in the Starlight" from the Paramount picture "Her Jungle Love" from 1938, featuring Dorothy Lamour (then-wife of bandleader Herbie Kay for our our purposes)!

Let's listen to a nice recording of the song by another underrated band, Jan Savitt and his Top Hatters on Bluebird Records:

Nice vocal by also underrated Carlotta Dale!

"Who's That Knocking at My Heart?" (1936)

We leave 1936 as we entered it, with another college movie from Paramount Pictures!

The movie in question is "College Holiday" starring Jack Benny and George Burns & Gracie Allen. Despite those stars as well as Martha Raye and Mary Boland (and Johnny Downs!), the movie isn't as funny as it should be.

It's also tough sledding from a modern viewpoint as it includes a minstrel number and treats the issue of eugenics as just a wacky idea.

I always try to look at movies from the past with the lens of the time, but it's not always easy!

But let's hear the song "Who's That Knocking at My Heart?" in this budget label recording by Larry Kent and his Orchestra:

A nice record, and if vocalist "Harriett Kaye" sounds familiar, it's because it's actually Helen Ward, who may or may not have still been under contact to Benny Goodman!

Next here's the love song from the movie, "(Enchanted) I Adore You," as recorded by Mall Hallet and his Orchestra on Decca:

Not sure why vocalist Jerry Perkins is uncredited on the label, He definitely was not under contract to Benny Goodman!

Jack Benny refers to the song as "Enchanted" in the movie, which is why it's in parentheses on the label, I guess, but why not just call it that?

I should mention that Paramount also released "College Swing" in 1938, which I visited here and here!

"You Hit the Spot" (1936)

It's now 1936 and Paramount has another college picture: "Collegiate" with Joe Penner and Jack Oakie back again!

In addition to those holdovers from 1934's "College Rhythm," "Collegiate" features lovely singing star Frances Langford!

Frances sang the hit "You Hit the Spot" in the movie and recorded it for Decca Records:

A popular version was also recorded by Richard Himber and his Ritz-Carlton Orchestra with vocalist Stuart Allen on Victor Records:

Kind of snappy, but even snappier is this version by Kay Thompson on Brunswick Records:

That's pretty cool, but who are The Boys?

"In the Middle of a Kiss" (1935)

Still in 1935, we run into another college picture from Paramount: "College Scandal" starring Arline Judge!

The sheet music art seems at odds with the film's title and indeed, it's more of a murder mystery than a frothy musical!

It did have a hit song, though, "In the Middle of a Kiss," which was sung by Arline and former "Our Gang"-er Johnny Downs, who seems to be in every college movie of the period!

A popular version was waxed for Brunswick by Hal Kamp's band with Skinnay Ennis once again doing the vocal honors:

Love those Kemp/Ennis sides!

Here's a very lovely version by the wonderful Connee Boswell:

I'm not sure what the Columbia/Brunswick/Lucky business is all about!

And Connee and Skinnay hadn't adopted the snazzier versions of their names yet!

Let's hear one more version, this one's a budget label record from Smith Ballew:

I always dig Smith's singing too!

"Stay As Sweet As You Are" (1934)

We just heard a bunch of recordings of songs from the Paramount picture "College Rhythm" of 1934, but we have yet to hear "Stay As Sweet As You Are," the big hit from the movie!

The British version of the sheet music (shown at top) for the song prominently features popular radio singing star Lanny Ross (in one of of his handful of movies), but top-bills Mary Brian, as I guess she was more of a name in England than Joe Penner and Jack Oakie?

In any event, Lanny sang "Stay As Sweet As You Are" in the movie and recorded the song for Brunswick Records:

Lanny's sort-of-operatic-tenor style served him very well as a radio star and also as the voice of the prince in the 1939 animated feature "Gulliver's Travels," which is how I first knew him!

We heard from Jimmie Grier with those other songs from "College Rhythm," and he also recorded a popular version of "Stay As Sweet As You Are" for Brunswick Records with vocalist Harry Foster:

I think Jimmie Grier, the Musical Host of the Coast, has just that right 1934 sound!

For another nice version of the song, we have Archie Bleyer and his Orchestra on Vocalion Records:

A very nice arrangement, but the main attraction is the vocal by Buddy Clark early in his career!

Jut for fun, let's give a listen to Buddy's solo version, which he cut for Columbia Records in 1947 for his "Songs of Romance" album:

Such a wonderful singer!

One other note about "College Rhythm" that was a big deal at the time was that this was the feature of Joe Penner, the very popular (at the time) radio comedian of "Wanna Buy a Duck?" and other wacky catchphrases!