One of Ethel Merman's most famous roles was Ambassador Sally Adams in the 1950 Broadway musical
Call Me Madam, and the recordings from that production have been reissued many times. (There are two - one set with Merman on Decca and the RCA version with Dinah Shore, of all people, in Merman's place.)
However, the LP of the subsequent film version has been more neglected, so here is my transfer for those interested.
This is one of Irving Berlin's best scores (and by that I suppose I mean among the ones that I like the best), with a number of fine songs. The showstopper on Broadway was Merman's duet with Russell Nype on "You're Just in Love." Here Nype gives way to the terrific Donald O'Connor.
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| "You're Just in Love" |
Also in the cast and usually in tune is George Sanders, who loved to sing and did so in several films in the 1950s. I made mild fun of Sanders' singing on an
earlier occasion, only to be gently rebuked by his partisans. Here he does well in his solo, "Marrying for Love," but his entry in the duet "The Best Thing for You" is low comedy.
As often happens, Decca's pressings both for the 10-inch LP and the corresponding 45 set were grainy, but even so the sound is very good.
Links (Apple lossless):
ReplyDeletehttps://mega.co.nz/#!Gd9lkRTI!f_7_d3TkYO8pIiml_rdR_ARYcUkLSSR3TLZYc_r2Ngc
http://www69.zippyshare.com/v/34496552/file.html
I feel certain this will be most enjoyable. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have wanted to hear this for ages, as I love the movie - one of the only (in fact is it THE only?) celluloid souvenirs of Merman in one of her "creator" roles. Many thanks, Buster.
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful to have available. My thanks to our blogmaster.
ReplyDeletePhillip, Merman filmed Anything Goes in 1936, but (as usual for the period) so altered, with the famous stage score mostly gone and new songs by others added, that it hardly counts. Call Me Madam, by contrast, is fairly faithful and includes most of the stage score (plus an addition from another Berlin show to give O'Connor a solo). Seeing Merman here, I can sort of of understand why she was generally replaced when her shows were filmed -- she comes on so strong -- and yet enjoy her and be glad she got to do this one.
Hi JAC many thanks for the clarification. I know what you mean, but that does make this film an important historical record. She had the subtlety of a runaway bus, but her fearlessness is amazing.
DeleteHello friends, thanks as always for your nice notes.
ReplyDeleteJAC - I've always loved Merman and did an impression of her in my youth. Also Jolson. This was the 60s, so these did not exactly add to my popularity.
Thanks another awesome Decca share Buster!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the audio upgrade!
ReplyDeleteLove it. It's not available on CD in anything close to the sound quality of your transfer. O"Connor is great too. A real treasure you unearthed here. Thanks, Buster.
ReplyDeleteBelated thanks, folks!
ReplyDeleteHi Joe - Thanks for the compliments!
Thanks so much for posting this.
ReplyDelete