Rome by Sophia, Lingerie by Yolande

Sophia cover

American television viewers in 1964 were treated to a travelogue of Rome courtesy of Sophia Loren and sponsor Chemstrand, makers of nylon. Sophia Loren in Rome had a score by the illustrious John Barry, which Columbia promptly issued on LP.

Yolande cover

Sponsor Chemstrand decided to issue a promotional LP with excerpts from the Sophia Loren music on one side and the soundtrack of a Chemstrand-sponsored industrial film on the other. The latter was called The Bride Wore Yolande. Yolande was and perhaps still is a purveyor of lingerie made of Chemstrand nylon. You can see its products displayed on both sides of the album cover at right, one devoted to Sophia, one to Yolande. Despite the implication of the top cover, what you see is not Sophia Loren in her nighty.

More about both sides of this promotional LP below.

Sophia Loren in Rome

Sophia Loren in Rome was a follow-up to the successful Elizabeth Taylor in London program of 1963, which also offered a John Barry score.

Along for the ride in Rome was Marcello Mastroianni, who had been paired in a number of films with Loren.

Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren

As is usual with soundtracks, although there are 12 selections, there are only six themes. "Secrets of Rome" comes around four times - versions with large orchestra, small orchestra, a vocal by Loren and a waltz treatment. "Sophia," "Arm in Arm" and "Marcello" are heard in both large and small orchestra form.

When you net all this out, the abridged version of the score on the Chemstrand LP only leaves out one theme ("The Aggressors"). Nonetheless, I don't want anyone to feel short-changed, so the download includes a lossy transfer of the entire commercial LP, which I have remastered. It, like the Chemstrand album, is in mono, but in both cases the sound is pleasing.

Unsurprisingly, Loren showed off the fountains
of Rome during the program

The Bride Wore Yolande

The Bride Wore Yolande had the good fortune to employ the talents of the kinetic Helen Gallagher, who had a very long career on Broadway, winning two Tonys, and on television, winning several Emmys.

Her first song on the LP assures us that, "With the right nightgown, a woman can rule the world!" I am not sure this explains the rise of such women rulers as Margaret Thatcher or Indira Gandhi, but it does make for a catchy ending to her first song, "Live the Life of Yolande." Gallagher's second song, "They Did It with Yolande," expands on this theme, informing us in the process that Salome "got a head" with veils made by Yolande.

Helen Gallagher

For the final two Yolande songs, Gallagher yields the stage to Jill Bartholomew, who admonishes us that "You Shouldn't Have Done It" before assuming the title role of the bride in "What Shall I Wear Tonight." In real life, Bartholomew was the spouse of actor Joseph Campanella, and most of her IMDb credits are game show appearances with her husband. She was also in the ensemble of the short-lived Mary Rodgers-Martin Charnin Broadway show Hot Spot in 1963.

The LP provides no information on who wrote the music or lyrics for this show, other than it was a production of Spectrum Associates.

1963 Yolande ad

Those who like Helen Gallagher may be interested in her previous appearances on this blog. Both of those were in RCA's 1953 "Show Time" series of potted Broadway shows. She belts out "I Got Rhythm" on the Girl Crazy set, and four Cole Porter songs from Anything Goes, including a duet on "You're the Top" with Jack Cassidy.

Neither Sophia Loren in Rome nor The Bride Wore Yolande are on YouTube, but both can be found on DVD. The LP originally included a booklet of fashion drawings entitled "Yolande - Designer's Sketch Book of Lingerie Fashions of the Future," but my copy is missing that insert, sorry!

If you like industrial musicals or other promotional records, I've previously featured The Going Thing for Ford from 1970, The Shape of Tomorrow: A Musical Introduction to 1958 Westinghouse Appliances, the Edsel Dealer Announcement Show, also from 1958, The Real Joy of Living for Schlitz Beer from the late 50s, the Where There's Life Budweiser tie-in from 1960, Warner's Color TV Fashion Show from 1956, and The Two Sides of the J's with Jamie, with that group's commercial work from the early 60s. All can be found via this link.