Bronislaw Kaper's 'Auntie Mame' Score, Plus Bonuses

I came to post this LP via a circuitous route. First I was going to offer a selection of the 1940s recordings by vocalist David Allyn. But then I realized not many people know him and his early efforts might now be the best introduction to him.

Then I thought I would post a few of his later singles, which are more representative of his best work. One of them was "Drifting," which is the vocal version of Bronislaw Kaper's theme for the delightful 1958 film Auntie Mame. I wasn't happy with the sound of the 45, so I went downstairs in search of the soundtrack LP.

I remembered that I liked the album, decided to transfer it, and when I was done I thought to myself, "Hey, this is from 1958, I wonder if it came out in stereo." It did, and Internet Archive had a copy, so I cleaned it up and here it is.

Willard Waterman, Rosalind Russell, Coral Browne

In the process I discovered that Allyn's "Drifting" actually doesn't appear on the Auntie Mame LP, so I plucked a stereo version off an Allyn LP and included it.

"Drifting" is a heartfelt, moody piece, and as far as I can tell, even the instrumental version does not appear in the film as such. The LP (and the flip side of Allyn's single) present the serious version as "Auntie Mame" after the finale. Kaper does use the theme (which represents Mame) in a light-hearted manner several times in the film score.

The musical cues for Auntie Mame are abbreviated; they only take up one side of the album. The second side contains the serious "Auntie Mame" treatment, along with four of Kaper's greatest hits - "On Green Dolphin Street" from the movie Green Dolphin Street, "Invitation" from Invitation, "Take My Love" from The Glass Slipper, and "Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo" from Lili. (The latter has appeared here and is still available.)

These are all well worth hearing, and make for a most enjoyable (and well recorded) LP. Please note that this material is not direct from the soundtrack; it from a separate recording session and is billed as the "Original Film Score." Both the soundtrack and LP recording were led by Ray Heindorf.

Rosalind Russell

Auntie Mame started off as a novel by Patrick Dennis, then became a 1956 Broadway show with book by Lawrence and Lee, before hitting the big screen. Rosalind Russell is spectacularly good in the title role; she must have been wonderful on stage.

David Allyn

Also spectacular is David Allyn's singing in "Drifting," an exceptional and little known record. The vocalist started off in big bands while still a teen, notably with Jack Teagarden and Boyd Raeburn, then set out on his own. It wasn't until the late 1950s that he came into his own - "Drifting" was recorded when he was about 35. I'll have more from him soon.

The download includes many Auntie Mame posters, lobby cards and stills.

Everything I Have Is Yours / Lili

M-G-M combined the songs from two of its early 50s musicals on this one 10-inch LP - the backstage story of Everything I Have Is Yours, and the naive girl-with-puppets fairytale of Lili.

Marge and Gower Champion were the dancing protagonists in 1952's Everything I Have Is Yours, joined for a rare musical outing by glamorous actor-singer Monica Lewis.

Monica Lewis and the Champions

The score is a mishmash of old items like the title tune and new material from Johnny Green and Saul Chaplin, who contributes a song for Lewis with the unpromising title, "Seventeen Thousand Telephone Poles."

The music for 1953's Lili is more satisfying, with the beloved "Hi Lili, Hi Lo" from Leslie Caron and Mel Ferrer, and a few attractive instrumental cues from Bronislaw Kaper.

As always, the M-G-M Studio Orchestra is a delight to hear, as conducted by Green, David Rose and Hans Sommer. Orchestrations for Everything I Have Is Yours were by Albert Sendrey; for Lili, Bob Franklyn and Skip Martin. The sound is very good. (May 2024: newly remastered in ambient stereo.)

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