Carol Bruce Special - Music from Film, Transcription and Radio

Over time, we have been examining the recordings of actor-vocalist Carol Bruce, from her debut on the Broadway stage to her solo recordings of the 50s. I've had the help of vocal connoisseur Bryan Cooper for this series - including today's three-part epic. 

For this post, we'll hear from Carol in songs from her second film musical, on the radio with Buddy Clark just after her great success as Julie in the 1946 revival of Show Boat, and on an Army-sponsored transcription from 1950.

Behind the Eight Ball

Bruce was one of the leads of 1942's Behind the Eight Ball, in quick succession to Keep 'Em Flying of 1941, meaning she went from the Scylla of Abbott and Costello to the Charybdis of the Ritz Brothers. Here's the IMDb precis of Eight Ball:

"The shooting and murder of two guest stars at the Shady Ridge Summer Theatre, operated by Joan Barry [that's Carol], threatens to close the musical 'Fun For All.' To bolster the show, Joan induces Bill Edwards [Dick Foran], who shares joint ownership with her, of the farm the theatre is located on, and Sheriff McKenzie, to hire the Jolly Jesters [aka Ritz Brothers]. They steal the show and, along the way, uncover a spy ring and a bullet-shooting clarinet." Actually, it sounds engagingly goofy.

Carol Bruce and Dick Foran

Besides Carol, Foran and the Ritzes, the movie featured trumpeter Sonny Dunham and his band in their only feature appearance. Dunham was an even-more blaring version of Harry James.

Thanks to Bryan's stellar collection - and his willingness to share its treasures - we already have had on the blog Bruce's studio promos from Keep 'Em Flying. In that set, Universal managed to issue a recording of the Gene de Paul - Don Raye masterwork "You Don't Know What Love Is," even though it was dropped from that film. The great song did then show up in this Ritz Brothers epic.

In today's post, Bryan has uncovered Carol's other recordings from the Eight Ball soundtrack, where she is accompanied by Dunham's band. These come from a rare Universal glass transcription disc (at right) that Bryan recently acquired.

The first of the two songs is "Golden Wedding Day," which had been a 1941 hit in a much different instrumental version by Woody Herman, with drum solo by Frankie Carlson. The song is thought to date back to 1887, when Jean Gabriel-Marie composed it as "La Cinquantaine." I suspect the clever English lyrics - which Bruce handles beautifully - are by Don Raye.

"Golden Wedding Day" leads directly into the Raye-De Paul "Wasn't It Wonderful?" which is very accomplished except for its strong resemblance to a famous movie duet of a few years before. It was as if the producer showed up at the door and instructed the songwriters, "Hey, give me something just like 'Thanks for the Memory'." Carol's fresh reading is perfect.

A 1947 Melody Hour with Buddy Clark

Our next rarity is a April 1947 Melody Hour radio program where Carol guested with the great Buddy Clark and bandleader Percy Faith.

Carol had just completed a year on Broadway as Julie in the highly successful revival of Show Boat. This show, appropriately, gives her the opportunity to perform one of her Show Boat specialties, the famous "Bill," and she is all that one could want in the song (and, I am sure, in the part).

Carol Bruce with Buddy Ebsen and Max Showalter in Show Boat

She also is given the chance to do a number then on the pop charts, the awful "Managua, Nicaragua," which should have been left to Freddy Martin and Guy Lombardo.

Al Gallodoro

For his part, Clark is his sunny and polished self in "I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams," "Old Devil Moon" (from the current Broadway hit Finian's Rainbow) and "There's a Small Hotel." Faith leads a few instrumental numbers, including the concluding showpiece for alto saxophone, Jimmy Dorsey's "Oodles of Noodles," with the remarkable virtuoso Al Gallodoro.

The sound on the broadcast is quite good, but the lossless Internet Archive transfer of the transcription did have several skips, which do not affect Bruce's numbers.

Songs by Carol Bruce (Voice of the Army Transcription)

The third part of our set comes from my own collection. It's one of a series of 16-inch transcription discs sent to radio stations by the U.S. Army to promote recruitment. This entry in the "Voice of the Army" series comes from early 1950, and gives Bruce a chance to perform her other feature from Show Boat - "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man."

The musical backing is by Johnny Guarnieri, who made his name a decade before with Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw and here is leading his own quintet. Its members probably included George Walter (trumpet), Charles Di Maggio (clarinet, sax), Leo Guarnieri (bass) and Frank Garisto (drums), who recorded with Johnny at about the same time.

Johnny Guarnieri

Guarnieri's many-noted style would not seem ideally suited to Bruce and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man," but they work together smoothly. Johnny's also good in his own numbers, including the peppy "Toot-Toot-Tootsie" and "El Relicario."

Carol's concluding numbers are "Somebody Loves Me" and "It Had to Be You," which show off her versality and which she handles beautifully. Both songs date from 1924, and Bruce's vocal shadings are appropriate to that era.

The sound from this transcription - a product of my new turntable - is very good indeed. The radio station KWIK - then in Burbank CA - apparently didn't care for the program, with the program director scrawling "NG" across the label in grease pencil. The station must have preferred the Peter Lind Hayes program on the other side (which I've not transferred).

Thanks again to Bryan for his contributions to this enterprise!

Carol Bruce appearing on an early television program performing one of her numbers from Show Boat

  

The Complete 'Keep 'Em Flying' Recordings and More Carol Bruce Singles

Singer/actor Carol Bruce has been a popular subject for this blog and its junior associate (Buster's Swinging Singles) for some time. Today I am expanding on a few previous posts through the generosity of blog follower and vocal aficionado Bryan Cooper, who provided almost all of these materials.

First we have what I believe are Universal's complete pre-recordings for the 1941 film Keep 'Em Flying, filling out the two songs previously shared. Also on offer are three additional Bruce 78s from the Shirmer, Decca and Columbia labels, dating from 1940-41, plus three songs she made for V-Disc in 1943, expanding on a post from early this year.

Keep 'Em Flying

Keep 'Em Flying was one of the many Abbott and Costello odysseys of idiocy that Universal inflicted on the American public during the period. I previously shared two songs recorded for the film - both of which Universal in its wisdom dropped from the final product. One was Bruce's first go at the wonderful Raye-de Paul song "You Don't Know What Love Is," the other Martha Raye's double-tracked vocal on the less-than-wonderful "Together."

Bryan has added three Bruce songs ("I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You," "Time on My Hands" and "I Won't Forget the Dawn"), Raye's "What Kind of Love Is This" and her terrific version of "Pig Foot Pete," and Bruce-Raye duets on the attractive tune "The Boy with the Wistful Eyes" and on the title song. Co-star Dick Foran adds a stentorian version of the title song, and the Universal Orchestra contributes a number called "Rehearsing for a Nervous Breakdown," perhaps in sympathy with the audiences subjected to the film's Abbott and Costello routines.

Carol Bruce in Keep 'Em Flying

After repeatedly listening to these numbers, I came to the conclusion that Universal issued the whole set a half-step sharp - including the two songs I previously offered. For this post, I re-pitched all the songs, making use of the best files that Bryan sent along, while substituting my versions of "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Together," which were in better condition.

Among the new items, the two solo sides from Carol Bruce are beautifully done. Her version of "Time on My Hands," a song that dates from 1930, betrays the influence of Connie Boswell, one of the first singers to record the number. "I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You," which comes from 1932, was of course a big hit for and the theme song of bandleader Tommy Dorsey.

Shirmer, Decca, Columbia and V-Disc Recordings

My previous post of Carol Bruce's early recordings included her Decca "Souvenir Album," one additional Decca 78, and one coupling from the small Shirmer label documenting her big success in Broadway's Louisiana Purchase. Today's trove from Bryan starts with her other Shirmer recording, a coupling of "Lover, Come Back to Me" and "I Got a Right to Sing the Blues," where she sounds much like Lee Wiley. These are almost certainly from 1940, when she recorded the other Shirmer titles. The backing by Eddie Oliver is badly dated, making even Harry Sosnik's work for Decca sound modern.

The Decca items begin with "I Should Have Known You Years Ago," an excellent Hoagy Carmichael number that appeared here recently in Buddy Clark's rendition. The backing is "If I Feel This Way Tomorrow (Then It's Love)," a good Brown-Henderson song of the time.

Moving to what seem to be her only two Columbia singles, Bruce cut two of her songs from Keep 'Em Flying: "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "The Boy with the Wistful Eyes." One of the radio magazines of the day mentioned that she was dating Columbia's pop A&R head Manie Sacks at about this time, which may have something to do with her brief association with the label.

Today's collection finishes with three songs specially recorded for V-Disc in 1943, with Red Norvo and an outfit he called his "Overseas Spotlight Band": "Embraceable You," which has a spoken introduction from Bruce, "Abraham" and "Something for the Boys," a surprisingly suggestive wartime song. Bruce and the pianist don't seem to agree on the tempo for the first chorus of the Gershwin tune, but things improve thereafter. Her readings of the other two songs are much better. Irving Berlin's "Abraham," while well-intentioned, is embarrassing in hindsight. Bruce takes it fairly straight, backed by a trumpet obbligato in Ziggy Elman's style.

The sound on the singles is pretty good, even the V-Discs, which come from lossy sources. The Keep 'Em Flying sonics are variable, but never less than listenable.

Thanks again to Bryan for his largesse, and my apologies for taking so long to post these fascinating items from a favorite singer.

Bruce tried many deodorants before recommending
Arrid to readers of Radio Mirror in 1945

The Young Carol Bruce

Today I want to look at the early career of Carol Bruce, a talented singer and actor who has appeared on this blog a few times before.

Born in 1919, she first gained notice as a teenage vocalist with Larry Clinton's band. Fortunately, YouTube has a good quality 1938 clip of her with Clinton in "Stop and Reconsider. Bruce had considerable presence even at that early age.



Nineteen-forty was a big year for the young performer. She made her Broadway debut in the Irving Berlin musical Louisiana Purchase, where she made a big splash with her number "The Lord Done Fixed Up My Soul."

Still from Louisiana Purchase, Bruce at center

Life Magazine was so impressed that it devoted two photo spreads to her that year - in addition to a separate article about Louisiana Purchase.

Decca records signed the young vocalist later that year, pairing her with arranger Harry Sosnik. Among her first records were covers of two English hits: "Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye," associated with Gracie Fields, and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," a Vera Lynn specialty. Bruce copes well with Sosnik's leaden two-beat arrangements.

For her next assignment, Decca changed tack by assigning Bruce eight Latin-flavored numbers, directed by one of the label's top talents, Victor Young. Decca then marketed the set as the Carol Bruce Souvenir Album that is the basis of today's post. (Note: the Discography of American Historical Recordings claims that Sosnik directed these sides. However, the Decca album and labels credit them to Young, and the arrangements sound nothing like Sosnik's earlier charts for Bruce.)

Bruce does well with this material, although she had not yet developed the abundant personality that shines through in her later recordings, such as her 1958 Tops LP, which first appeared here in 2011 and which I have newly remastered.

Today's download includes several bonuses, including the Decca recordings of "Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye" and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," as well as one of Life Magazine's features on the singer and two songs from Louisiana Purchase. While there was no cast album for the musical, Bruce recorded the title song and "The Lord Done Fixed Up My Soul" for the small Schirmer label. Perhaps fittingly, Bruce's rendition of her big number is reminiscent of the great New Orleans singer Connie Boswell. (I haven't been able to find out of Schirmer Records was associated with the publishing company of the same name. However, the songs from Louisiana Purchase were published by Berlin's own company, not Schirmer.)

In 1941, Paramount Pictures bought Louisiana Purchase as a vehicle for its big star Bob Hope, who took over the William Gaxton role. Victor Moore, Vera Zorina and Irène Bordoni repeated their stage roles. Paramount replaced Bruce with another singing actor, Dona Drake, but "The Lord Done Fixed Up My Soul" was only heard in instrumental form.

Meanwhile, Bruce did make it to Hollywood that same year, via a three-film contract with Universal Studios. She sang two songs in This Woman Is Mine, released in August, and another two in Keep 'Em Flying, a November release featuring the insufferable Abbott & Costello. Bruce's big number in the latter film was "You Don't Know What Love Is," a superb Don Raye-Gene de Paul composition that has since become a standard. Universal dropped the song from Keep 'Em Flying, but then included it in Bruce's third and final film for the studio, Behind the Eight Ball, where she was saddled with the nitwit Ritz Brothers.

Although Universal cut "You Don't Know What Love Is" from Keep 'Em Flying, it did put out a promotional record of Bruce's rendition, backed with a number from her co-star, Martha Raye, also dropped from the production. (At least the studio was consistent.) You can find that record on my companion blog.

As Mama Carlson

Bruce eventually had a long career in Hollywood, and today is far better known as an actor than a singer. She is well remembered as "Mama Carlson" in the American television show WKRP in Cincinnati (although not by me - I never watched the show).

Most of today's selections were found during my recent descent into the bottomless pit of Internet Archive, but all have been remastered and are in good to excellent sound.

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Completing the RCA "Show Time" Series

I have been shamefully neglectful of this blog lately, but will be doing my best to make amends.

When I have had little to offer in the past, my friends have bailed me out, and this is yet another time when that is the case. So Parchisi and MusicalGuy38 are the heroes of this particular post. Together they are helping us complete the run of recordings in RCA's "Show Time" Series of 1953, with that label's potted versions of one big hit (Show Boat), one lesser although worthy musical (The Cat and the Fiddle), both from Jerome Kern, and, of all things, one of Victor Herbert's lesser operettas, Mlle. Modiste.

We'll discuss these in order of popularity, and few musicals have been more popular than Show Boat (or Showboat as it is sometimes spelled). A few words about the singers who have not previously appeared here. William C. Smith was Joe in the 1948 revival of this show, and appeared in several other shows in the 1940s. (I couldn't find a photo of him.) John Tyers duets with (and was married to) Helena Bliss. He had been in Arms and the Girl and was to be seen in a revival of Die Fledermaus in 1954. Completing this excellent cast is the always superb Carol Bruce.

MusicalGuy38 insists that Show Boat was mastered a half-step sharp, and now that I have listened I have no doubt he is correct. So there are two versions of this file in the download - a lossless, restored version at the original pitch, from Parchisi as remastered by me, and a speed-adjusted mp3 version from MusicalGuy38.

Stephen Douglass

Patricia Neway

The Cat and the Fiddle features two fine but neglected artists of the time - Stephen Douglass and Patricia Neway. Douglass had been in Make a Wish and was to be in The Golden Apple in 1954. He was yet to experience his greatest role - Joe Hardy in Damn Yankees.

Edward Roecker

The excellent contralto Patricia Neway mostly appeared in opera, with many appearances in contemporary works, notably in Menotti's The Consul. She later won a Tony as the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music.

Mlle. Modiste comes from 1905, and features Doretta Morrow and Felix Knight, who have appeared here before, as well as the relatively obscure Edward Roecker, who appeared in operetta and on radio.

Thanks again to MusicalGuy38 and Parchisi for their contributions, which have helped me complete the collection of this series that documents some of the notable talents on Broadway at mid-century.

Carol Bruce

In my recent post of The Little Shows in the RCA Show Time Series, I raved about the performance of Carol Bruce, and vowed that I would present her 1958 LP if I could locate it.

Well, I finally did locate it - in my mailbox, after having to buy another copy. But it was worth it, for this is a very fine record.

Carol Bruce in 1940

Bruce achieved a measure of fame as early as 1940, starring on Broadway in Louisiana Purchase and appearing on the cover of Life magazine. And she stayed in the public eye off and on for the next 40 years, ending up on US television, notably in a recurring role on WKRP in Cincinnati.

Bruce's stage roles included an acclaimed performance as Julie in the 1946 revival of Show Boat. This LP contains a recording of "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." It shows her expressive style to great effect, in well-chosen songs (leaving aside the dreadful "Calypso Blues"). Her accomplished accompanists include guitarist Tony Mottola and pianist Buddy Weed. The sound is good, if with a bit too much reverb.

Return of RCA's "Show Time" Series

Here's another installment in RCA's "Show Time" Series of potted musicals, issued in 1953. This one was spurred by a request for The Little Show, and so we start off with an EP that presents hits from that 1929 revue.

You'll notice that the cover calls this The Little Shows rather than The Little Show. That's because one of the songs is from The Third Little Show, from 1931 - "When Yuba Plays the Rhumba on the Tuba," which hardly merits its inclusion.

Carol Bruce as Julie

The star of this record is Carol Bruce, who presents two songs associated with Libby Holman (recently heard on this blog), outdoing the originator with superb versions of "Can't We Be Friends" and "Moanin' Low." Bruce is perhaps best known for appearing as Julie in the 1946 revival of Show Boat. At the time of this recording, she was touring in Pal Joey. I was so impressed by her performance, that I went in search of my copy of her 1958 Tops LP, only to find it has gone missing. I'll be sure to transfer it if I ever locate it.

The EP's second side is less enthralling. Sheila Bond (then in Wish You Were Here and previously heard on this blog post) belts "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan." Her rendition will be a shock to those used to the urbane Fred Astaire-Jack Buchanan version or the wry Sinatra recording.

Finally, Hiram Sherman sprechstimmes his way through "Yuba," Herman Hupfeld's other hit. Arranger Lehman Engel thankfully spares us the tuba effects. I wonder if Yuba, his tuba and Cuba inspired "Katie Went to Haiti," which didn't appear for another eight years. Sherman had won a Tony that year for putting up with Bette Davis in Two's Company, and would win another one 15 years later.

Note that although the back cover credits Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz with the score of The Little Show, only "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan" is by that team. "Can't We Be Friends" is by Paul James and Kay Swift, and "Moanin' Low" is by Dietz and Ralph Rainger.

Morrow and Lanza match pompadours

To fill out this post, I've added the Show Time Series version of Naughty Marietta, the 1910 Victor Herbert operetta with lyrics by Rida Johnson Young. For this EP, RCA paired Doretta Morrow with Felix Knight. Morrow was a fine artist who introduced many famous songs during her appearances in the original casts of Where's Charley (the incredibly gorgeous "My Darling, My Darling"), The King and I ("I Have Dreamed" and "We Kiss in Shadow") and Kismet ("Baubles, Bangles and Beads"). When this record was made, she had just appeared with Mario Lanza in the film Because You're Mine and was on Broadway in Kismet.

Felix Knight is perhaps best known for singing in three Laurel and Hardy films. A reliable artist, he pops up on a number of operetta recordings.

This version of Naughty Marietta was conducted by Jay Blackton, who was in the pit for many famed Broadway productions, starting with Oklahoma. He was conducting Wish You Were Here when these records were made.