Dody Goodman Sings?, Plus Reups

Dolores (Dody) Goodman became known for her acting, her wacky presence on talk shows and her inimitable voice during a long career ending with her death in 2008.

But before her period of fame, she had been a dancer on Broadway (High Button Shoes, Wonderful Town) then a performer in revues.

In Shoestring Revue

She first came to public notice as an entertainer (as opposed to dancer) in Ben Bagley's Shoestring Revue of 1955, where her solo song was "Someone Is Sending Me Flowers," included on this LP. 

Goodman followed that with an appearance in Four Below, staged by songwriter-pianist Murray Grand at the Downstairs. Then she was in Bagley's Shoestring '57, where her solo was "Crib Notes for a Certain SRO," not included here.

By mid-1957, Goodman had been noticed by Jack Paar or one of Paar's producers, and signed up to be a comic sidekick for Paar's version of television's Tonight Show. "A redhead with befuddlement written all over her face, Goodman spoke in a nasal twang through which the most innocent reflections emerged as hilarious," wrote cabaret historian James Gavin in his book Intimate Nights.

Goodman's quick wit and off-center manner endeared her to the audience, if not to Paar himself. He reportedly thought she upstaged him, so by the next year, she was gone.

During her Paar prominence, Goodman headlined a Dixieland concert, of all things, with Jimmy McPartland, Stan Rubin and Will Bill Davison

In the meantime, however, Coral rushed out this entertaining LP, largely composed of the type of songs that would be heard in the smart revues of the time.

Murray Grand

The lead song is one of the best-known items of its kind, "April in Fairbanks" ("You've never known the charm of Spring / Until you hear a walrus sighing. / The air is perfumed with / the smell of blubber frying.") The Murray Grand song comes from New Faces of 1956, where it was introduced by Jane Connell. Goodman favored Grand's songs - four of the 12 in this set are his, including the topical "I'd Rather Cha-Cha Than Eat." But the songwriter's most famous work is "Guess Who I Saw Today," written for New Faces of 1952 and beloved of emotive cabaret performers ever since.

New Faces of 1952 and 1956 were Leonard Sillman productions, the latest in a series that began with New Faces of 1934 - a year in which the new faces included Henry Fonda, Imogene Coca and songwriter James Shelton. The latter was to appear in five other revues featuring his own music over the next 20 years. Goodman chose three of his songs for this LP. 

True, in my experience

The Shelton standout is "Tired Blood," an amusing take-off on a popular elixir of the time, Geritol, which was touted for its ability to wake up your slumbering corpuscles. The Federal Trade Commission later put a stop to such claims, but not before the tonic's makers had blanketed America with the kind of spurious sales pitches you see at left.

Another favorite on the album is "Tranquilizers," written by Bud McCreery, who worked on many of the revues of the day, including several Ben Bagley and Julius Monk productions. "Nothing like Dody has been seen before or since," McCreery told James Gavin. "Her voice, her expressions, even her slightly slouched, wavering stance - like a puppet without strings - were all hilarious."

I also enjoyed "Pneumatic Drill," by the team of Walack and Baker, of whom I know nothing. Something of a take-off on "Steam Heat," it includes such endearing couplets as "You remembered to take your sweater / But forgot your pneumatic drill" and "You whispered 'Madam, / I'll take macadam.'" Perfect for Goodman's off-kilter approach.

The provenance of this album is not entirely clear. Decca group LPs of the period typically include full credits for the arranger-conductors, but this does not, even though the backings include both orchestra and chorus. It also has no liner notes, just a short note from Goodman. A Cash Box article from early 1958 said she had been working with Neal Hefti on the record, which came out a few months later.

Billboard ad

The title query, Dody Goodman Sings?, was not original even then. At least two earlier LPs had used it: Anna Russell Sings? in 1953 and Abe Burrows Sings? in 1950, the latter of which has appeared on this blog and is newly reupped (see below).

I believe this is the sole Goodman LP, although she did appear on a few Ben Bagley records, and was in the cast of Jerry Herman's revue Parade in 1960, which merited a recording. She later went on to a career as talk show guest and actor in television and film.

I transferred this album 12 years ago in response to a request, but it hasn't appeared here before. The download includes New York Times reviews of the Shoestring Revues, an article on the Paar show and album reviews from Billboard, Cash Box and HiFi and Music Review.

Reuploads

As usual, the links below take you to the original posts.

Abe Burrows Sings? Burrows was a renowned Broadway figure, as writer, "script doctor" and director. This mild 10-incher from the early days of the blog was before all that. It dates from 1950, when Burrows was on television. It wasn't even his first album - he made one for Decca in 1947 when he was a radio personality.

The Jazz and Classical Music Society - Music for Brass. A 1956 LP that was one of the first products of the third-stream movement, which brought together jazz and classical music and musicians. The compositions are by Gunther Schuller, John Lewis, Jimmy Giuffre and J.J. Johnson. The ensemble included soloists Johnson, Miles Davis and Joe Wilder, all conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos. Quite a lineup.