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.

Another in RCA's "Show Time" Series

The latest installment in our slow-motion examination of RCA's "Show Time" series from 1953 is notable for documenting that year's revival of Porgy and Bess - but I particularly enjoyed the songs from Girl Crazy on the other side of the record.

Leslie Scott

This recording presents Cab Calloway, Leslie Scott and Helen Thigpen from the Broadway Porgy. Calloway is Sportin' Life, as he was in the 1953 production. Scott is Porgy, and he was one of the Porgys on Broadway. Thigpen is Bess, although she was Serena in the stage play.

Helen Thigpen with William Warfield

Calloway is vivid in this role, but as usual remarkable in the wrong way. Scott is a vulnerable Porgy, lighter voiced than such singers as Paul Robeson or even William Warfield. Thigpen is a shrill Bess. Jay Blackton conducts here; the music director for the stage was Alexander Smallens.

The LP was in effect a Gershwin double-feature, with songs from Girl Crazy on the other side.

Edie Adams and Rosalind Russell

Edith (Edie) Adams, a talented singer-comic actor, is delightful in "Embraceable You," complete with verse. She was in Wonderful Town with Rosalind Russell at the time of this recording. Also terrific are two then luminaries of Broadway, whom we have seen before in this series. Lisa Kirk does "But Not for Me" and Helen Gallagher "I Got Rhythm". Their previous appearances in the RCA series can be found here. Milton Rosenstock conducts.

RCA didn't bother much with documentation on these records. There is no identification of who sings what. "Bidin' My Time" is sung by a completely anonymous male quartet to close out the record. It's strange that the company was so off hand about such a well-produced, enjoyable series that shows what great talent there was on Broadway at the time.

More from RCA's "Show Time" Series

Helena Bliss

In this, the second installment in my protracted exploration of RCA Victor's 1953 "Show Time" Series of potted musicals, we hear from two favorites from my first post (Lisa Kirk and Jack Cassidy), one less-favored hold-over (George Britton) and two other performers who were prominent on Broadway at the time (Helena Bliss and Helen Gallagher).

In the "Show Time" Series, RCA devoted one side of a 10-inch LP to the high points of a notable musical. Each was also offered as an EP. This LP combines Kiss Me Kate of 1948 with Anything Goes from 1934.

Lisa Kirk - from the original cast - is top billed in Kiss Me Kate, but performs only one number - "Always True to You in My Fashion," which she introduced. The other songs are presented by George Britton, who had succeeded Ezio Pinza in South Pacific, and Helena Bliss, who herself had recently been in a London revival of Kiss Me Kate. Bliss' most famous role was in the Wright-Forrest Grieg farrago, Song of Norway. She soon was to appear in a Broadway revival of Show Boat.

Helen Gallagher

The other side of the record, devoted to Anything Goes, is dominated by Helen Gallagher, who had the daunting task of presenting songs that had been introduced by the force of theatre named Ethel Merman. Gallagher, herself no little personality, was appearing on Broadway in Hazel Flagg, the musical version of the screwball comedy Nothing Sacred. When Hazel Flagg was made into a movie, under the title Living It Up, Hazel somehow turned into Jerry Lewis. (Lady!!)

Gallagher acquits herself beautifully here. Although she was on Broadway for many years, she is perhaps best known today for her many years in American soap operas. Jack Cassidy duets with her on "You're the Top."

The sound here is quite good. More to come.