This being a blog founded on the thought that I would present 10-inch LPs, it might be appropriate for me to feature them every once in a while. So here is one of that species. It's another of the RCA "Show Time" Series of potted musicals, released in 1953.
This LP offers up two of the most popular shows of that or any other era - Rodgers and Hammerstein's
Carousel and
Oklahoma!
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| Doretta Morrow |
The attraction of this series is the chance to hear the best talent on Broadway at that time. The two leads here are John Raitt, who had originated the role of Billy Bigelow in
Carousel, and Doretta Morrow, who was starring in
Kismet at the time of this recording. Raitt had recently been in
Three Wishes for Jamie and was preparing the Burke-Van Heusen flop
Carnival in Flanders.
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| John Raitt in Carousel |
Raitt only gets one song on the
Carousel side, a marvelous duet on "If I Loved You" with Morrow. However, he is heard on all the songs on the other side of the record. He does a duet on "People Will Say Were in Love" with the excellent Patricia Northrop (not Northrup, as she is identified on the record), who had appeared as Laurey in the 1951 Oklahoma revival on Broadway (and can be seen in this
brief clip on YouTube).
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| Patricia Northrop |
The
Carousel songs are a showcase for Morrow, who is heard on all but one track. The anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" is given to the multi-talented Brenda Lewis, who was on the stage in opera, operetta and musicals for many years.
The sound on this one is not the best that RCA had to offer at the time, but is good enough, if a little boxy. It doesn't dim at all the charismatic performances, which are led by Jay Blackton.
