Gordon MacRae in 'New Moon' and 'Vagabond King'

A few years ago I posted two LPs worth of highlights from four operettas, all made in the early 1950s and featuring baritone Gordon MacRae. Over the next few posts I'll complete the set, with two more albums and four more sets of operetta excerpts.

Today's post presents the first two operettas that Capitol produced - The New Moon and The Vagabond King, both recorded in 1950. In the near future I'll offer the remaining two - The Red Mill and Naughty Marietta. They are the last in the series, dating from 1954.

Capitol offered each operetta on its own 10-inch LP, then combined two of them onto one 12-inch record. My posts come from the 12-inch versions.

The New Moon

Sigmund Romberg's The New Moon and Rudolf Friml's The Vagabond King were both hits on Broadway in the 1920s, and as such were among the last of the species to become popular in this country. But while musicals took over the stage, operettas maintained popularity in films (Nelson Eddy, Jeanette MacDonald, etc.), radio and to a degree on records. This lasted well into the 1950s (e.g., the rise of Mario Lanza) and even the 60s, when MacRae himself re-recorded four operetta sets in stereo. Even today, community groups and some professional ensembles stage these enduring favorites.

For this first pair of Capitol productions, MacRae was joined by the superb mezzo-soprano Lucille Norman. They were co-stars on radio's Railroad Hour, where the duo presented highlights from musicals and operettas much as these LPs do. The back cover mentions the radio show, and has a drawing of their giant heads trundling by, pulled by an old locomotive.

The New Moon had book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, and Laurence Schwab, and was the third in a series of popular successes for Romberg. The other two, The Student Prince and The Desert Song, also appear in this series and have been featured on this blog (links below).

Listening to the New Moon selections is pure pleasure, at least after you get past "Stout Hearted Men." The songs are memorable - "Marianne," "One Kiss," "Wanting You," "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" (always preferable to an evening sunrise), and "Lover, Come Back to Me." "Wanting You" demonstrates that MacRae and Norman had the same rapport as the baritone and Jo Stafford, who often recorded together. "Lover" is a fine showcase for Norman. These recordings usually include the verses, which are enjoyable to hear.

Lucille Norman

A word about Lucille Norman (1921-98). Although she had appeared in a few films and on Broadway in the 1940s, her primary fame came from her radio shows, both with MacRae and on her own. In 1951, she returned to films to appear with Dennis Morgan in Painting the Clouds with Sunshine. Capitol issued a "songs from the film" LP (right) featuring her and Morgan, which I posted here years ago and have now remastered in ambient stereo, with new scans. In 1952, she took on a dramatic role with Randolph Scott in the western Carson City.

For The New Moon, Capitol's competition in the market was a 1949 RCA Victor recording led by Al Goodman, who had co-orchestrated and conducted the 1928 Broadway production. Victor's principal voices were Earl Wrightson and Frances Greer. In 1953, Decca countered with a Lee Sweetland-Jane Wilson recording conducted by Victor Young. (I have that record if anyone is interested.)

The Vagabond King

The Vagabond King is another operetta with the usual formula of nobility, conflict and romance. The 1925 show had music by Rudolf Friml, with book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post. It was based on Justin Huntley McCarthy's novel and play If I Were King.

10-inch LP cover

As with The New Moon, Capitol's Vagabond King recording comes out of the overture with a hearty number, "The Song of the Vagabonds," and as with The New Moon, that isn't where the song appeared in the stage show. 

The record then provides a specialty for Norman ("Some Day") and for MacRae ("Only a Rose"). Here, the baritone betrays a tendency to croon, which shows up in both shows. My guess is that he was tired, having a full schedule of films (both Tea for Two and The West Point Story were issued in 1950), radio (The Railroad Hour) and records (Capitol was having him wax such tunes as "You Dyed Your Hair Chartreuse" and "Hongi Tongi Hoki Poki").

The two stars then combine for "Love Me Tonight" and, appropriately, "Tomorrow." "Nocturne" is a feature for the choir, with the men rather thin-toned. Oddly, the gorgeous "Huguette Waltz" is not sung by Norman but by the choir. As with The New Moon, the selections conclude with a finale, and mercifully MacRae and Norman reappear.

For both operettas, Paul Weston led the orchestra and chorus, and presumably supplied the smooth arrangements.

As with The New Moon, Capitol's Vagabond King had competition from RCA Victor's Al Goodman, Earl Wrightson and Frances Greer, via a 1949 album. In 1951, Decca would counter with its own production led by Victor Young and starring Alfred Drake and Mimi Benzell. The latter LP was featured on this blog a few years ago, packaged with nine of Drake's solo recordings. That collection is still available here.

The Student Prince, Merry Widow, Desert Song and Roberta in Ambient Stereo

Previously in this MacRae series, we've enjoyed (I hope) excerpts from four operettas - The Student Prince, The Merry Widow, Desert Song and Roberta. (The last is a musical, but is in the operetta tradition.) I've now remastered them all in ambient stereo - links to the original posts are below; download links can also be found in the comments to this post.

The Student Prince and Merry Widow. The Student Prince was another deservedly popular operetta by Sigmund Romberg, dating from 1924. For its 1953 disc, Capitol paired MacRae with the excellent Dorothy Warenskjold. For Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow of 1905, the label again turned to the reliable Lucille Norman to appear opposite MacRae. That LP dates from 1952. George Greeley was the conductor for both operettas.

The Desert Song and Roberta. For The Desert Song, we finally move from Ruritania to Morocco, presumably for its exotic allure. This is the third Romberg score in the set of six, with McRae again paired with Norman, and with Greeley handling the arrangements and conducting. The Desert Song came out when MacRae was starring in a filmed version with Kathryn Grayson. RCA issued a competing LP version with Grayson and Tony Martin, which I posted in 2008 and remastered not that long ago. Roberta, too, brought together MacRae, Norman and Greeley for a pleasing version of the Kern-Harbach musical from 1933. Alfred Drake's 1944 set of Roberta songs, made with Kitty Carlisle, is available here.

Gordon MacRae in 'The Student Price' and 'Merry Widow'

I enjoyed preparing the recent post of Gordon MacRae with highlights from Roberta and Desert Song, so here is a second post containing two more operettas from the same series.

As before, Capitol teamed MacRae and Lucille Norman for Lehar's The Merry Widow. Dorothy Warenskjold was the female lead for Romberg's The Student Prince.

The Merry Widow production comes from 1952, The Student Prince from the following year. Capitol originally issued them on separate 10-inch LPs, then combined them on the 12-incher that was the source of my transfer.

As I mentioned in my previous post, these LPs were inspired by MacRae's long-running Railroad Hour radio show, which featured highlights from operettas and musicals, along with other musical fare. Both Norman and Warenskjold were heard on the program at various times during its 1948-54 run on the airwaves.

Lucille Norman

Lehar's operetta dates from 1905 and has been the subject of many recordings, being popular with both opera companies and with artists such as MacRae and Norman who enjoyed a broader appeal. Decca had Kitty Carlisle and Wilbur Evans record highlights in 1944. Then in 1949, Columbia came out with a selection of songs by Risë Stevens and Dennis Morgan. In 1952, Columbia invested in another recording, this time with Dorothy Kirsten and Robert Rounseville. That same year there was a film adaptation of the work starring, unpromisingly, Fernando Lamas and Lana Turner. M-G-M issued soundtrack highlights on LP. So there was no lack of competition for MacRae and Norman. But as before, the duo worked smoothly together and produced a highly enjoyable product. The recording uses the English lyrics by Adrian Ross, I believe. During this time, Norman had achieved enough renown to have her own trading card (at left), which could be found in the 1953 Bowman series, "Television and Radio Stars of NBC."

The Student Prince had been a enormous success on Broadway in the 1920s, running even longer than Show Boat. As with The Merry Widow, the operetta had quite a revival on records at mid-century, starting with heldentenor Lauritz Melchior, who starred in a 1950 Decca album that was offered here several years ago and is still available. Columbia came out with a Kirsten-Rounseville version in 1952. I am fairly sure I have that one too, if you haven't had enough of "The Drinking Song." In 1954, RCA Victor had Mario Lanza record highlights timed to the release of a movie version where he dubbed the vocals of Edmund Purdom. I definitely do not have that LP or its stereo remake.

Dorothy Warenskjold

For The Student Prince, Capitol teamed MacRae with Dorothy Warenskjold, an artist who appeared both with opera companies, mainly the San Francisco Opera, and on radio and television. In addition to this LP, she also recorded two solo albums for Capitol. As with Norman, Warenskjold also had achieved enough fame as to have a trading card in the 1953 Bowman "Stars of NBC" series (at right). The 96-card set included network personalities from Arnold Stang to J. Fred Muggs, but no MacRae.

In common with the previous collection, the backing and arrangements here are by George Greeley. The sound is very good.

1951 Railroad Hour ad (click to enlarge)

Gordon MacRae in Desert Song and Roberta - New Transfer

Gordon MacRae starred in radio's The Railroad Hour from 1948 to 1954. Sponsored by the railroad industry, the show concentrated on highlights from operettas and musicals, featuring MacRae and a succession of guest vocalists, including Dorothy Kirsten, Dorothy Warenskjold, Risë Stevens and Lucille Norman.

Capitol, MacRae's record company, saw some commercial potential in starring the singer in its own series of abridged musicals and operettas. The first effort was excerpts from Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate in 1949, with Jo Stafford, which has appeared on this blog. Next was Sigmund Romberg's The New Moon with Lucille Norman in 1950. Capitol must have liked the pairing - the two teamed for Rudolf Friml's Vagabond King in 1951. Capitol even used the same cover as The New Moon, just changing the name of the operetta.

Lucille Norman and Gordon MacRae

In 1952, MacRae and Norman again were matched for Romberg's The Desert Song and Jerome Kern's musical Roberta. The following year, Capitol combined these two 10-inch LPs into the 12-inch album that is the subject of today's post. Also in 1952, MacRae and Norman appared in Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow.

In 1953, MacRae was paired with Dorothy Warenskjold for Romberg's The Student Prince. The series came to an end in 1954 with two Victor Herbert operettas - Naughty Marietta with Marguerite Piazza and The Red Mill with Norman. Later on, Capitol had MacRae redo several of the operettas in stereo with Dorothy Kirsten.

1953 Music Views ad

I offered the Desert Song/Roberta LP here almost 12 years ago, and recently decided to re-transfer it so I could offer it in lossless format. Here is some of what I wrote about the record in 2008:

"The first side is The Desert Song. MacRae starred in the 1953 film of that Romberg work with Kathryn Grayson. You can find her version of the songs (made with Tony Martin) a few posts below this one [here].

"This Capitol recording is presented less as a string of songs and more as a potted version of the operetta, complete with overture and a supporting cast of Bob Sands and the great Thurl Ravenscroft, who is heard in 'Let Love Come.'

"The Kern-Harbach Roberta takes up the other side of the record. MacRae and Norman (a very good singer who also had an acting career) are joined by character singer Anne Triola, who has a little too much character for my taste. The arrangements and musical direction on both sides are by George Greeley. [Let me add belatedly that Greeley's work is excellent.]

1952 Music Views ad

"The problem with trying to cram a great score like Roberta into 25 minutes is that the individual items don't get much time. That's OK with me when it comes to 'Yesterdays,' which has been recorded by everybody from Washboard Sam to Helen Traubel (or so it seems), but not so with 'The Touch of Your Hand,' a gorgeous song that is too little heard, perhaps because it is not easy to sing. This record includes the hit songs both from the stage show and two that were interpolated into the 1935 film ('Lovely to Look At' and 'I Won't Dance')."

When these records came out, many people could still recall the heyday of operetta, which had been 30-40 years earlier. In the early 50s, there were several versions of Naughty Marietta competing in the record stores - besides MacRae and Piazza, the teams of Nelson Eddy and Nadine Conner, Earl Wrightson and Elaine Malbin, and Doretta Morrow and Felix Knight could be heard on LP. The last-named pair have appeared on this blog.

In 1952 There also were multiple editions of Roberta to choose from. M-G-M had adapted Roberta as Lovely to Look At starring Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel, so Capitol came out with the MacRae-Norman Roberta LP and Columbia countered with a Jack Cassidy-Joan Roberts version. Several years earlier, there had been a Roberta studio album featuring Alfred Drake and Kitty Carlisle, which I transferred a while ago. It is still available here.

I doubt that any revival of this repertoire on record would achieve much of an audience today. But here we don't worry about such things, so I plan on transferring MacRae's Student Prince and Merry Widow soon.

Painting the Clouds with Sunshine

I think this one is fairly obscure - both the movie and the record.

Painting the Clouds with Sunshine was a 1951 vehicle for Gene Nelson and Virginia Mayo, as well as Dennis Morgan and Lucille Norman, who are the performers here.

We have encountered Lucille Norman before, opposite Gordon MacRae in Capitol's version of The Desert Song. Dennis Morgan was a sometimes lead in Hollywood comedies (Christmas in Connecticut ought to be showing up on your TV starting in about a month) and also in the occasional musical.

Norman, as noted before, was a very good singer, and was sometimes used by Hollywood studios as a vocal double. Morgan was an OK faux-Irish tenor who was himself dubbed by Allan Jones in the Great Ziegfeld, which was Morgan's first film.

The musical selections are a mish-mosh, but the George Greeley arrangements are bright and well-recorded, and this is worth hearing for all those who love their musicals.

The Desert Song (MacRae)

This really looks like one of those 2-for-1 deals that packages two LPs onto one CD. But instead it is an early LP that packages two 10-inch records onto one 12-inch record.

In this case, it is two operettas starring Gordon MacRae and Lucille Norman. The first side is The Desert Song. MacRae starred in the 1953 film of that Romberg work with Kathryn Grayson. You can find her version of the songs (made with Tony Martin) a few posts below this one.

This Capitol recording is presented less as a string of songs and more as a potted version of the operetta, complete with overture and a supporting cast of Bob Sands and the great Thurl Ravenscroft, who is heard in Let Love Come.

The Kern-Harbach Roberta takes up the other side of the record. MacRae and Norman (a very good singer who also had an acting career) are joined by character singer Anne Triola, who has a little too much character for my taste. The arrangements and musical direction on both sides are by George Greeley.

The problem with trying to cram a great score like Roberta into 25 minutes is that the individual items don't get much time. That's OK with me when it comes to Yesterdays, which has been recorded by everybody from Washboard Sam to Helen Traubel (or so it seems), but not so with The Touch of Your Hand, a gorgeous song that is too little heard, perhaps because it is not easy to sing. This record includes the hit songs both from the stage show and two that were interpolated into the 1935 film (Lovely to Look At and I Won't Dance).

In an ideal world, with an ideal record collection, I would be able to complete the circle by offering the Kathryn Grayson version of Roberta, which was released in 1952 under the title of Lovely to Look At. It would indeed be lovely to look at that particular record in my hands, but I don't have it, alas.

Instead I am preparing the 78 album that Irene Dunne made of Jerome Kern songs in 1941, including Smoke Gets in Your Eyes from this score. She, of course, was the star of the 1935 film version of Roberta. Look for that soon.