Sibelius from Camilla Wicks and Sixten Ehrling

Camilla Wicks and Sixten Ehrling

One of the most famous LPs of the Sibelius Violin Concerto featured a young American soloist who was to make very few recordings, Camilla Wicks (1928-2020). Leading the orchestra in that 1952 Stockholm performance was a young conductor, Sixten Ehrling (1918-2005), who was at the time engaged in recording a cycle of Sibelius symphonies for the same company, Sweden's Metronome Records.

Today's post presents the concerto recording, adding Ehrling's contemporaneous account of Sibelius' Lemminkäinen Suite. A future post will look at some of the conductor's Sibelius symphonies.

Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47

Camilla Wicks was just 23 when she made this recording, but already was a veteran of the concert stage. Although she was born in California, her father was Norwegian and had changed his name from Varhaugvik to Wicks upon emigrating to the US. Through her tours, Camilla had become particularly popular in Scandinavia, and her interpretation of the Sibelius concerto had reputedly won the approval of the composer himself.

Camilla Wicks

Ehrling, a native of Malmö, had made his public debut as a conductor only a few years before this recording, with the same Stockholm Philharmonic that appears on these records under its broadcasting name, the Stockholm Radio Symphony.

The American Record Guide's Peter Hugh Reed wrote of the recording, "[Wicks'] technical assurance and vibrant tonal quality are backed by musical intelligence and emotion that never degenerates into sentiment ... Mr. Ehrling's conducting has the necessary urgency to an essentially rhapsodic opus; he does not miss the excitement nor the romantic beauties."

The Swedish Metronome company was a small operation, and most of the copies of the LP can be found on Capitol, which licensed the concerto for the US market. The Metronome pressings are highly sought after by collectors; several copies have traded in the $2,000 range. The Capitols are not nearly as pricey, but still can trade for hundreds of dollars. Even so, it's not an especially rare item; I have two copies of it myself.

My two Capitol pressings are from different issues - the first issue (P8175, cover above) and the second issue (P8327), which differed in that it had a green cover (shown at right) and in addition to the concerto included the two best known pieces from Sibelius' Lemminkäinen Suite - the "Swan of Tuonela" and the "Return of Lemminkäinen," also conducted by Ehrling.

These two pieces came from Metronome/Capitol's complete recording of the Suite (which Capitol called the Legends of Lemminkäinen, and which is also called the Four Legends from the Kalevala). The Suite is the second major part of today's post, but first we have a few encores from Camilla Wicks

Two Heifetz Transcriptions

The Sibelius concerto was not Wicks' first recording. The Swedish label Cupol had engaged her to perform a series of short works back in 1948, when she was 19. Today's encores are two of those recordings, both transcriptions by Jascha Heifetz. The first is a Serenade from Borodin's Petite Suite, which would become popular in a few years as "Night of My Nights" in the musical Kismet.

The second encore is another familiar work, Manuel Ponce's "Estrellita," originally a song.

As with the Sibelius, Wicks' performances are faultless. Her accompanist is Kåre Siem.

On YouTube, Wicks can be seen in a vintage performance of Fartein Valen's Violin Concerto and in a film set in Romsdal, Norway, which has an appearance by the violinist (and her mother, pianist Ruby Wicks) in a Grieg Sonata at about 9:20. In later life, Camilla became a much respected violin teacher. She passed away not long ago, in late 2020.

Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22

Ehrling recorded the Lemminkäinen Suite with the Stockholm orchestra in December 1953, following his traversal of the seven symphonies. In that year, he had become the music director of the Royal Swedish Opera, where he was to stay until 1960. At that time he was eased out of the post after being reprimanded for what was called his "robust leadership style."

Ehrling then moved to the US and became the Detroit Symphony's music director in 1963, and a frequent guest conductor elsewhere. He died in 2005.

Sixten Ehrling

In the reviews, Ehrling's recording had the misfortune of being compared to the relatively new Ormandy-Philadelphia disc of the Suite. The American Record Guide said of the Stockholm set, "Handsome performances in the authentic tradition, not quite as virtuosic as the ones from Philadelphia but beautifully shaped just the same."

All these recordings were made in the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The sound is fairly good for the period. The transfers of the concerto and two of the Lemminkäinen legends come from my collection. The remaining legends and the encores are remastered from lossless originals found on Internet Archive.

Three Evenings with Fred Astaire, Barrie Chase and Chrysler

Barrie Chase and Fred Astaire

I recently posted General Motors' 50th Anniversary television show, and noted in passing that while I had honored GM and Ford (after a sort; it was an Edsel promo), Chrysler had not yet been in the spotlight. Then reader Jeff M. reminded me that the Chrysler Corp. had sponsored three Fred Astaire specials, in 1958, 1959 and 1960, and had issued promotional LPs for each show.

Fortunately I have those LPs and they are the basis of today's post, which also gives me the opportunity to discuss the auto styling then in vogue at Chrysler.

On each of the programs, Astaire was partnered by dancer Barrie Chase, who is little heard on the LPs. Fortunately, Fred was a singer as well as dancer, or we would have a few hours of background music and guest stars.

Also, as a bonus, to honor one of Astaire's earlier (and most famous) partners, I am posting the singles that Fred and Ginger Rogers issued separately in connection with their 1938 film Carefree. It's on my other blog and features a nifty picture label with Fred's floating head front and center (well, to the left of the spindle hole anyway).

An Evening with Fred Astaire (1958)

The first show in the series was broadcast on October 17, 1958. As did GM, Chrysler chose this fall to show off its newly introduced models. As I mentioned with GM's 1958 models, the cars of the time were becoming ever more bloated. The top of the line 1959 Imperial below resembled a luxurious barge with fins, suitable for emperors and anyone else with the appropriate amount of cash.

The 1959 Imperial

Jonah Jones

The TV show was not nearly so ostentatious. Besides Barrie Chase, the program showcased trumpeter Jonah Jones and David Rose and his orchestra. The dance numbers are backed alternately by Rose and Jones, the latter of whom also gets a solo spot on "St. James Infirmary." Jones' trumpet playing is pure Louis Armstrong, his singing is Armstrong strained through Fats Waller. Jones' group was quite a swinging combo. Nothing original here, but still entertaining. Rose's orchestra and arrangements are enjoyable, too: good thing because we can't see the dance routines.

This is a good time to mention that the program was the first to be captured on video tape and can be seen in color on YouTube. should you want to see what Astaire, Chase and Hermes Pan cooked up. It is well worth watching. Fred was still a supreme dancer, and Chase was one of the best partners he ever had.

It also gives you a chance to see the Chrysler ads that were tastefully left off the LP. They are from another world than today's commercials, with a stentorian announcer leading into a male chorus, a la Mitch Miller's Sing-Along Gang, with a musical run-down on the cars' many attributes.

Fred sings "Change Partners," the superb Irving Berlin song from Carefree (which as noted above can be found in its original commercial release on my other blog), then a medley of his many hits, a feature he would continue through the next two shows.

The critics were ecstatic about the program. Jack Gould of the New York Times proclaimed it "a joy, an hour that will rank among the great contemporary theatre nights in any media." The show went on to win nine Emmy awards, and led to the two encore evenings we discuss next.

Missing the dancing, the LP is not worthy of such elaborate praise, although Jones' and David Rose's contributions are enjoyable. (Rose had a terrific piano player.) Reader Jeff was concerned about the sound quality on this LP, and it did prove to be screechy right out of the sleeve. However, with some adjustments, it and its successors now sound very good.

I do like the cover for this LP, with line drawings and calligraphy reminiscent of the jazz LP designs by David Stone Martin, Andy Warhol and Burt Goldblatt. The designer was Emrich Nicholson.

Another Evening with Fred Astaire (1959)

The first evening was so successful that Chrysler brought back the same team for an encore in 1959, and another promotional LP. They did vary things a bit by adding announcer Ken Nordine, who had issued a few quasi-hipster albums of what he called "Word Jazz." The bit on this show is a standard concept pivoting on the word "baby" and involving that popular cliché of the time, a visit to a beatnik hangout. (Astaire and Hermes Pan had done something similar in Funny Face.) Fred and Barrie Chase make the scene into an amusing dance nonetheless, which you can see on YouTube. Nordine's record company rushed out a single of "My Baby," noting on the label that it was "from the TV spectacular 'Another Evening with Fred Astaire.'"

Prop cover for "That Face"

Also new to the troupe were the excellent Bill Thompson Singers, who added some aural variety to the mix. They back Astaire as he sings and dances to "That Face," written for him by Alan Bergman and Lew Spence. In this, Astaire is inspired by a mock-Vogue cover with Barrie Chase's portrait.

Astaire himself wrote "The Afterbeat" with Johnny Mercer. It took the combined genius of those two distinguished fellows to come up with a piece that sounds just like "The Bunny Hop."

In another number, Chase dances with several swains, only to end up with Fred, who is wearing a mask of Mad magazine's Alfred E. Newman. Some reviewers thought this tasteless.

Jonah Jones and ensemble made a return appearance, accompanying Astaire in a "Night Train" scenario. "Train" is not a great composition, despite its Ellington roots, but Fred and the singers do well with its repetitive riffs.

Fortunately, Astaire left "The Bunny Hop," "Night Train" and Alfred E. Newman behind for a concluding medley of his many vocal hits.

It may have been "Valiant," but it sure wasn't attractive

As with the previous special, Chrysler used the platform to proclaim the merits of its new 1960 models. The best designed was probably the low-priced Plymouth, with its simple lines and swooping tail fins. New that year was the small Valiant, a clumsy looking effort that nonetheless was a preview of Chrysler's new design direction.

The critics were once again complimentary, with several saying that "Another Evening" was superior to the award-winning first "Evening." "Fred Scores Again! Tops 1st Triumph!" was one breathless headline. 

The cover of this second LP was not as striking as the first one, but did give Astaire a chance to show off both his immaculate footwork and his splendid wardrobe.

Astaire Time (1960)

The final edition in this three-year run (there was to be a reprise in 1968) was Astaire Time of 1961.

For this concluding episode, Jonah Jones's small group was replaced by Count Basie's big band, which ovr the years had evolved into a chrome-plated musical limousine such that the Chrysler Corporation never imagined. Basie himself is in exceptional form, and the remarkable band is propelled by his new drummer, Sonny Payne. The crew can be seen on YouTube, with Astaire dancing to "Sweet Georgia Brown."

Count Basie

Basie's vocalist, Joe Williams, is featured in a blues medley, which was his specialty. I think he sang "Everyday I Have the Blues" every time he appeared on TV. That's OK; it never got old.

Astaire and Barrie appear in Cole Porter's "Miss Otis Regrets," a famous if overworked tune. Their routine can be seen on YouTube. Fred later presents Porter's "Thank You So Much, Mrs. Lowsborough-Goodby," a sub-Noel Coward piece that I have never taken to. This is the lead-in to Astaire's third medley.

Chrysler, meanwhile, was introducing its 1961 lineup. The higher-priced lines still had the gigantic tail fins that had been a Chrysler signature for several years. The low-priced Plymouth, however, had tamped down the fins into a sweeping design that was very attractive. The dowdy Valiant soldiered on, this time with a sibling, the similar Dodge Lancer.

1961 Plymouth

As for the reaction to the show, the critics were again battling to see who could be most effusive with the praise. The winner was probably John Crosby, who insisted that, "Not only did it set a high mark for television, but it set a new high mark for everything else ... stage or screen or nightclubs."

As I mentioned, Astaire and Chase were to present one more special, The Fred Astaire Show, in 1968. Musical tastes had changed and in place of Count Basie were the immortal Simon & Garfunkel and the now-forgotten pop-rockers The Gordian Knot. No LP exists for this show, to my knowledge.

Just a reminder that Fred and Ginger can be heard in songs from Carefree on Buster's Swinging Singles.

From Vaughan Williams: Mass in G minor, Five Mystical Songs

Here is the latest in a series of Vaughan Williams choral works recorded by David Willcocks for HMV in the 1960s. These transfers are all from vintage EMI vinyl sources.

The previous posts in the series were Hodie, Sancta Civitas and Benedicite.

David Willcocks

Of the Mass in G minor, Vaughan Williams authority Michael Kennedy has written, "The temptation is strong to describe the Mass in G minor as the greatest choral music Vaughan Williams wrote. It was one of three outstanding works which he composed shortly after the end of the First World War, the others being A Pastoral Symphony and the one-act "pastoral episode," The Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains. All three are similar in mood, their outward tranquility masking a profound inner intensity."

Opinions are split on the performance here: some critics thought it was fine, others took issue with the choir's white tone and slack intonation (which really isn't as bad as all that). Despite the Turner painting of the King's College Chapel on the cover above, the choir actually decamped for the Chapel of Trinity College for this recording.

John Shirley-Quirk

For the Five Mystical Songs and accompanying Motet, O Clap Your Hands, the choir was back at home base and joined by the English Chamber Orchestra and baritone John Shirley-Quirk. The songs are setting of texts by the metaphysical poet George Herbert, and both the poetry and music are inspired. Vaughan Williams' varied settings are by turns rapt and joyful, and brought to life in these exceptional performances, particularly by Shirley-Quirk. As Alec Robertson wrote in his Gramophone review, "John Shirley-Quirk's singing of these songs is worthy of the highest praise in point of fervour, interior feeling and clarity of enunciation."

The songs are complemented well by the celebratory motet, O Clap Your Hands, with words from Psalm 47, which concludes the album. As Robertson wrote, it is "a triumphant sound to fill a great church with." The songs date from 1906-11, the motet from 1920.

King's College Chapel

There is some dispute about the dates of the recording. It's possible that some of it was recorded in 1966 and some in 1968. It wasn't published until 1969. The sound is excellent, showing that producer Christopher Bishop and balance engineer Neville Boyling had mastered the art of recording in these vast spaces. The download includes several reviews and the texts, among other items.

The recording of the Five Mystical Songs has long been a favorite of mine; I enjoyed transferring it and its discmates for this post. As with other entries in this series, the transfer is from an HMV vinyl source, in this case a boxed set of Vaughan Williams' choral music, which will also be the source of future entries in this series.

From The Gramophone, May 1969

Dolf van der Linden, Master of Light Music

This blog has presented a great deal of light music over the years - Kostelanetz, Paul Weston, Morton Gould and Leroy Anderson, among others. Today we turn our attention to one of the music's finest practitioners, Dolf van der Linden, who was and is almost unknown in America.

Van der Linden (1915-99) was the founder and leader of the Metropole Orchestra for 35 years (1945-80) while working for Netherlands Radio. He became well known throughout Europe for his orchestra's superb technical command, along with his own arrangements and compositions.

Renown in America didn't follow for a number of reasons. While RCA Camden and Capitol released several albums under his own name, as many or more came out under the pseudonyms of Daniel De Carlo and Van Lynn (both on Decca) and Gerard Blene (on Jubilee), among others.

Today we have two of the three LPs that Camden released under the conductor's own name. These mainly comprised van der Linden's compositions, although it's difficult to tell with certainty because he also used pseudonyms for many of his works.

The Camden LPs are labeled as being by "Dolf van der Linden and His Orchestra," but it's fair to speculate that this is the Metropole Orchestra, or substantially so.

Dolf van der Linden and the Metropole Orchestra 

Floating on a Cloud

The van der Linden LPs on Camden date from 1956, although I suspect they were recorded earlier. The sound is fine, but more characteristic of the postwar years than later in the 50s.

Floating on a Cloud is the more romantic of the two albums. "Love Affair," "Stormy Heart" and "Little Romance" are the bandleader's contributions under his own name, and he added "Meditation," "For Us No Moon Is Shining" and "Keep Pretending" as Guy Brain.

Also contributing songs were Metropole pianist and arranger Manny Oets, and European bandleaders José Fontaine and Emile DeRadoux. Two songs came from Gun Finlay, whom I know from "Rain," the fine tune on the flip side of Sinatra's "Three Coins in the Fountain."

All these items are immensely pleasing and exceptionally well played. They are sure to appeal if you like string choirs, woodwinds and harp playing beautiful arrangements.

In a Casino on the Riviera

I don't suspect that the casinos on the Riviera are playing Palm Court music these days, but if they were, they could do worse than the music on this second Camden LP.

In a Casino on the Riviera is no less appealing than Floating on a Cloud, but the compositions are much different.

Van der Linden immediately is in Leroy Anderson territory with the first item, "Fiddler's Escapade," written by Belgian arranger-composer Johnny Steggerda. Dolf then breaks out the castanets for his own "Prima Ballerina." He also contributes "Song of Spain" (more castanets), "Les Danseurs Mondains" and "Slavia," all under his own name. The latter is a quasi-Slavonic dance.

Dolf's Guy Brain persona provided the tango "Tus Ojos," "Round and Round" and "Concha." Other items came from the Belgian composers Fud Candrix and René Costy and van der Linden arranger Joop Elders. H. Ackermans and B. Speguel wrote "Her Majesty's Gypsy," a Lisztian Hungarian dance.

The only familiar item on either LP, to me at least, is the "Petite Waltz" from French songwriter Joe Heyne. I suspect you would have to be of my advanced age to recall this tune, but it's delightful either way, and here in a stellar performance.

If you want to learn more about the Metropole Orchestra and van der Linden, the orchestra has a series of brief videos on their history along with associated playlists.

I strongly recommend these albums if you like light music. My thanks to friend and discographer Nigel Burlinson for passing along a helpful article about van der Linden and his recordings.

Milhaud Plays and Conducts His Compositions

More today from the fertile imagination of composer Darius Milhaud, in the form of four works issued by Columbia at mid-century. All involve Milhaud as conductor or pianist.

The compositions are his Symphony No. 1, Suite  Française, Cantate de l'Enfant et de la Mère and La Muse Mènagére.

Symphony No. 1

Milhaud's music seldom conveys anguish, and such emotion can't be found in the first symphony, even though it was written at a difficult time for the composer.

While it is perhaps not as sunny as Columbia's LP cover would have you believe, it is nonetheless melodic and as genial much of Milhaud's output.

The symphony was written on commission from the Chicago Symphony for its 50th anniversary year, 1940-41. But as Milhaud started to work on the piece, war broke out in Europe. The composer was unable to work for a few months, but finally was able to finish the work just before fleeing Aix-en-Provence for the U.S. Only in the slow movement is there any hint of the struggle in Europe.

Milhaud himself conducted the first performance in October 1940, and went on to perform his work with several other orchestras, including the Columbia Broadcasting Symphony, which performs in this January 1947 recording.

In his survey of Milhaud's recordings, critic Robert Matthew-Walker wrote, "The recorded performance of the symphony is magnificent; indeed, this composer-conducted account has always convinced me that it is one of the very greatest symphonies of the twentieth century."

The 78 set included a short piece, "In Memoriam," in commemoration of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. It was not included on the 10-inch LP that I transferred, and I've been unable to find a copy of it.

Suite Française

Cover of the 78 set

The Suite Française also has a connection to the Second World War. Milhaud named the five parts of te suite for five French provinces - Normandy, Brittany, Ile-de-France, Alsace-Lorraine and Provence - "the very ones in which the American and Allied armies fought together with the French underground for the liberation of my country," he wrote.

Milhaud's aim was to make the music accessible to student ensembles. "I used some folk tunes of these provinces. I wanted the young Americans to hear the popular melodies from those parts of France where their fathers and brothers fought to defend the country from the German invaders." This joyous music has pre-echoes of the suites soon to be written by the British composer Malcolm Arnold.

The first version of the suite was written for band, and was introduced by the Goldman Band only six weeks after V-E Day. The orchestral version soon followed and was premiered by the New York Philharmonic and Maurice Abravanel in July. Milhaud conducted the same orchestra in this recording, dating from early January 1946.

The original issue of the suite was in a 78 set whose cover is depicted above. My transfer comes from a Columbia Entré LP reissue from the mid-1950s.

Cantate de l'Enfant et de la Mère; La Muse Mènagére

The next record moves away from orchestral works to chamber music with poetry and a piano suite with the composer performing.

Maurice Carême

The first work is La Cantate de L'Enfant et de la Mère, settings of poetry by the Belgian Maurice Carême. The cantata was written in 1938 for performance by the composer's wife, Madeleine Milhaud, the Pro Arte Quartet and pianist Paul Collaer.

Milhaud relates of the premiere, "I conducted the performance in the enormous concert hall of the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels.... It must have looked like a flea-circus, for our soft music and tender, intimate poetry recital came after some bravura pieces executed by the military band of the Guides, in full dress uniform."

Madeleine and Darius Milhaud

Carême, whose works also were set by Poulenc among other composers, was inspired by children's poetry, and wrote simple verses concerned with the family.

This 1950 performance marked the recording debut of the Juilliard String Quartet, which in its various incarnations has been in residence at that school for the past 75 years. This recording features the original personnel: violinists Robert Mann and Robert Koff, violist Raphael Hillyer and cellist Arthur Winograd. The piano part is taken by Leonid Hambro.

The Juilliards: violinists Robert Mann and Robert Koff, violist Raphael Hillyer, and cellist Arthur Winograd

Madeleine Milhaud was an actress and writer, who was responsible for the libretti of her husband's operas Médée, Bolivar and La Mère Coupable. Her lovely voice is just right for this material.

While I have been unable to locate either texts or translations of Carême's poetry, friend of the blog Peter has come up with the back cover of the Seraphim reissue of the disc, which does include translations of the verse. It is included in the download. It's a low-resolution scan, but can be read with some squinting. Thanks, Peter.

The second side of the record continues the domestic theme. The Household Muse (La Muse Mènagére) is a piano suite in which the composer depicts scenes from the Milhauds' everyday life. The gentle music shows the influence of Milhaud's mentor, Eric Satie.

I believe this recording was made in early 1946 bur not issued before this LP came out. That lapse may have been because of technical considerations: Milhaud's piano is dully recorded and there apparently was rustle on the master (an early review complains about it).

I've brightened the sound of Milhaud's piano a bit and lowered the background noise. The Cantata had the opposite problem - close and harsh sound. I've added a small amount of convolution reverberation to the mix and the results are pleasing, at least to me.

As mentioned, the Symphony and Suite Française come from my collection. I worked from a lossless transfer on Internet Archive for the other works, which were requested by longtime friend of the blog rev.b.

This post is a follow-up to a recent item with Milhaud's Saudades do Brasil and Piano Concerto No. 4 in brilliant performances by Zadel Skolofsky. 

GM's 50th Anniversary Show, Plus Bonus GM Songs

As 1957 drew to a close, General Motors was looking forward to its 50th Anniversary. The previous year had not been its best. Despite offering cars that still are considered classics - particularly by volume leader Chevrolet - that marque had been dethroned in the 1957 sales race by Ford. GM was determined not to have that happen again.

And so for the traditional fall unveiling of the new models, GM went all out to ensure that its cars would be noticed in the market during its 50th year. They started by pumping up the size of their relatively svelte 1957 counterparts. The Chevy Bel Air, for example, gained nine inches in length on a stretched wheelbase, and acquired a bloated look accentuated by new double headlights up front. You could order the Chevy (or any other GM line) in a hideous "Anniversary Gold" that would guarantee they would see you coming down the road.

"Anniversary Gold"

Meanwhile the other GM models gained all manner of chrome gee-gaws on their similarly bulging exteriors - rockets on the Pontiac, glitzy quarter panels on the prestigious Cadillac, and multiple accent pieces on the Oldsmobile and Buick.

GM planned a two-hour television special to mark its 50th, and, unlike the products it had newly introduced, it took pains to make it as tasteful and distinguished as possible. The show had a long list of celebrities taking part, everyone from actor Ernest Borgnine to dancers Jacques d'Amboise and Bambi Lynn. There was comedy with Eddie Bracken and Alice Ghostley, drama with Don Ameche and Peg Lynch, and the obligatory moment of prestige with Helen Hayes intoning a poem written for the occasion by scriptwriter/lyricist Helen Deutsch.

New York Times ad, November 17, 1958

About half the program was given over to music, and much of that was captured on a commercial LP issued by RCA Victor, which is the first musical specimen presented in today's post. (Please see below for bonus items.)

The show began with a Sammy Fain number written for the occasion, "The Happiness Theme," befitting the special's theme, "The Pursuit of Happiness." 

The vocal numbers start with Pat Boone, who had made his name with bland covers of R&B hits and latterly had become a GM spokesperson. Based on his vocal style, I'd say Boone was a follower of Bing Crosby rather than Little Richard, and here he is assigned "Where Are You," a 1937 Jimmy McHugh-Harold Adamson piece that Frank Sinatra had revived a few months earlier for the title song of one of his best Capitol LPs. Boone is not at all a bad singer, some insecure intonation aside, and he does well here.

Steve Lawrence

Up-and-coming crooner Steve Lawrence had the next spot, at least on the LP, and works wonders with 1948's "Far Away Places," often heard on the variety shows of the time. It lent itself to exotic scenery.

Lawrence sticks around for a less-familiar novelty, "The Bullfrog Patrol," penned by none other than Jerome Kern with lyricist Anne Caldwell for the 1919 show, She's a Good Fellow. Joining in are musical comedy veteran Dan Dailey and newcomer Carol Burnett, who had recently become popular on television and in night spots.

Just as recherché was the next number, "The March of the Ill-Assorted Guards" from the 1956 Producer's Showcase television musical Jack and the Beanstalk. The March seems to have been assigned this outing because it was penned by scriptwriter Helen Deutsch in collaboration with Jay Livingston.

The proceedings turned strange for the following number. Not that the song "Mutual Admiration Society" was strange. It was at the time inescapable whenever two people who could carry a tune found themselves on the same stage. The song comes from 1955's Happy Hunting, the Ethel Merman starrer, where it was an attempt to replicate the success of the duet "You're Just in Love," featured in Merman's Call Me Madam of a few years earlier.

Claudia Crawford and Cyril Ritchard

No, the strangeness came from the setting, in which seven-year-old Claudia Crawford talks that old scene stealer, Cyril Ritchard, out of a suicide attempt. The melodrama ends with a traversal of "Mutual Admiration Society," and everyone goes home happy (as was the theme of the show).

Doretta Morrow

Doretta Morrow made the first of her three appearances with "Hi Lili, Hi Lo" (another Deutsch song). Morrow had an active career at the time, both on Broadway (Where's Charley?, The King and I and Kismet) and in Hollywood, (opposite Mario Lanza in Because You're Mine). Earlier in 1957 she had toured in Fanny.

1958 ad plugging RCA TVs and Dinah's Chevy show

No GM show would have been complete without an appearance or three by long-time Chevy mouthpiece Dinah Shore. She is exceptionally good in "They Say It's Wonderful," mostly keeping Dan Dailey on pitch. The always-welcome Howard Keel is characteristically sonorous in "Where or When," then Doretta Morrow returns for another Rodgers and Hart song, "My Romance."

These vocal items are punctuated on the LP by instrumentals from an orchestra led by Bernard Green - "It Might as Well Be Spring," "Out of Nowhere" and "Lover." On television, the latter two were backings for dance numbers from Jacques d'Amboise, Bambi Lynn and Chita Rivera. The orchestrations by Sidney Fine and Milton Weinstein are excellent.

Dan Dailey

Dinah has a solo spot with "These Foolish Things," an Eric Maschwitz-Jack Strachey piece from 1936, and includes the seldom-heard verse. Doretta Morrow and Howard Keel follow with a pleasing medley. The show's finale, "Taking a Chance on Love," was allotted to Dan and Dinah.

There are a quite a few excerpts from the show on YouTube, mainly provided by the son of producer Jess Oppenheimer. The program was broadcast in color, but the excerpts are from black-and-white kinescopes.

• Introductions
• Bullfrog Patrol
• Carol Burnett, Steve Lawrence, Dan Dailey, Chita Rivera
• Eddie Bracken and Alice Ghostley sketch
• Claudia Crawford and Cyril Ritchard
• Extended excerpt

The Anniversary Show was well received. The New York Times' Jack Gould was ecstatic, calling it "artistic television of a high order." Perhaps it was, but it was hardly diverse, neither in participants nor material. And while the LP is pleasant to hear, it leaves out any hint of the unconventional or experimental.

The Fisher Body version of GM's 50th Anniversary graphic

Bonus: I Want a Merry Little Lavender Rocket 88 (GM Songs)

You don't need me to tell you that music was changing at the time, and other musical traditions besides the pop song and musical comedy were becoming increasingly popular. Although GM did not acknowledge these in its program, the practitioners of various alternative musical genres had been extolling the merits of GM cars for many years.

Indeed, the most famous song about a GM product was written even before there was a General Motors. That was Gus Edwards' "In My Merry Oldsmobile," from 1905. It also was the first of many tunes to equate the automobile with freedom and even sex! As young Johnny Steele tells his Lucille, "You can go as far as you like with me / In my merry Oldsmobile."

The hit version of the song was by the prolific Billy Murray on Victor. Murray recorded it in 1905, 1906 and 1909, under the same catalogue number. The pressing in this set could be any of those.

A second version of "In My Merry Oldsmobile" dates from about 1918 and was produced specifically for Oldsmobile, with unidentified artists. Olds would go on to use the song for promotional purposes for many years.

Next we have a 1924 record from Bennie Krueger, his alto sax and orchestra. "Ray and His Little Chevrolet" drolly tells the tale of how the protagonist has no trouble attracting girls despite his undersized equipment. The vocalists are studio regulars Billy Jones and Ernest Hare.

Switching genres, we move to 1930's "Riding in a Chevrolet Six" with Oscar Ford, one of the Georgia string band musicians who also included Gid Tanner and Riley Puckett. (Puckett plays on this record.) Oscar tells us that "If you're single and you wanna get a wife / Just buy you a Chevrolet Six." He also advises that "You can outrun the revenuers night and day / If you travel in a Chevrolet Six."

Ben Webster, with Buck Clayton at right

The enduringly popular Cadillacs were the subjects of a few jazz songs, including Dizzy Gillespie's "Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac." But today we turn to alto saxophonist Benny Carter and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster for the latter's terrific instrumental "Cadillac Slim" from 1946. The record was issued under Carter's name, but the bulk of the solo space is given over to Webster, although Carter and trumpeter Buck Clayton also appear. Interestingly, Webster's solos are entirely in the swing idiom, but the theme is clearly influenced by the then-new bop music.

Sonny Boy Williamson

Now we move over to the blues realm for "Pontiac Blues" by Sonny Boy Williamson. This is the musician sometimes called Sonny Boy Williamson II, whose real name was Aleck or Alex (or Rice) Miller. Miller had rebranded himself in the early 40s to capitalize on the fame of another harmonica player. By the time of this 1951 record, Sonny Boy Williamson I had died, so Miller had the name to himself.

I don't mean to take anything away from Miller. "Pontiac Blues," an early issue on the Trumpet label, is a entertaining opus featuring Sonny Boy's powerful harmonica. He tells us, "I found out what my baby likes. / That's a whole lotta lovin' / And that straight-eight Pontiac."

Bea (soon to be LaVern) Baker

From that same year comes a wonderful 78 on OKeh, the first to be issued on the label's new incarnation as Columbia's R&B outfit. It also was the first record by Maurice King and the Wolverines. King was previously music director for the International Sweethearts Of Rhythm. Singer Bea Baker (later to become very well known as LaVern Baker) insists that "I Want a Lavender Cadillac," assuring us that if she gets what she wants, "I'll be good to you."

The final song is "Rocket 88," a big hit for Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats on Chess. The band was actually Ike Turner and His Kings of Rhythm (Brenston being one of the royal family), but Jackie sang and got the credit. The story is that producer Sam Phillips changed the attribution when he shopped the master to Chess records.

Jackie Brenston emotes while Ike Turner stares

Whoever gets credit, it's a deservedly famous record. Jackie assures us that "Takin' my Rocket on a long, hot run / Ooh, goin' out, oozin' and cruisin' and havin' fun!" (Rocket 88 was an Oldsmobile model, by the way.)

"Rocket 88" is sometimes claimed to be the first rock 'n' roll record, a pointless discussion if ever there was one. What is true is that it has musical antecedents, among them boogie-woogie pianist Pete Johnson's "Rocket 88 Boogie" and jump blues artist Jimmy Liggins' "Cadillac Boogie." The Brenston record is an amalgamation of both styles, accentuated by Ike Turner's terrific band and the novelty of a fuzztone guitar playing the bass figure. The fuzztone was supposedly caused by the an accidental tear in the amplifier speaker, which sounds like an apocryphal tale. Whatever, it's most effective.

There have been many more songs about GM cars, but these are a few of the ones that preceded the GM 50th Anniversary Show, and present a more diverse range of styles. The 50th Anniversary Show album comes from my collection. The 78s are from the endless reaches of the Internet Archive. The sound on the LP was shrill, which I have amended. The 78s can be a bit crackly, but even the Billy Murray record is more than listenable.

In its heyday, GM had five marques - in ascending order of prestige, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac. Only Buick is unrepresented here; however, I have posted two different versions of the promotional song, "My Buick, My Love and I" on my singles blog, where I also detail a few other Buick songs.

If you are more inclined to the Ford lineup, this blog has a post devoted to a 1970 album by The Going Thing, a semi-folk-rock, Ford-sponsored group, and another to the dealer introduction show for the ill-fated Edsel, not one of Ford's better ideas. Nothing yet from Chrysler!