On December 28, 1944, the musical On the Town premiered on Broadway at the Adelphi Theater in New York City and ran for 462 performances. It featured the song, New York, New York.
The production starred John Battles (Gabey), Cris Alexander (Chip), Nancy Walker (Hildy), Sono Osato (Ivy), Betty Comden (Claire), and Adolph Green (Ozzie). The musical director was Max Goberman.
Although Comden and Green sing some of the songs, this is not an original cast recording and it is on side two of the record. It is a 1950 re-issue of monaural 78 RPM recordings of songs from On the Town. Other singers on the recording are Nancy Walker, Toots Camarata, Lyn Murray and Mary Martin (link below). It featured the Lyn Murray chorus and orchestra.
The production starred John Battles (Gabey), Cris Alexander (Chip), Nancy Walker (Hildy), Sono Osato (Ivy), Betty Comden (Claire), and Adolph Green (Ozzie). The musical director was Max Goberman.
Although Comden and Green sing some of the songs, this is not an original cast recording and it is on side two of the record. It is a 1950 re-issue of monaural 78 RPM recordings of songs from On the Town. Other singers on the recording are Nancy Walker, Toots Camarata, Lyn Murray and Mary Martin (link below). It featured the Lyn Murray chorus and orchestra.
Side one of the recording has the music from Lute Song which features songs from that production sung by Mary Martin. The orchestra was directed by Raymond Scott (link below) who also wrote the music.
The big hit from the On the Town was, New York, New York, sung by Lyn Murray on this recording; the famous line from the song is, "New York, New York, a helluva town. The Bronx is up but the Battery's down." (link below).
Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Jules Munshin performed New York, New York in the 1949 MGM musical film version of On the Town (links below). The film was directed and choreographed by Kelly.
Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Jules Munshin performed New York, New York in the 1949 MGM musical film version of On the Town (links below). The film was directed and choreographed by Kelly.
The other songs from On the Town never reached the popularity of New York but they are a lot of fun (links below). They are typical of the bebop music, à la the The Andrews Sisters (link below), of the period.
Side 2:
On The Town
B1a – Lyn Murray Chorus And Lyn Murray Orchestra - On The Town Opening
– I Feel Like I'm Not Out Of Bed Yet, Lyrics By Betty Comden-Adolph Green, Music By Leonard Bernstein
B1b – New York, New York, Lyrics By Betty Comden-Adolph Green, Music By Leonard Bernstein
B2 – Betty Comden And Adolph Green With Lyn Murray Orchestra - I Get Carried Away, Directed By Lyn Murray, Lyrics By Betty Comden-Adolph Green, Music By Leonard Bernstein
B3 – Mary Martin With Toots Camarata And His Orchestra - Lucky To Be Me, Directed By Tutti Camarata, Lyrics By Betty Comden-Adolph Green, Music By Leonard Bernstein
B4 – Mary Martin With Toots Camarata And His Orchestra - Lonely Town, Directed By Tutti Camarata, Lyrics By Betty Comden-Adolph Green, Music By Leonard Bernstein
B5 – Nancy Walker With Leonard Joy Orchestra - I Can Cook Too, Directed By Leonard Joy, Lyrics By – Betty Comden-Adolph Green, Music By – Leonard Bernstein
B6 – Nancy Walker With Leonard Joy Orchestra - Ya Got Me, Directed By Leonard Joy, Lyrics By Betty Comden-Adolph Green, Music By Leonard Bernstein
Notes:
Also available in Decca 78 rpm albums: Lute Song: A-445; On The Town: A-416
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (Side A label): (MG 1624)
Matrix / Runout (Side B label): (MG 1625)
Various – Selections From 'Lute Song' And 'On The Town'
Label: Decca – DL 8030
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1950
Genre: Stage & Screen
Style: Musical
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
YouTube links:
Lyn Murray ~ I Feel Like I'm Not Out Of Bed Yet / New York, New York
1949 MGM musical film ~ New York, New York
Mary Martin ~ Lucky To Be Me
Nancy Walker ~ I Can Cook Too
Betty Comden & Adolph Green ~ I Get Carried Away
On the Town theater poster ~ 1945
No comments:
Post a Comment
PLEASE NOTE: comments are moderated BEFORE they are posted so DO NOT appear immediately.
Thank you.