October 19, 2021

45 RPMs 65: Sammy Davis Jr. – Six Bridges To Cross & George Nader

 ~      
45 RPM record 
photo by Styrous®


Today is the birthday of George Nader who was an American actor and writer. He appeared in a variety of films from 1950 to 1974, including Sins of Jezebel (1953), Congo Crossing (1956), and The Female Animal (1958). During this period, he also did episodic television and starred in several series, including NBC's The Man and the Challenge (1959–60). In the 1960s he made several films in Germany, playing FBI agent Jerry Cotton. He is remembered for his first starring role, in the low-budget black-and-white 3D Sci-Fi film, film Robot Monster (1953), known as "one of the worst films ever made".       
 
 

Robot Monster poster
 
 
I remember seeing Robot Monster and was wowed by the 3D effects but even though I was only thirteen, I realized the acting of the cast, including Nader, was pretty sketchy and the special effects and costume of the "Monster" was really cheesy, so, it's in pretty stiff competition with Plan 9 from Outer Space, which was directed by Ed Wood and starred Bela Lugosi, for the number one spot.             
 
 
          
The film, Six Bridges To Cross is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Tony Curtis as Jerry Florea, George Nader and Julie Adams. It is based on the famous 1950 Great Brink's Robbery of Boston, Massachusetts in which the thieves made off with roughly $2.5 million.    
 
 
 
It was a pretty good film (link to plot below) with decent writing and acting by the cast, which included Sal Mineo as Jerry Florea as a boy in his first film role; he would appear in the film classic, Rebel Without a Cause, later that same year. Both Tony Curtis and Clint Eastwood made screen tests for the major male role; it was Eastwood's first test but Curtis got the part.          
 
 
 
 
    



The title song, which is sung by Sammy Davis Jr. is a ballad in the fifties tradition and Davis does a really nice job on it with his typical lyric phrasing. Dinah Washington did a cover of the song in 1961; hers is a bit slower and more lush but her staccato phrasing makes it her very own (links below). The music was written by Henry Mancini and actor Jeff Chandler wrote the lyrics. Chandler had been considered for the main role but turned it down.     







Sammy Davis Jr. ~ All of You 
45 RPM record sleeve
photo by Styrous®




Sammy Davis Jr. ~ All of You 
45 RPM record sleeve
photo by Styrous®
 

    
 
        
Tracklist:

Side 1:

A - Six Bridges To Cross, written by Henry Mancini, Jeff Chandler (5) - 2:59

Side 2:

B - All Of You, written by Cole Porter - 2:39

Companies, etc.

    Manufactured By – Decca Records, Inc.

Notes:

Variant labels include, but not limited to, label matrices

A Side: From the Universal-International Pictures "Six Bridges To Cross"
B Side: From the Musical Production "Silk Stockings"

Barcode and Other Identifiers
        
        
    Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout): 45 8065 5 3
    Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout): 45 8066 5 3
    Matrix / Runout (Center label, side A): 8065
    Matrix / Runout (Center label, side B): 8066
 
Sammy Davis Jr. – Six Bridges To Cross / All Of You
Label: Decca – 9-29402
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1955
Genre: Jazz, Stage & Screen
Style: Theme     
      
      
      
  
Viewfinder links:       
         
Jeff Chandler           
Tony Curtis        
Sammy Davis Jr,          
Clint Eastwood        
Bela Lugosi        
Sal Mineo          
George Nader         
Cole Porter        
Ed Wood       
     
Net links:       
         
Cast        
Plot        
     
YouTube links:      
         
Sammy Davis Jr. ~         
      All of You         
      Six Bridges To Cross        
Joseph Pevney               
Dinah Washington ~ Six Bridges To Cross                
        
        
        
        
        

Styrous® ~ Tuesday, October 19, 2021  






      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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