The other half ---

A classic from 70 years ago. Not the first recording (Johnny Ray, of "Cry" fame, did it first, excluding the Broadway performance), but by far the most famous and most popular version. This was a top 10 hit for Archie Bleyer in mid-1954. This song is likely more well known than the musical it was written for.

Another fun one from Archie Bleyer, from early 1955. This was originally recorded by The Ames Brothers in October of 1954 and was a huge hit for them.

I remember when it was a big hit for the Ames Brothers.   The name Archie Bleyer, sounds familiar, but . . .  the artists who covered the top pop hits in those days,  are not remembered  like the originals.   There were lots of novelty songs back then, but none of them have stood the test of time.   Maybe "Hernando's Hideaway", because it's from a hit Broadway musical?

Archie Bleyer sounded familiar to me also. Seems like he had a weekly stint with someone --- but who?  can't remember.  So off to a search engine. Came up with this to shed some light.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-03-22-mn-72-story.html

Looks like Archie Bleyer was a very busy and talented musician.  I couldn't bring up the L.A. Times story about him being fired by Arthur Godfrey, but I'm not surprised.    Godfrey was well known for suddenly firing someone.  Julius LaRosa comes to mind, but there were lots of others besides him. 

I found lots of songs by Julius LaRosa, but all of them were grainy with poor sound quality, because they were recorded live, directly off of old TV shows.  This is the best one, and just happens to be one of my favorites - "That Old Feeling".  Notice toward the end how he fumbles, trying to light a match to smoke a cigarette.    

A fun hillbilly-style send-up of an otherwise serious song by Red Ingle and "Cinderella G. Stump" (Jo Stafford) from 1947. Ironically this version is probably the best known rendition.

In 1961 a group from New York did a doo-wop version of a 1940 song called "Imagination". 18 years later, a British rock and roll revival group barely hit the top 40 with their cover of the 1961 arrangement. The 70s were weird

This is how I remember it.

From 1967. A fun arrangement of the classic Gershwin tune "I Got Rhythm". This was a big hit, peaking at #3 and spending 5 weeks in the top 10 in the US.

"Imagination"  is a beautiful love song, and is considered to be a standard.  Supposedly it was one of Frank Sinatra's favorites, and he included it on most of his albums over the years.    I don't like spoof-parodies on standards.  All compositions  by George and Ira Gershwin are also considered to be standards, including  "I've Got Rhythm".   

                DITTO

Michael - There were a lot of novelty songs that I liked that were popular in the 1940's, during the War years,  as well s before and after. 
Here's one that I remember, called Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet, by Ella Mae Morris.  This recording tells a little of the history of the song, at the beginning.

Another hilarious sendup of a serious song once again featuring Red Ingle on vocals, this time with Spike Jones and company, from 1945. This clip is from the film Bring On The Girls.

Spike ------

From yesteryear

And another ---

. . . and another

One of Jo Stafford's biggest hits. I used to hear this a lot on a local AM station when I was in high school. The station played pop hits from the 40s and 50s and was a bit easier for background music when studying than the wilder rock and roll of the oldies station.

Do you remember having "black outs"? No lights allowed, and seal up windows.

Found this earlier. Apparently Moon Kim recorded several songs for RCA-Victor in the late 1950s but there isn't much info about her. This is the best of the ones I've found so far. Unfortunately I can't find a video of the complete record - both of the ones I've found cut out early.

Quote from: RAMMEL on June 06, 2024, 06:26:40 PMDo you remember having "black outs"? No lights allowed, and seal up windows.

Yes, I remember it well.  If any light was showing outside, the local  Air Raid Warden,  (a neighbor),  would knock on your door, and point out the places in your windows that were leaking light, and you fixed them right away.   

Michael,  both the music and Moon Kim's voice, had a unique sound.  I liked both.   I don't recall ever hearing anything about her, back in the 1950's?

I did find one site that says she was popular in Korea in the 40s before moving to the US with her Korean-American husband in the 50s, and that she apparently recorded an entire album for RCA-Victor, but I can only find the four songs that were released on singles. The two singles were released sometime between 1956 and 1958. Here's one of the other ones I found on YouTube. This one was written by Lee Pockriss and Paul Vance, who also wrote "Catch a Falling Star" and "Itsy Bitsy ... Bikini" among other things.

Black outs were a thing of the past when I entered the scene. I did get to participate in the "duck and cover" under the school desks practice, and I remember the polio shots we all lined up for in elementary school. Boy do I ever remember those shots.

When I looked into Moon Kim, I found a current Moon Kim.

Last night I was thinking about the Blackouts during the War years, and another old song came to mind - Obey Your Air Raid Warden.   Lots of videos on You Tube. This one by Tony Pastor.

"Obey Your Air Raid Warden" - I don't recall ever hearing that.  My dad was an Air Raid Warden in the area of the building he worked in. He lived fairly nearby.

Besides blackouts, I remember saving grease/fat from cooking, and crushing cans - to be returned for the effort.

Keeping up with the oriental theme, here's a fun one from Martin Denny.