Phantom Dancer :: 12:00pm 12th Jan 2021
Fred Astaire – singer – is your Phantom Dancer feature artist this week.
You’ll hear Fred Astaire (actor, dancer, singer, choreographer, television presenter and considered the most influential dancer in the history of film) singing and tap dancing on a special addition of The Packard Hour radio show. The transcription you’ll hear has a bit of wow and flutter but is still listenable.
The Packard Hour was Fred Astaire’s weekly radio show. The 3 Nov 1936 broadcast was special by bringing in updated reports on returns for the Roosevelt-Landon 1936 US presidential election during the show.
Show? The Phantom Dancer is your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV hosted by me, Greg Poppleton. Hear past Phantom Dancer online now at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/.
This show will be online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 12 January at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/.
FRED ASTAIRE’S SINGING
Fred Astaire often claimed he couldn’t sing. But most critics and songwriters praised his light voice and easy delivery.
Songwriter Burton Lane called him ‘the world’s greatest musical performer.’
Irving Berlin considered Astaire the equal of any male interpreter of his songs—”as good as Jolson, Crosby or Sinatra, not necessarily because of his voice, but for his conception of projecting a song.”
Jerome Kern considered him the supreme male interpreter of his songs.
Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer (with whom Astaire co-wrote ‘I’m Building Up to an Awful Letdown’), admired his unique treatment of their work.
George Gershwin, though a little critical of Astaire’s singing, wrote many of his most memorable songs for him.
Astaire was referenced in lyrics by songwriters Cole Porter, Lorenz Hart and Eric Maschwitz.
He recorded his own song, ‘It’s Just Like Taking Candy from a Baby’ with Benny Goodman in 1940. He had a lifelong ambition to be a successful popular song composer.
SONGS ASTAIRE INTRODUCED
He introduced some of the most famous songs of the Great American Songbook,
1. Cole Porter’s: “Night and Day” in Gay Divorce (1932)
2. “So Near and Yet So Far” in You’ll Never Get Rich (1941)
3. Irving Berlin’s “Isn’t This a Lovely Day?”, “Cheek to Cheek”, and “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails” in Top Hat (1935); “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” in Follow the Fleet (1936); and “Change Partners” in Carefree (1938)
4. Jerome Kern’s “The Way You Look Tonight” in Swing Time (1936)
5. Gershwins’ “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” in Shall We Dance (1937), “A Foggy Day” and “Nice Work if You Can Get it” in A Damsel in Distress (1937), Johnny Mercer’s “One for My Baby” from The Sky’s the Limit (1943), “Something’s Gotta Give” from Daddy Long Legs (1955)
6. Harry Warren and Arthur Freed’s “This Heart of Mine” from Ziegfeld Follies (1946).
He also co-introduced a number of song classics in song duets with his partners.
1. with his sister Adele (the above photo is a 1906 portrait of Fred and Adele Astaire), he co-introduced the Gershwins’ “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise” from Stop Flirting (1923), “Fascinating Rhythm” in Lady, Be Good (1924), “Funny Face” in Funny Face (1927)
2. in duets with Ginger Rogers, he presented Irving Berlin’s “I’m Putting All My Eggs in One Basket” in Follow the Fleet (1936), Jerome Kern’s “Pick Yourself Up” and “A Fine Romance” in Swing Time (1936), along with the Gershwins’ “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” from Shall We Dance (1937)
3. with Judy Garland, he sang Irving Berlin’s “A Couple of Swells” from Easter Parade (1948) 4. with Jack Buchanan, Oscar Levant, and Nanette Fabray he delivered Arthur Schwartz’s and Howard Dietz’s “That’s Entertainment!” from The Band Wagon (1953).
THE PACKARD HOUR
The Packard Show was a radio show that began on the Blue Network in 1934 and moved to CBS in 1935 as 30 minute concert program.
On 8 September 1936 NBC Red re-launched it as a 60 minute variety program with Fred Astaire and Charlie Butterworth as the comical co-star. Astaire missed the first broadcast, leaving Jack Benny and Ginger Rogers to host it.
Trudy Wood a clear voiced soprano was pulled out of the chorus by Astaire for a duet in her second week with the show and went on to become the Packard Hour headliner when Astaire and Butterworth broke for summer vacations.
Astaire didn’t retuen after that Summer off. The sponsor did a quick shuffle and Lanny Ross headlined on the 1937 Packard Hour, re-named, Mardi Gras.
1936 US ELECTION
The 1936 United States presidential election was the 38th four-yearly US presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1936.
In the middle of the Great Depression, incumbent Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Republican Governor Alf Landon of Kansas.
Roosevelt won the highest share of the popular and electoral vote since the largely uncontested 1820 election. The sweeping victory consolidated the New Deal.
Since it was such a resounding and swift victory for Roosevelt, reporting the landslide elction returns didn’t make for gripping radio.
FRED ASTAIRE AND GINGER ROGERS DANCING WITH ROLLER SKATES!
Fred took up skateboarding in the 1970s.
Make sure you come back to this blog, Greg Poppleton’s Radio Lounge, every Tuesday, for the newest Phantom Dancer play list and Video of the Week!
Thank you.
12 JANUARY PLAY LIST
|
Play List – The Phantom Dancer
107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream
Community Radio Network Show CRN #470 |
||
|
107.3 2SER Tuesday 12 January 2021 |
||
|
Set 1
|
Frank Sinatra on 1940s Radio | |
|
Open + Careless Hands
|
Frank Sinatra
|
‘Your Hit Parade’
NBC 30 Apr 1949 |
|
I’ve Heard That Song Before
|
Frank Sinatra
|
‘Your Hit Parade’
NBC 27 Feb 1943 |
|
Lost in the Stars
|
Frank Sinatra
|
‘Command Performance’
AFRS Hollywood 10 Nov 1946 |
|
Set 2
|
Count Basie on 1956 Radio | |
|
Every Day
|
Count Basie Orchestra (voc) Joe Williams
|
‘All-Star Parade of Bands’
Birdland WRCA NBC NY 1956 |
|
One O’Clock Jump + Blues-o-Rama
|
Count Basie Orchestra
|
‘All-Star Parade of Bands’
Birdland WRCA NBC NY 30 Dec 1956 |
|
April in Paris + One O’Clock Jump
|
Count Basie Orchestra
|
‘All-Star Parade of Bands’
Birdland WRCA NBC NY 2 Jul 1956 |
|
Set 3
|
1930s Swing Radio | |
|
Open + Old Fashioned Swing
|
Ted Weens Orchestra (voc) Perry Como
|
Trianon Ballroom
WGN Mutual Chicago 1937 |
|
Little Gate Special + I Can’t Get Started (theme)
|
Bunny Berrigan Orchestra
|
Madhattan Centre
WNEW NYC 26 Sep 1938 |
|
Rockin’ in Rhythm + East St Louis Toddle-oo (theme)
|
Duke Ellington Orchestra
|
Cotton Club
WOR Mutual NY 18 Mar 1937 |
|
Set 4
|
Fred Astaire | |
|
Open + A Shine On Your Shoes
|
Fred Astaire (voc) Johnny Green Orchestra
|
‘The Packard Hour’
KFI NBC Red NY 3 Nov 1936 |
|
Pick Yourself Up (dance routine)
|
Fred Astaire (voc) Johnny Green Orchestra
|
‘The Packard Hour’
KFI NBC Red NY 3 Nov 1936 |
|
A Fine Romance
|
Fred Astaire and Trudy Wood (voc) Johnny Green Orchestra
|
‘The Packard Hour’
KFI NBC Red NY 3 Nov 1936 |
|
The Continental + Organ Grinders Swing + Close
|
Fred Astaire (voc) Johnny Green Orchestra
|
‘The Packard Hour’
KFI NBC Red NY 3 Nov 1936 |
|
Set 5
|
1920s – 1930s English Dance Bands | |
|
One Little Word Lead To Another
|
Billy Cotton Orchestra (voc) Sam Browne
|
Comm Rec
London 13 Jan 1933 |
|
Got a Date with an Angel
|
Jack Hylton Orchestra (voc) Pat O’Malley
|
Comm Rec
London 14 Oct 1931 |
|
The Song is You
|
Henry Hall BBC Dance Orchestra (voc) Les Allen
|
Comm Rec
London 4 Apr 1933 |
|
Sweet Sue
|
Carroll Gibbons Orchestra (voc) George Metaxa
|
Comm Rec
Hayes, Middlesex 31 Oct 1928 |
|
Set 6
|
Eddie Condon Jazz Concerts | |
|
Singin’ The Blues
|
Eddie Condon Group
|
‘Eddie Condon Town Hall Jazz Concert’
WJZ Blue Network NY 16 Sep 1944 |
|
Caravan
|
Eddie Condon Group
|
‘Eddie Condon Town Hall Jazz Concert’
WJZ Blue Network NY 1944 |
|
I Got Rhythm
|
Eddie Condon Group
|
‘Eddie Condon Town Hall Jazz Concert’
WJZ Blue Network NY 25 Nov 1944 |
|
Sweet Lorraine
|
Eddie Condon Group (voc) Red McKenzie
|
‘Eddie Condon Town Hall Jazz Concert’
WJZ Blue Network NY 14 Oct 1944 |
|
Set 7
|
Swing on 1940s Radio | |
|
Open + Sugarfoot Stomp
|
Benny Goodman Orchestra
|
‘Spotlight Bands’
Springfield Mass Mutual Network 29 Sep 1943 |
|
Saturday Night
|
Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (voc) Patti Thomas
|
‘Spotlight Bands’
Blue Network 11 Feb 1945 |
|
Kabla
|
Cab Calloway Orchestra
|
‘One Night Stand’
Cafe Zanzibar NYC AFRS Re-broadcast 16 Jul 1946 |
|
Song of India
|
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
|
‘Spotlight Bands’
Blue Network 12 Feb 1945 |
|
Set 8
|
Modern Sounds on 1950s Radio | |
|
Anthropology
|
Charlie Parker – Dizzy Gillespie Quintet
|
‘Symphony Sid Show’
Birdland WJZ ABC NY 31 Mar 1951 |
|
Two Headed Blues
|
Erroll Garner Trio
|
Storyville
Copley Square Hotel WHDH Boston Dec 1953 |
|
If I Were a Bell
|
Buddy Rich Quintet (voc) Dave Lambert Singers
|
Birdland
WABC ABC NY 7 Nov 1958 |
