Original air date - 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!

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcRwvVg68FM[/embed] 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 12:04 - 2:00pm (+11 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 - 5:55pm National Program 5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 - 3:30am 3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 - 4am 4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 - 4am 2SEA Eden Monday 3 - 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 - 4pm 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 - 4pm 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 - 7pm 7MID Oatlands Tuesday 8 - 9pm 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 - 11am 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 - 1pm 5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 - 2pm 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 - 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 - 6am 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Sunday 5 - 6am 3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 - 6pm
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