Screenland (Jul-Dec 1948)

gossamer as Xmas pudding! (Capitol) . . . Marion Hutton on a deuce of cute novelties, "Borscht" and "He Sez She Sez" — pixieish stuff. (MGM) . . . Helen Forrest's "What Did I Do?" from "When My Baby Smiles At Me," and "I Love You Too Much." (MGM) HOT!!! Billy Butter field: "Stardust," "What's New," Billy's theme, "Jalousie" and "Wild Oats," wherein Mr. B. really sows 'em and gets the barnacles off your superstructure! Can't get enough of that horn. ( Capitol) Sy Oliver: 'Tis a fine gang Sy has and the brilliant arranger-composer works 'em out on one of his own keen and peachy chattels, "Scotty," which '11 make you blow your gasket, so solid is its performance and beat. (MGM) Hot Lips Page: "La Danse," a jumpin' sumpin' loaded with stiff riffs and Page horn, and "Walkin' In A Daze," typical of the stuff that smothered him with fame. Hot Lips, who did so many fine things with "Forever" Artie Shaw, breaks out on the Columbia Label, Mabel. Dizzy Gillespie: Poppin' your top on bop yet? Well, come get a large load of "Manteca," Dizzy's freshest great AfroCuban rhythmic stuff with a beautiful theme in the middle and the bongo bubblin' all the way through. Dangerous stuff, kid. It'll drive you mad with the beat. John Burks Gillespie is divine as ever on trumpet. Back has a scorching portion of vocal bop 'tween Diz and Kenny Hagood — il s'appelle, "Cool Breeze" and comes on like a nor'easter! (Victor) Freddy Slack: "Beat-Me-Daddy " Slack is under the tree to flail you with a mess of boogie woogie, a whole albumful devoted, of course, strictly to the downstairs or southpaw hand. There's "Beverly Boogie," "Chopstick Boogie," "Is I Gotta Practice, Ma?" "The Brown Danube," "Boogie Minor," and "Boogie In G." This is b.w. of every woof and warp and will keep vou all through '49, Adeline! (Capitol CC 83) Also fine: Big Sid Catlett's gang on "Just You, Just Me" and "Henderson Romp," spotting Al Casey, guitar; Illinois Jacquet and Bumps Myers, tenors; Horace Henderson, piano. (Capitol) . . . Thelonious Monk's freshest effusion "In Walked Bud" and "E.pistrophy," (look it uj> in your new dictionary) . Fine Bop from "High Priest Of Pop." (Blue Note) . . . Stan Kenton's "Bongo Riff," with with a laugh as a rubberneck visitor from the country, followed by a bewildering succession of acts featuring film actors, cleverly interspersed with exciting performances by professional circus stars. the bongo giving you bubbles in your blood! (Capitol) FROM THE MAN IN GREY Ann Ginsberg, Providence, R. I.: Gene . Williams formed his orchestra when the Claude Thornhill band broke up for the Summer. He has no lace trimmed ball and chain so you've still got a chance . . . Gene Gorman, New York City: Thanx for the compliment on the Windsor knot in the pix with John Garfield in Screenland. If you follow the diagram carefully you'll dig it and you can make the knot as large or small as you want . . . Bernard Kolash, Newark, N. J.; Gordon MacRae's from East Orange, N. J. right near you, and has been breathing 27 years. He started as a page boy at NBC. was heard singing by Horace Heidt and was offered a job in his vocal group. From then on — wow! He was on the Air Force and is flickering in "The Big Punch," soon with June Haver in "Silver Lining" . . . Benita Marshak, Chicago. 111., and Joyce Hoffman, Gettysburg. Pa.: Pictures of most bandleaders are available at any jump dump . . P. M. Christensen, Oakland, Calif.: Ingrid Bergman has no record of the song she sang in "Arch Of Triumph" . . . Dolores Hennesy, Baltimore, Md.: Buddy Clark's program comes from California . . . Rosalie Madonia, Springfield, 111.: Bobby Breen's been making theatre appearances all over the country. Don't think he's making any records now . . . Arlene Amnion, Union, N. J., and Helen Santagata. Accord, N. Y.: Vic Damone's album is called "A Young Man Sings." He's not attached either, he's 20, and his fresh Christmas waffle, "Christmas Morn," is a beaut. He drives a Cadillac . . . Corky Becker, Milwaukee, Wis.: Desi Arnaz has about a dozen middle names, one of which is Alberto — can't remember the rest. There are no little Arnazes . . . Barbara Bacon, Rochester, N. Y.: You'll be seeing your boy Tony Martin if you watch for "Casbah." His newest etchings are "If I Had You," "Music From Beyond The Moon," "It's Magic" and "It's You Or No One" . . . Ruth Donschein, New Rochelle, N. Y.: Fran Warren's on her own now — sings like a dove and should go far. Her real handle's Frances Wolfe. ^ And what's your pleasure, treasure? Talk to^ me — float me that pasteboard and we'll try and relieve your agony 'bout music, cookies and stuff. Listen for our new syndicated record show, "Robbins' Nest." Happy Chime Time! Address letters to Fred Robbins, Screenland Magazine, 37 West 57th Street, New York 19, N. Y. Until announced on the speaker, few of the fans were able to recognize the elaborately made-up clowns ivho were Gregory Peck. Cornel Wilde, Van Johnson, Frank Sinatra and Keenan Wynn. One pageant I recall, particularly, for its beauty and imagination, was a Santa Claus parade with Margaret O'Brien as the little girl writing to dear Santa, who was, of course, Edmund Gtvenn. Then, like a dream come true, all of the storybook characters came to life. Gary Cooper, as Robinson Crusoe, had Buster Keaton as his Man Friday. Following him, were June Havoc and Audrey Totter as Twin Princesses, Elizabeth Taylor as Snow White, Claudette Colbert as The Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe, Ray Milland, Robert Stack, Gene Raymond as the Magic Huntsmen, Bing Crosby as Humpty-Dumpty, Ann Miller as the Dancing Doll, Betty Grable as Giselle, William Powell as Punchinello, Ann Blyth as Mr. Peabody's Mermaid and Harpo Marx as — Harpo Marx! This spectacle alone lasted for twenty minutes and introduced every "name" you could think of. AT ANOTHER point in the gala presentation, a fanfare of trumpets announced a safari of elephants, led again by Margaret O'Brien, this time as a Persian princess in a miniature howdah on the back of a baby elephant. In the parade of pachyderms were" Celeste Holm, perilously perched on the trunk of one huge animal, Greer Garson riding high, wide and regally, followed by such other "Oriental" beauties as Esther Williams, Ann Miller, Eleanor Powell and Diana Lynn. Of course, Sabu was in the procession, dressed like a Maharajah, along with the new Tarzan, Lex Barker, Maureen O'Sullivan as Mrs. Tarzan, Robert Cummings as a big game hunter and then, for a tag gag, who else on the last elephant but Nature Boy himself! A parade of crinolined Southern belles revealed Irene Dunne, Loretta Young, Ava Gardner, Lucille Ball, Jeanette MacDonald, Rhonda Fleming, Dorothy Lamour and Arlene Dahl with escorts Alan Ladd, Glenn Ford, Peter Lawford, Barry Fitzgerald and so many more that it would take a complete issue of Screenland to name them all. Glimpses I shan't forget for some time are those of Claudette Colbert and Barbara Stanwyck, both excellent horsewomen, racing neck and neck around the ring on spirited mounts, Walter Pidgeon hanging by his knees from a swinging trapeze and Burt Lancaster giving an amazing performance on the handbars. Incidentally, Lancaster provided one of the funniest bits of the whole evening by staging a wrestling match with Gorgeous George, the professional wrestler. A circus midget was the referee and Bob Hope, elegant in striped morning trousers and Ascot tie, was Lancaster's "second," Hope brought the extension phone to Lancaster when he was on the mat trapped by a headlock, and later, when Burt pretended to be enraged at Bob, Hope retaliated by hitting the stalwart Lancaster with a five-foot powder puff. The whole match broke up with the various participants all waltzing off together to the strains of "The Blue Danube,"— Lancaster with George, and Hope dancing with the midget. Cobina Wright's Gossip Of Hollywood Parties Continued from page .'32 62 Screenland