Screenland (Feb-Oct 1949)

Doug Fairbanks, Jr., with wife and daughters at Buckingham Palace, after receiving insignia of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire from the King. Doris Day — What audio frequency impulses emanate from this darling's larynx! She's like my Buiek convertible on "It's A Great Feeling," from her freshest strip of 35mm celluloid and there'll be more singers using this as an opening number — watch and hear! Dodo is too much! Flip oozes with more mellow hoarseness flavored with une accent Francaise, "At The Cafe Rendezvous"— also fi-om the pix. And don't miss her "Where Are You" and "Blame My Absent-Minded Heart." Sparkle Plenty can be ma petite chou anytime! (Columbia) Duke Ellington— Back in 1946, Duke knocked off the score of a musical called "Beggar's Holiday" whence cometh this infectious "Take Love Easy" with Dolores Parker spilling what she learned as a beginner — a junior executive sinner. Back is bluesy stuff — again with a chorus by Dolores (that rhymes) . Top face is the best, though, with Duke's piano and Johnny Hodges' horn comin' across nicely. (Columbia) Tony Pastor — No one does novelties like the Pastor guy — especially on "Yes, Yes In Your Eyes" — and if this song hits, this is the cookie that'll do it. Band chirps behind Tony boy in rhythm that'll get you with'm. Backside is "Baby Talk" — all about T.P. liking nothing better than hearing his baby talk baby talk to him. Had enough? (Columbia) Tommy Dorsey — Here's the kid who put down bop so much on a mild bop kick himself — "Pussy Willow" — a most fetching etching in the great Dorsey tradition of "Opus 1," "Old Black Joe," "Swannee River," etc. Arranged by Hill Finnegan it's as catchy as eating peanuts and this may be the answer to whither bop? Waffles like this — easily assimilated and dug! Flip is polite bounce but more than just an ounce! Tis "Dream Of You," once cut by the old Lunceford band, with a vocal here by Jack Duffy and oh. so squidgy! (Victor) 52 Jerry Wayne — Wow! How this kid milks everything out of anything he breathes! Like "Room Full Of Roses" and "I'll Keep The Lovelight Burning" on Columbia. Then he puts his arm around delicious Julie Wilson on the lower priced Columbia label, Harmony, to purr "I Love You," and "Let's Take An OldFashioned Walk." There's lots of great stuff on Harmony, incidentally, and only 49c too. PEARL BAILEY and HOT LIPS PAGE on absolutely the best cookie of "Baby It's You-KnowWhatWhere" — bulging with humor and spontaniety: BENNY GOODMAN's "If I Had You" and "Limehouse Blues" — by the sextet — and "Bewitched" with Helen Forrest yellin' and "Blues In The Nite" avec Peggy Lee. Bunch of others, too. And Victor'W be putting stuff out on Bluebird again as will Decca on Brunswick and Coral, all subsidiary labels and all for less loot. Wow! Billy Eckstine — The kid with the throatful of savage sweetness, hottest item in the 48, shows why in this one of "I Love You" from "Miss Liberty," and "Goodbye," Benny Goodman's closing theme with words. Yeah once B's vibrato gets under you — you're cooked along with millions of others. A plate of ecstacv! (MGM) ALSO EARWORTHY! SARAH VAUGHAN'S "Tonight I Shall Sleep" and "While You Are Gone" — which is why the air is so sweet these days. (Columbia) . . . HAPPY HOLIDAYS with RAY NOBLE AND CO. and CATHY AND ELLIOTT LEWIS, a perfect complement for their "Happy Anniversary"— c harming and sentimental. (Columbia reqular and LP) . . . JOHNNY DESMOND'S delicious decibels on "Fiddle Dee Dee" from "It's A Great Feeling," and "Two Little New Little Blue Little Eyes." You'll be diggin' Desmo on the breakfast club! (MGM) . . . DICK JURGENS' fine dance stuff, "TwentyFour Hours Of Sunshine" and "Who Do You Know In Heaven?" (Columbia) . . . SY OLIVER'S free and easy "When My Sugar Walks Down The Street" — so reminiscent of Sy's wonderful platters with T.D. and Jimmy Lunceford. (Decca) . . . GORDIE MACRAE'S "Two Little New Little Blue Little Eyes" — put any baby to sleep. (Capitol) . . . HARVEY STONE'S "G.I. Lament"— with which he's broken hundreds of ribs in clubs and theatres all over — now embossed on wax permanently. A comedy classic! (MGM) . . . PEE WEE HUNT's "The Charleston," a possible follow-up to "Twelfth Street Rag," heaven forbid! ( Capitol) . . . FRANKIE CARLE'S "Love Is A Beautiful Thing" and "Rue De Romance" — with "Love" another possible "Cruising Down The Crowlbine;" again — heaven forbid! (Columbia) . . . DOROTHY CARLESS' "All Year Round"— a sure standard by David Saxon and Sammy Gallop. She's an English chick and flows like the Thames. (Decca) . . . LOUIS JORDAN'S "Beans And Corn Bread," typical tongue twisting leaping novelty by a great personality and showman. (Decca) ... VAUGHN MONROE'S "Someday" — which Dean Martin has used in his act for some time, and one he would have liked to wrap his tonsils around. Victor . . . "Circus," by TONY MARTIN, which is simply one of the most thrilling records of this or any other year! Every singer should be chained to the sound box and made to listen how a lyric should be projected; how, in fact, a song should be sung! Wow! Cyd's biy is just the end! As glorious as those October colors! Superb performance — that's "Circus" by Tony Martin on Victor. Grab it! . . . NAT COLE'S "Who Do You Know In Heaven" — avec vocal group — like whipped cream. (Capitol) . . . GENE KRUPA'S "Swiss Lullaby" with Bill Black, Dolores Hawkins and Roy Eldridge on a wonderful side with Roy heckling Bill and Dolores, then joining the fun with some rousing horn. Like the old things with Anita O'Day. (Columbia) . . . KAY STARR'S zestful chestful of "I Wish I Had A Wishbone" and "Yes, Yes In Your Eyes." (Capitol) . . . BETTY HUTTON'S brace from "Red, Hot And Blue": "Where Are You" and "I Wake Up Every Morning." (Capitol) . . . SAMMY DAVIS' vocal imitations of everyone from Vaughn to Mel on "Can't You See I've Got The Blues" — and without a clothespin either. ( Capitol) . . . JOE GRAYDON— a new voice on a light, gay, frothy Alec Wilder, "In The Spring Of The Year," when the bunnies are nunnier and the bees are honeyer. (Coral) ... IN THE LONGHAIR DEPT.— Mozart's "Symphony No. 25 In D Major" — the "Haffner" Symphony has FRITZ REINER lifting the PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY to new and beautiful heights! ( Columbia regular — Set MM-8S6 and LP-ML U56) . . . Anil the same kid's "Concerto In B Flat For Bassoon And Orch."— with TOSCANINNI AND THE NBC gang, is light and joyous showing the tongue in cheek buffoonery of the bassoon, which Leonard Sharrow blows well. (Victor DM 1304) ■ ■ ■ "The Four Intermezzi Album" with DMITRI MITROPOULOS conducting