What play was this song written for in 1926?
Hint: Oscar Hammerstein II penned the lyrics to music composed by Jerome Kern long before Oscar Hammerstein II collaborated with Richard Rodgers.
What play was this song written for in 1937?
Hint: Lorenz Hart penned these lyrics to music composed by Richard Rodgers.
Song of the South
Does anyone expect Disney to Release it again??
It’s probably been destroyed.
Wife’s guess “Showboat” for “Old Man River”.
2 Likes
Branchkin - your wife is right again!
Kern, Gershwin, Rodgers, Porter, Arlen, Carmichael, Berlin, et al. 3 decades of creating American music that still rocks better than anything being made today. (BTW, I think Kern wrote some stuff that was much better than Old Man River)
Bonus question: What artist recorded one of the first popular rendition backed by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra and Chorus?
Bing Crosby’s version of Ol’ man River
What Broadway Musical gave us this popular song
Actually, the version I was referring to was by Paul Robeson in 1928, but you’re correct, Crosby did a version in 1927.
- “Ol’ Man River” was first performed live by Jules Bledsoe in the original stage production of Show Boat on December 27, 1927. The first hit recording was a surprisingly jazzy, uptempo arrangement by The Paul Whiteman Orchestra with a young Bing Crosby as the featured vocalist. It gave the new crooner his first #1 record.
From the link:
- African-American actor/singer Paul Robeson had created a sensation on the stage in 1925 with his performance in Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones. Kern and Hammerstein wrote “Ol’ Man River” with Robeson in mind but he was committed to other projects and unable to participate in the Broadway production of Show Boat.
However on March 1, 1928, Robeson recorded the song backed by band leader Paul Whiteman’s orchestra and a 15-member chorus. Sung in his distinctive baritone, many consider it to be the definitive version of the song. Others consider the most famous rendition to be Robeson’s version in James Whale’s classic 1936 film version of Show Boat."
I’ll beat WM to it, yes good old Paul and I were comrades in the same Commie cell. We did duets, I was more of a baritone. 
1 Like
Hint: The song was written by Leslie Briscusse (music) and Anthony Newley (lyrics), who introduced this song in their Broadway play.
Something about some noisy greasepaint and an untidy crowd.
Never a real hit, but often covered by some great singers…
I think Kaye Ballard sang it on Broadway,
I have a great, semi-jazzy, piano arrangement of this tune that I manage to slaughter halfway passably.
The Golden Apple
The Answer is “Stop the World I Want to Get Off”
Not a classic, but I’ll bet everybody knows this movie
National Lampoon’s Vacation
Here’s an easy one from?
all you need is a dancing gopher.