Category: Music

The Dream Girl

Like Henry Mancini’s Peter Gunn soundtrack I posted earlier, The Dream Girl by Ray Anthony and his orchestra is also from 1958, but it’s available only in mono.

"In every man's mind there exists a wonderful creature of fantasy - the Dream Girl. She is young and exciting. She is warm and gentle."

The “dream girl” label has fallen out of favor, along with beauty pageants, but if I were to nominate someone as my ideal fantasy dream girl, it would be Allene Roberts.

As a kid I first knew of Allene from her appearances in episodes of the old TV series The Adventures of Superman. She was so pretty, sweet and nice. Of course, I had no idea she was actually as old as my mother!

Allene’s first and best movie is The Red House, with Edward G. Robinson, whose physician and friend happened to be my father’s uncle, Dr. Lawrence Pratt.

From that still, and this brief scene with Lon McCallister and Allene, it’s obvious that cinematographer Bert Glennon had experience in silent movies.

A dream girl to melt the heart of any boy, even one who is gay, as Lon was. Although there could be no real-life romance between them, Allene and Lon became lifelong friends.

An amazing discovery is this newspaper clipping, about Allene winning the contest that led to her start in Hollywood. Note the Rondo Hatton byline.

If you don’t know Rondo’s name, you may know his face. Allene was a beauty, but journalist turned movie monster Hatton was no beast.

Everything there is to know about Emma Allene Roberts is at this link.

Gunn, Peter Gunn

I’m busy at my office desk, doing non-blog stuff. On the Pioneer PL-112D turntable that’s connected to the computer is a cool reissue LP of the Peter Gunn soundtrack by Henry Mancini, with Johnny Williams on piano. It was recorded in 1958, the year stereo records were introduced.

I bought the record new for something like $2.99, probably 40 years ago. Excellent pressing and sound. Some nice person put the soundtrack on YouTube, with an extra 13th track.

"Reissue produced by Ethel Gabriel/All music arranged by Mr. Mancini/From the Sound Track of the NBC-TV Series, "Peter Gunn"/Original album produced by Simon Rady/Recorded in Hollywood, August 26 and 31, and September 4 and 29, 1958"

Lively Dead Phish

Reliving something I was doing 50 years ago, I’ve been listening to The Grateful Dead’s live album, Europe ’72. In high school I bought the 3-LP set on the recommendation of my friend Tom, who was a student at the Groton School.

Tom was really into the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane. He’s now a Harvard-educated attorney who advises world leaders and is certified to present cases before the World Court at the Hauge, Netherlands. I should have listened to more Dead and Airplane!

After listening to Europe ’72 for a couple of years, needing some fast cash in college I sold it along with some other records. Feeling nostalgic, as I often am, I bought the 50th anniversary 2-CD set. If I’d waited a couple of weeks, it would have cost ten bucks less, but such is the way of Amazon.

That’s my long introduction to this new Phish video. The band is currently on tour, keeping the spirit of the Dead alive.

I’ve never seen confirmation the band’s name is a contraction of Phil Lesh’s name, but that’s always been my assumption. Thanks to my pal Scott Murawski, of the legendary New England band Max Creek, I’ve met Phish bassist Mike Gordon. I didn’t ask him about the name, because another assumption of mine is that anybody who knows anything should know the answer.

A collection of Max Creek live shows, going waaaaay back, is on the Internet Archive.

https://archive.org/details/MaxCreek

Supermat

Freddie may be dead…

… but Superfly lives on, with a felt turntable mat!

The mat was created by Steve Stanley, founder of the Now Sounds reissue label.

Steve designed the deluxe Superfly 50th anniversary expanded soundtrack LP reissue for ROG/Rhino Records. When I posted the picture of my Thorens with the mat on Facebook, Steve told me, “An honor to make that for the reissue!” It’s a super idea, and I think every LP reissue from now on should include a custom mat. Steve’s Now Sounds show is heard Mondays on Luxuriamusic.