If you celebrate it, Happy Valentine's Day. I've been romantically unattached for quite some time now. But I do love Valentine's Day because, the next day, a lot of the Valentine candy in the nearest drug store is marked down to half price. For today, let's have some music and dancing. Shall we? First up is a cut from an album I grew up hearing. Mom and Dad had it in our record collection. It's from an album of Lena Horne recorded live at the Waldorf Astoria. It was recorded in the 1950s when Lena had moved on from MGM and was performing on Broadway and in nightclubs. Here she is singing "I Love to Love."
Lena performed with her acclaimed MGM music conductor/arranger husband, Lennie Hayton.
I love a Gershwin tune. How about you? Fred Astaire sang and danced to a Gershwin tune in the 1957 Paramount musical, FUNNY FACE. He played a top fashion photographer who discovers a bookstore bookworm clerk and helps turn her into a high fashion model. While on a photo shoot, he discovers that she's in love with him. She is played by Audrey Hepburn. Here is "He Loves and She Loves."
That was Audrey's first major Hollywood musical -- and she asked for Fred Astaire to be her co-star.
Singer Peggy Lee got a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for playing the abused and alcoholic 1920s band singer in the 1955 Warner Bros. drama, PETE KELLY'S BLUES. She should have also been nominated for co-writing all the songs in Disney's 1955 animated feature, LADY AND THE TRAMP. Here's my favorite from the score -- "Bella Notte."
Happy Valentine's Day. Love, Bobby.
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