The Andrews Sisters - The V Discs (1943-49)

Among the many records which I heard as a kid; and I mean like 3 and 4 years old; one of my favorites was “Rum and Coca-Cola” by the Andrews Sisters. This was another of the piles of 78 RPM’s which my mother had. They covered everything from opera to society bands. I think the tight harmonies of the Andrews Sisters drew me in because I had not heard anything like them on the other recordings; things like Frankie Laine’s “Lucky Old Sun”, or Theresa Brewer’s barrel house “The Nickelodeon Song”. These were some of the first records I ever heard, and I still listen to them today.

 

This collection of songs by the Andrews Sisters was released as “V” discs during the Second World War. The V stood for Victory and the recordings were made for free by the artists involved. The record companies even distributed the finished products to the various USO canteens and Armed Forces broadcasting stations throughout Europe and the Pacific from about 1943 through 1949.

Squeezing in time to make the recordings proved to be a problem in scheduling.  As a result many of the selections here were recorded in the wee hours after the clubs had closed and the performers were free to record.

“V” kits were shipped with about 20 recordings and 100 needles for the phonographs. Another thing to come out of the V disc program was the development of the vinyl record. Due to the high volume of breakage with the 78 RPM’s it was decided that another medium was needed.

Vinyl was in scarce supply; being used for life rafts and other war related items. But a Canadian laboratory had developed a composite they called Formvar. It had all the properties of the vinyl recordings which would replace the 78’s within the next decade, and it also had a superior sound.

On this disc the Andrews Sisters perform many of their greatest hits in a medley after doing some wonderful versions of 15 standards such as; “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby”; “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”; “Lullaby of Broadway”; “Don’t Blame Me”; and a couple of western numbers like “Down in the Valley” and “Down in the Valley” for the guys from Texas.

Great little collection of songs from one of the best moral boosters we had during the Second World War. Only compliant is that they did not do “'Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen”. It was dropped from their act right after Pearl Harbor as being too German; much in the same way that sauerkraut became “Liberty cabbage” in World War One.

"It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" with Everyone (1963)

This is one of those movies from when I was 8 years old that has lingered on the edge of my consciousness for years. It was written by William and Tania Rose, and directed by Stanley Kramer. The movie is a bit longer than I’d remembered, and of course it’s dated. There are a couple of scenes where I was expecting someone to pull out a cell phone, but then I regained my senses.

Briefly, the plot of the movie is simple. Several cars, traveling a winding road along the coast in Southern California, witness a car speeding. The car, driven by Jimmy Durante, goes over the cliff, ejecting Mr. Durante as it does. The drivers of the other cars,  played by the likes of Mickey Rooney, Ethel Merman, Sid Caesar, and Carl Reiner scramble down the cliff to render whatever assistance they can to the mortally injured Durante.

Just as he is drawing his last breath he relates the existence of $350,000 dollars (actually he says “G’s”) which are buried under the big “W” just South of San Diego in Mexico. After he dies two men arrive on the scene to investigate the accident. The inference is that they are the police. The two men seem overly concerned about what information the dying man passed on to the witnesses. For reasons of their own, the witnesses all deny knowing anything. They then seem anxious to resume their individual journeys, each going their own way.

But, before too long, it becomes apparent that they are all on a separate quest to recover the 350,000 “G’s” buried under the “big W”. Alliances form, and are broken, as each vie to be the first to win the race which they believe will make them rich.

Surprises abound in this comedy classic, which features almost everyone in Hollywood.  Spencer Tracy, Ethel Merman, Phil Silvers, the Three Stooges, Jack Benny, Don Knotts, Edward Everett Horton, William Demarest, Andy Devine, and even Eddie “Rochester” Andersen all make appearances in this wild tribute to the mad cap comedies of the 1930’s. If you have never seen this film, it is worth the time simply to see all of these legends on the screen together. Even Jerry Lewis makes an uncredited appearance as a cab driver in this delightful farce.  

The drumming for all of the music in this film is by Earl Palmer, the steady beat behind; and sometimes around; almost everything you have ever listened to. Mr. Palmer was a studio drummer for the likes of everyone you can imagine, such as  The Monkees, Fats Domino, Neil Young,  Frank Sinatra, and too many others to mention here. His career as a professional drummer lasted over 6 decades.  This review is for him, and by the way, Eddie Ray says "hello." I'll be reading up about, and have more to write about  this incredibly talented musician in the weeks to come.