[Publius]

THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK

IRVING BERLIN

TOP HAT

In 1933, the RKO film “Flying Down to Rio” featured a role for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as dancers. Up to this point, Fred had been known for being half a brother and sister dancing act on Broadway, and Ginger was known as an actress. Learning to dance with Fred wasn’t easy, and Ginger wore her feet bloody in rehearsal.

Following the success of that film, producer Pandro Berman got in touch with Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin to write for a series of movie musicals that would feature Fred and Ginger as the leads. The composers would be in charge of writing the songs. Incidental music would be written by five in-house composers supervised by Max Steiner, who would later become one of the most prolific movie composers in the business, to include “Gone With the Wind.” The director would be Mark Sandrich, whose son Jay would become a highly successful TV director. Irving would end up writing songs for three of Berman’s musicals.

This was the movie where Irving and Fred became close friends. Fred loved and was highly supportive of Irving’s work, and Irving found it easy to write for him.

This 1935 entry would become the most successful of the Astaire-Rogers films, both in terms of money and critical success. Irving got a 10% share of the net, and the movie was one of his greatest earners.

FRED ASTAIRE: “NO STRINGS”

This musical number from the film comes out of a conversation where Edward Everett Horton urges Fred to marry. He taps his way through the song, disturbing Ginger, who is downstairs trying to sleep. This sets up a “cute meet.”

Fred Astaire: “No Strings”

[left that other site]

I have heard that Irving Berlin liked Fred Astaire because he sang the notes that Berlin wrote without embellishing the melody.

Jazz lovers would probably beg to differ, as vocal improvisation is one the the hallmarks of a great Jazz Vocalist, like Sarah Vaughn or Ella Fitzgerald.

As both a songwriter AND a Singer, I am torn. I like to reinterpret the song, but not “too much”, keeping the original melody intact as much as possible.

I usually keep my improv in the instrumental bridge, often “trading fours” with my lead guitarist, who knows I like to do that, so he tries to stump me by playing weirder and higher licks on the guitar, and I match or enlarge upon them.

Then we get back to the original melody and I sing it straight.

Of course, on my own compositions, I do whatever I darn well please! LOL!

Anyway, I think it was Mom who told me that about Irving Berlin and Fred Astaire. She may have made it up, but who knows?

[ConorMacNessa]

Thanks very much for that one, Maestro - they don't make them like that anymore.

"I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces guarding our country and our way of life.
I am prepared to give my life in their defense."

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Publius...Irving Berlin sure gave us some great music.

Thanks for the continuation of The Great American Songbook. ((HUGS))