Search - Gus Levene, Joseph J. Lilley, Van Cleave :: Red Garters / Irving Berlin's White Christmas

Welcome reissue of 2 long out-of-print albums

Mark Andrew Lawrence | Toronto | 09/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These were originally 10" Lps issued in the mid 1950s and out-of-print ever since the 10" format was abandonned. Since most copies of the records are in less-than-mint condition, the chance to hear these without scratches is a plus. Still the sound is not as sharp and bright as it could be.



RED GARTERS - an experimental film (it is now out on DVD) with a pleasant score by Livingston & Evans. Four of the eight tracks are taken from the soundtrack of the Paramount film, while the remaining tracks are studio recordings. Rosemary comes off best here with the torchy "Bad News" and the plaintive "Good Intentions." Her duet with Guy Mitchell, "Man and Woman" is a fun piece of sexist 50s kitch.



WHITE CHRISTMAS - Decca did the official "soundtrack" album of this 1954 film but Clooney was under contract to Columbia and not allowed to appear. (Decca used Peggy Lee instead.) Rosemary recorded this 8-track selection for Columbia. None of these tracks are taken from the film soundtrack. Collectors will need both this CD and the (now out-of-print) Japanese issue of the Decca release to assemble their own "original cast" recording of the film. The best tracks here are "Love You Didn't Do Right By Me" given a definitive performance, and the delightful "Sisters" featuring Rosemary and her sister Betty.



The original LP covers and liner notes are re-produced."

Rosie sings her two greatest movie musicals

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 01/05/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Rosemary Clooney found her two greatest film roles in WHITE CHRISTMAS and RED GARTERS. Both were lavish Technicolor productions from Paramount, where Clooney was under contract at the time.



WHITE CHRISTMAS, based on the earlier "Holiday Inn", is still rightly regarded as one of the greatest Christmas films of all time. It would be a very sad holiday indeed if this film wasn't trundled out for it's regular airing. In the film, Clooney starred alongside Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen, and the story revolved around a pair of ex-GI's who try to help their former commander when his Vermont ski-lodge is threatened with closure. Enter Clooney and Vera-Ellen as a cute sister-act, who soon cause romantic fireworks with the leading men!



With it's unforgettable Irving Berlin score, WHITE CHRISTMAS offered Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney a very solid tunestack to work their magic. Clooney dazzles with the bluesy eleven o'clock number "Love You Didn't Do Right by Me"; and she shares the spotlight with her real-life sister Betty (who dubbed for Vera-Ellen in the film) as they perform the cute "Sisters" duet.



At this time, Clooney was under exclusive contract to Columbia, and thus could not particpate in the "original cast soundtrack" album, which was to be done by Decca. Peggy Lee replaced her on the soundtrack, and Columbia prepared it's own "White Christmas" album featuring Clooney doing all the numbers, and it's this album that has been reissued here.



RED GARTERS was one of the better musicals that showcased Clooney with all her shades and talents in evidence. In the film, she plays Calaveras Kate (perhaps a sly dig at "Calamity Jane"), the resident entertainer at the Red Dog Saloon. The film centers on a handsome cowboy (played by Guy Mitchell) on a mission to avenge his brother's death, until Kate decides to use him in a ploy to get her long-standing fiancee (Jack Carson) down the aisle!



Under contract to the Columbia label, Guy Mitchell had been paired with Clooney on a number of cover singles (including an entire series from the Broadway musical "Call Me Madam") and their chemistry played to good effect with their performances in RED GARTERS, where they get a fun duet entitled "Man and Woman". Clooney dazzles with the smokey ballad "Bad News". Co-star Joanne Gilbert also has a ball with a frisky eleven o'clocker, "This is Greater Than I Thought".



Thankyou Collectables, for reissuing these classic albums with Rosie at the height of her Hollywood years.



[Collectables COL-CD 6685 / Sony Special Markets A-50963]"

Love, You Did Right By Me- When You Released This CD

Bruce K. Hanson | Petersburg, VA | 12/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, here is another CD that I have long been waiting to see. When I was a kid living in Michigan my parents took me to see a re-release of White Christmas at the local movie theater in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Naturally I loved the film, its music, and best of all, Rosemary Clooney. A few years later, now living in NYC, my grandmother took us to a record shop on 7th Avenue looking for a rock record for my brother. It was a collectors' shop and I noticed a 10 inch copy of songs from White Christmas as sung by Clooney. I begged for the record but my grandmother said no. Finally, as a teenager in the seventies, I went back to that shop and, believe it or not, the record was still there. I bought it for $40!!!! That was a great deal of money then.

Although I prefer most of the arrangemnts in the film version it is Clooney's voice that still provides the definitive sound to most of these songs. "Snow", "Sisters" (with sister Betty), "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing" and "Count Your Blessings" all are here and are treated beautifuly with that warm Clooney sound. And then there is "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me", a corny torch song that somehow transcends to a higher level thanks to Clooney's subtle acting. That really sums up her performance in the film as well. Of all of the actors, hers is a performance of infectuous warmth that is totally natural. Too bad this was to be her last major motion picture.

Red Garters is fun but no great film but again it is best served by Clooney. I was hoping for a little better sound on this CD but maybe Steve Hoffman will someday get a crack at at the sound. Last year I went to see a stage version White Christmas in San Francisco and during intermission hundreds of audience members were asking the ushers selling film memorabilia in the lobby if the soundtrack was available. No, not the old Decca /MCA studio recording with Peggy Lee and the others but the actual tracks from the film. Maybe Paramount could come up with something from a pristine print. Meamwhile, here is Rosemary Clooney at the top of her form singing songs that so many of us love to hear during Christmas season."