Search - Various Artists :: The Helen Morgan Story

Gogi Grant in sublime tribute to Helen Morgan

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 10/04/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"THE HELEN MORGAN STORY (released by Warner Brothers in 1957) was a fantastic, albeit somewhat sentimentalized retelling of the legendary torch-singer, best-remembered for originating the role of Julie LaVerne in the landmark Ziegfeld production of "Show Boat".



For the film's all-important soundtrack, producers realised that Ann Blyth's dulcet, operatic voice would not be suitable for the gritty material on hand, so they brought in popular singing star Gogi Grant to become the voice of Morgan in the film.



Grant does an admirable job, and on this splendid reissue of the soundtrack album (RCA-Spain 74321720822) she tugs at the emotions with "Why Was I Born?", the perfect first number and one that best sums up Morgan's life. Naturally, the prime SHOW BOAT numbers "Bill" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" are also included, they are so closely tied to the Morgan mystique.



I saw this CD in a bookshop and immediately snapped it up. Well worth tracking down."

A Wonderful Recording Of A Good Movie.

Betty Burks | Knoxville, TN | 10/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As I was growing up, this was my favorite sountrack of all my collection, and I played it every day. Who cared about The Wayward Wind when you could hear her sing my kind of music. One soldier who found me at Martin College said that was his favorite song, however. Later, I brought my youngest son Justin to visit his granddad, and we went to sit in the balcony of the Tennessee Theatre to see a live version of "Showboat." When some of the songs were performed by locals, I said, "I thought that was from the Helen Morgan Story" and was looked at funny. The locals not here in the Fifties would not have known that. Oh well. I still have this album in its original version, much better than the film version of "Showboat," with Kathryn Grayson (a Tennessean) and Howard Keel."