Two Forgotten Friday Favorites: The Glenn Miller Orchestra

Friday, September 17, 2010
Because I'm still high on Glenn Miller, today's Two Forgotten Friday Favorites is an easy one. Both of these clips come from a 1941 movie called Sun Valley Serenade, starring the Norwegian Olympic gold medalist figure skater Sonja Henie, along with John Payne, Lynn Bari, Milton Berle, and of course, Glenn Miller and his orchestra. I haven't seen the film yet - it's now available on amazon in VHS format - but from the clips on YouTube it looks like delightful, clean fun. Also one of my readers, stay-at-home-dad, recommended it to me and I trust his judgement :) Taking place at a winter/ski resort in Sun Valley, Idaho, it looks like a good one to save for Christmastime, and features several Glenn Miller songs. 

First, In the Mood - a song with one of the most recognizable openings in music history. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I learned that there are actually lyrics that accompany this tune - as sung by The Puppini Sisters on their album Betcha Bottom Dollar:

Who's the lovin' daddy with the sparkling eyes? 
What a pair o' lips, I'd like to try them for size. 
I'll just tell him, baby, won't you swing it with me
Hope he tells me maybe, what a wing it will be
So, I said politely, darlin', may I intrude
He said, don't keep me waitin'
When I'm in the mood

Totally makes me want to get up and dance:


Chattanooga Choo Choo was the first gold record ever awarded to anybody - for topping sales of over 1.2 million copies. How cool is a song that actually sounds like a real train huffing and puffing down the track? I'm a little disappointed to discover that it actually never referred to any particular train, although there is a theme hotel you can stay at called the Chattanooga Choo Choo that features a train as a hotel - with each car (room) decorated Victorian style.

I love this sequence from the movie because of Milton Berle, who cracks me up, Tex Beneke's pants hiked way up to practically his neck (ahhh, 1940s fashion), and because of the segueway into an adorable Dorothy Dandrige singing/dance performance with The Nicholas Brothers. Love it!


I hope you all have a good weekend. Darrin from Dads Dish and I are planning another mirror/cross post, so look for that soon!

2 comments:

  1. I love the lady knitting during "Chattanooga Choo Choo".

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  2. I love the Chattanooga Choo Choo clip. I got to watch in a class. It's probably time to see the movie now.

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