I just heard a Frank Sinatra cover of "Thanks for the Memory." It was horrid. Below is a YouTube of the very first version of it, sung by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross from the movie, The Big Broadcast of 1938. Despite the weakness of the voices, I think it's one of the most beautiful songs of all time. In this part of the story, Bob meets his ex-wife, Shirley, in a bar on board on a cruise ship.
Enjoy.
4 comments:
Sinatra's early work with the big bands, some of his fifties stuff with Nelson Riddle, I still like a lot, but otherwise he can be so dreadfully dreary you wonder if he wasn't just tired and bored with the whole business and was just taking the piss, daring you to notice just how bad it was. Like Mark Twain said, Give a man a reputation of an early riser and he can sleep until noon.
It is a beautiful song, you're absolutely right.
Wonderful. I hadn't seen this scene before. Old Bob was an under appreciated entertainer. It was a privilege to grow up with his work.
This was Bob's first movie and, ironically, W C Fields' last. Bob was the ultimate performer. In all of his decades of work, the only show he ever missed was the night Bing Crosby died. I've read his book, "Don't Shoot, I'ts Only Me" where he talks about performing for the troops. He was close enough to the combat zone to be under fire many times. The stories in their tell of a very selfless man. I think his work holds up very well, too.
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