Fenway Park

This photograph (which I took, at age 11) is of the first game of the 1967 World Series, at Boston's very beautiful Fenway Park. It is the only World Series game I've ever attended, and I thought of the game today, as Fenway Park's 100th anniversary was observed.

Currently Reading...

Am currently reading/browsing through (and enjoying) the recently published book, Network Radio Ratings, 1932-1953, by Jim Ramsburg.

The book, published by McFarland, is subtitled, A History of Prime Time Programs Through the Ratings of Nielsen, Crossley and Hooper.

http://www.amazon.com/Network-Radio-Ratings-1932-1953-Programs/dp/0786445580/

http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/

http://www.jimramsburg.com/

"Great Day for the Irish," 1952

The following is an excerpt of the song "It's a Great Day for the Irish," as sung on Your Hit Parade, NBC-TV, on March 15, 1952. 

My mother is the song's featured vocalist; she is joined by The Hit Paraders, the television show's choral group. The show's "Lucky Strike Orchestra" is led by Raymond Scott.

http://www.luckystrikepapers.com/images/Great_Day_For_The_Irish,_NBC-TV,_1952.wav

"Hold On Girl," The Monkees

After the death of Davy Jones, I was looking up Monkees songs, online, and found a song that I had loved, when it came out: “Hold On Girl.” I don’t believe I had thought of the song for decades.

“Hold On Girl” features Davy Jones’s lead vocal, and appeared on the album More of the Monkees, which was released at the start of 1967.  As with many Monkees songs, I think that "Hold On Girl" (which you can hear below) has held up well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px83F7XOhqk

Davy Jones (1945-2012)

The Monkees released a great many wonderful pop songs, in the 1960s.

Here are three of my favorites, via YouTube, and each features Davy Jones as lead singer.  The first is “When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)" (written by Carole Bayer Sager and Neil Sedaka); the second is “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” (written by Neil Diamond); the third is “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” (also written by Neil Diamond).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umt_7jXfFfA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ccw2t0FnVk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaxwBSyiya8

Sheet Music, "Your Hit Parade," 1951

To the left is the first page of a vocal score, for a 1951 telecast of Your Hit Parade, on NBC. The score was for the song "The Loveliest Night of the Year"; my mother and singer Russell Arms, about whom I wrote in the previous post, performed the song, along with the show's choral group, the Hit Paraders. 

Later, in the 1952-1953 TV season, Arms became one of the show's primary stars. He passed away last week.

Russell Arms

Singer and actor Russell Arms, I was sorry to learn, died this past Monday, at his home in Illinois. He was 92, and is survived by his wife, Mary Lynne. Mr. Arms is best known for his work on TV’s Your Hit Parade. He was one of the show’s primary stars from 1952 to 1957.

I had a very enjoyable conversation with Mr. Arms, in 1981; at the time, he was living in the Los Angeles area. He was extremely gracious, in welcoming me into his home, and lengthy excerpts of the interview appear in my book about early television.

Here is an obituary, from The Los Angeles Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-passings-20120216,0,3171070.story

Here, too, is the amazon link to Mr. Arms's 2005 memoir, My Hit Parade...and a Few Misses.  The book was published by BearManor Media.

http://www.amazon.com/My-Hit-Parade-Few-Misses/dp/1593930240/

Above: the cover of a TV magazine from 1956. The cover features (left to right) Hit Parade singers Snooky Lanson, Dorothy Collins, Mr. Arms, and Gisele MacKenzie.