Mary Rodgers was an American composer, screenwriter, and author who wrote the novel Freaky Friday, which served as the basis of a 1976 film starring Jodie Foster, for which she wrote the screenplay, as well as three other versions. Her best-known musicals were Once Upon a Mattress and The Mad Show, and she contributed songs to Marlo Thomas' successful children's album Free to Be... You and Me.
"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" is a folk tale from the One Thousand and One Nights. It was added to the collection in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland, who heard it from Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab. As one of the most familiar of the Arabian Nights tales, it has been widely retold and performed in many media, especially for children, for whom the more violent aspects of the story are often suppressed.
Chu Chin Chow is a musical comedy written, produced and directed by Oscar Asche, with music by Frederic Norton, based on the story of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves. The piece premièred at His Majesty's Theatre in London on 3 August 1916 and ran for five years and a total of 2,238 performances, an astonishing record that stood for nearly forty years until Salad Days. The show's first American production in New York, with additional lyrics by Arthur Anderson, played for 208 performances in 1917–1918, starring Tyrone Power. It subsequently had successful seasons elsewhere in America and Australia, including in 1919, 1920, 1921 and 1922.
"High Hopes" is a popular song first popularized by Frank Sinatra, with music written by James Van Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn. It was introduced by Sinatra and child actor Eddie Hodges in the 1959 film A Hole in the Head, was nominated for a Grammy, and won an Oscar for Best Original Song at the 32nd Academy Awards.
"It's Been a Long, Long Time" is a big band-era song that was a hit at the end of World War II, with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Sammy Cahn.
"Getting to Know You" is a show tune from the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I. It was first sung by Gertrude Lawrence in the original Broadway production and later by Marni Nixon who dubbed for Deborah Kerr in the 1956 film adaptation. In the show, Anna, a British schoolteacher who has been hired as a governess, sings the song as she strikes up a warm and affectionate relationship with the children and the wives of the King of Siam.
Some Fine Old Chestnuts was Bing Crosby's second studio album for Decca Records, recorded and released as a 10" LP in 1954.
"(Love Is) The Tender Trap" is a popular song composed by Jimmy Van Heusen, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn.
Fancy Meeting You Here is a 1958 RCA Victor studio album of duets by the American singers Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, arranged by Billy May, who also conducted the orchestra. The album was originally issued in both mono and stereo, catalog numbers LPM/LSP 1854. The concept behind Fancy Meeting You Here was a combination of romance and travel, with songwriters Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen contributing introductory and concluding versions of "Love Won't Let You Get Away" as well as a new tune called "Fancy Meeting You Here," and Cahn writing special lyrics to standards like "How About You?" and "I Can't Get Started" that reflected the late 1950s and the personalities of the two stars. Billy May conducted, and contributed his usual bouncy and lively arrangements. All of that served as a setting for the always enjoyable interaction between Crosby and Clooney.
Today is the 29th studio album by Perry Como. It was his final album for RCA Records and of his 55-year music career. This is also the penultimate recording ever made by Perry Como, the last being for a Christmas television special in 1994. This album is also significant in that it was the first and only album of Como's career to be released contemporaneously in both vinyl LP format and compact disc.
"Mountain Greenery" is a popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the musical The Garrick Gaieties (1926). It was first performed on stage by Sterling Holloway.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a folk tale about Ali Baba, a character from Arabian literature.
High Tor is a soundtrack album featuring Bing Crosby, Julie Andrews and Everett Sloane. It was primarily taken from the soundtrack of the Ford Star Jubilee TV film aired on March 10, 1956 by CBS. A musical adaptation of Maxwell Anderson’s play of the same name, the soundtrack album was released in 1956 by Decca Records, and the album was later issued on CD by Stage Door Records in 2017.
Say One for Me is a soundtrack album issued by Columbia Records from the film of the same name. See Say One for Me for the film. The film starred Bing Crosby, Debbie Reynolds, Robert Wagner and Ray Walston. Lionel Newman conducted the musical backing for the film and he was nominated for an Oscar for "Best Scoring of a Musical Picture" but was unsuccessful. All the songs were written by Jimmy Van Heusen (music) and Sammy Cahn (lyrics). The version of "The Secret of Christmas" included on the album was not the one from the actual film. The soundtrack version had Robert Wagner and Debbie Reynolds joining Bing for a few lines. Instead, Bing recorded the song again on March 25, 1959 with Frank De Vol and his Orchestra.
101 Gang Songs is an LP recorded in December 1960 by Bing Crosby for his own company, Project Records and distributed by Warner Bros. and the RCA Victor Record Club in 1961 with lyric sheets to help the listener join in with the singing. Spread over two records, the album consists of twenty-four medleys of 101 old songs in a sing-along format. Bing Crosby sings on most of the tracks. Those that aren't are marked with an asterisk. The chorus and orchestra accompaniment, arranged and conducted by Jack Halloran, was pre-recorded with Crosby over-dubbing his vocals.
Anything Goes is a soundtrack album issued by Decca Records from the film of the same name. The film starred Bing Crosby, Donald O'Connor, Jeanmaire, and Mitzi Gaynor. Joseph J. Lilley was the musical director with special orchestral arrangements by Van Cleave. All the songs were written by Cole Porter with the exception of three additional songs from Jimmy Van Heusen (music) and Sammy Cahn (lyrics) which have been annotated in the listing below. The soundtrack recording took place between April and June 1955. Three songs were recorded in February 1956 with Joseph J. Lilley and his Orchestra for inclusion in the album to replace the original soundtrack versions.
The Road to Hong Kong is a soundtrack album issued by Liberty Records from the film of the same name. The film starred Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Joan Collins and Robert Morley with cameos from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Dorothy Lamour, Peter Sellers and David Niven. Robert Farnon conducted the music for the film. All the songs were written by Jimmy Van Heusen (music) and Sammy Cahn (lyrics). Robert Farnon wrote four orchestral pieces for the soundtrack and these are annotated in the listing.
A Christmas Story – An Axe, An Apple and a Buckskin Jacket is a LP album by Bing Crosby made for children by Golden Records in 1957. The Arthur Norman Choir and Orchestra provide support. The album has been reissued by various record companies sometimes with different titles such as "How Lovely Is Christmas" and even as a cardboard record by Bing Crosby Phonocards Inc. This took the form of a 7" cardboard disc at 33 1/3 revs which was issued as a publicity item for Goodyear Tyres and was issued free at Goodyear Service Stations.
Never Be Afraid is a LP album by Bing Crosby made for children by Golden Records in 1957. It is a musical adaptation of The Emperor's New Clothes, the fairy story with a moral by Hans Christian Andersen. The music was by Lew Spence and the lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Keith.
Jack B. Nimble – A Mother Goose Fantasy is an LP album by Bing Crosby made for children by Golden Records in 1957. It was a story of a small boy in search of his name. The music was by Dean Fuller and the lyrics and book by Marshall Barer.
