Boom Shot is a 1942 song composed by Glenn Miller and Billy May for the 20th Century Fox movie Orchestra Wives starring George Montgomery and Ann Rutherford.
Billy May is credited as his first wife, Arletta May, because he had signed an exclusive composer's contract with Charlie Barnet that prohibited him from writing anything for Miller under his own name. [1] The song was published by Mutual Music Society in the U.S. and by Chappell and Company in the UK.
Though uncredited on the film soundtrack, "Boom Shot" appears in the movie Orchestra Wives twice, first as a 78 by Gene Morrison and His Orchestra on the Wurlitzer jukebox in the soda shop, then during the outdoor concert scene featuring Harry Morgan and Ann Rutherford dancing. Glenn Miller as Gene Morrison is shown conducting his orchestra on the bandstand. The title comes from the wide-angle, mobile camera shot used to film the scene, known as a boom shot.[ citation needed ] The arrangement is by George Williams. [2]
"Boom Shot" was first released on the 1958 gatefold, double LP released by Twentieth Century Fox entitled Original Film Sound Tracks by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, TCF 100-2, which featured music from both the Orchestra Wives and Sun Valley Serenade movies. "Boom Shot" also appeared on the reissued albums Glenn Miller's Original Film Sound Tracks as Fox-3020, 3021, TFS-3020e, 3021e, in two volumes, which was reissued in 2009 by Hallmark. It is also on the 2000 Jasmine CD Glenn Miller On Film, Remember Glenn: Selections from the Sound Tracks of Sun Valley Serenade and Orchestra Wives, 20th Century, T-904, and the 2008 Acrobat Music CD On the Alamo. The song also appeared on the 1973 two disc set Remember Glenn on 20th Century Records.
In May, 1959, "Boom Shot" was released as a 7" 45 A side single by the British Top Rank label with "You Say the Sweetest Things, Baby" by the Glenn Miller Six as JAR-114. [3] The single was also released as a 78. A 45 disc jockey promotional single was also released in the U.S. on the 20th Fox label in December, 1958 as 45-122. [4]
"Boom Shot" features a trumpet solo by Johnny Best, which is edited out in the film, with Billy May on muted trumpet, Ernie Caceres on alto saxophone, and Glenn Miller on trombone. [5]
Ray McKinley and the New Glenn Miller Orchestra recorded the song as "Boomshot" on the 1959 RCA Victor LP album Dance Anyone?, LPM-2193. The Jack Million Band recorded it on the album In the Mood for Glenn Miller, Vol. 2. The 1959 recording appeared on the 2002 Best of New Glenn Miller Orchestra in 2002 on BMG. The Glenn Miller Orchestra under Musical Director Larry O'Brien released a recording on the album On the Air, (CD, 2002, XM Radio). A new recording by the Glenn Miller Orchestra conducted by Wil Salden appeared on the 2005 album Meets the Giants of Jazz, Swing and Entertainment on Koch/Universal. The 1959 recording featured on Dance Anyone? by Ray McKinley and The Glenn Miller Orchestra was released on CD on Montpellier.
The Jack Million Band performed "Boom Shot" at the 2008 Glenn Miller Festival on June 13, 2008 in the Clarinda High School auditorium in Clarinda, Iowa.
The Glenn Miller Orchestra performed the instrumental at the 2022 Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda, Iowa at the Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum.
"Boom Shot" was on the concert setlist of the Glenn Miller Orchestra during the 2022 tour.
Edward William May Jr. was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music for The Green Hornet (1966), The Mod Squad (1968), Batman, and Naked City (1960). He collaborated on films such as Pennies from Heaven (1981), and orchestrated Cocoon, and Cocoon: The Return, among others.
John Chalmers MacGregor, better known as Chummy MacGregor, a musician and composer, was the pianist in The Glenn Miller Orchestra from 1936 to 1942. He composed the songs "Moon Dreams", "It Must Be Jelly ", "I Sustain the Wings", "Doin' the Jive", "Sold American", "Cutesie Pie" in 1932 with Bing Crosby and Red Standex, and "Slumber Song".
Sun Valley Serenade is a 1941 American musical film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller, Milton Berle, and Lynn Bari. It features the Glenn Miller Orchestra as well as dancing by the Nicholas Brothers. It also features Dorothy Dandridge, performing "Chattanooga Choo Choo", which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1996, and was awarded the first Gold Record for sales of 1.2 million. Studio 20th Century Fox re-released the film in 1946 and in 1954 to tie-in with the biopic The Glenn Miller Story.
Orchestra Wives is a 1942 American musical film by 20th Century Fox starring Ann Rutherford, George Montgomery, and Glenn Miller. Lynn Bari, Carole Landis, and Cesar Romero appear in support.
Ernesto Caceres was an American jazz saxophonist born in Rockport, Texas. He was a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra from 1940 to 1942.
"(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo" is a #1 popular song recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra in 1942. It was written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren and published in 1942. It was featured in the musical film Orchestra Wives and was recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, featuring Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton and The Modernaires, who released it as an A side 78 in 1942, 27934-A. The B side was "At Last".
Between 1938 and 1944, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra released 266 singles on the monaural ten-inch shellac 78 rpm format. Their studio output comprised a variety of musical styles inside of the Swing genre, including ballads, band chants, dance instrumentals, novelty tracks, songs adapted from motion pictures, and, as the Second World War approached, patriotic music.
"Sunrise Serenade" is a jazz song written by Frankie Carle with lyrics by Jack Lawrence. It was first recorded in 1939 by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra with Carle on piano as Decca 2321. It soon became Carle's signature piece. Glenn Miller released a famous recording of it a few months later, arranged by Bill Finnegan, with "Moonlight Serenade" on the backside.
"A String of Pearls" is a 1941 song recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra on RCA Bluebird that November, becoming a #1 hit. It was composed by Jerry Gray with lyrics by Eddie DeLange. The song is a big band and jazz standard.
Solo Hop is a 1935 instrumental composed by Glenn Miller and released as a Columbia 78 single. The recording was part of Glenn Miller's earliest sessions as a leader recording under his own name.
Dese Dem Dose is a 1935 instrumental composed by Glenn Miller and recorded by The Dorsey Brothers orchestra.
"I'm Headin' For California" is a 1944 song composed by Glenn Miller and Arthur Malvin and performed for radio broadcast. The song was released in 1946 as a 78 single by the Glenn Miller Orchestra led by Tex Beneke. The song was Glenn's last composition.
"When Icky Morgan Plays the Organ" is a 1935 big band and jazz song written by Glenn Miller. The song was released as a 78 single by Clark Randall and his Orchestra on Brunswick.
"I Dreamt I Dwelt in Harlem" is a 1941 jazz and pop song recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. The song was released as a 78 single on RCA Bluebird by Glenn Miller.
"I Know Why " is a 1941 song by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. The song appeared in the 20th Century Fox movie Sun Valley Serenade. The song was also released as an RCA Bluebird 78 single.
"Harlem Chapel Chimes" is a 1935 jazz instrumental composed by Glenn Miller. The song was released as an A-side 78 single by the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra.
Glenn Miller is a compilation album of phonograph records released posthumously by bandleader Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. Released in 1945 on RCA Victor as a part of the Victor Musical Smart Set series, described on the front cover as "An Album of Outstanding Arrangements on Victor Records", the set was number one for a total of 16 weeks on the newly created Billboard album charts. The album, also known under the title Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, was certified Gold in July 1968 by the RIAA.
The Glenn Miller Story is a 1954 soundtrack album released on Decca Records with songs from The Glenn Miller Story, the film biography of Glenn Miller, starring James Stewart and June Allyson. The collection had eight songs from the film recorded under the direction of Joseph Gershenson.
Pure Gold is a 1975 compilation album of 10 studio recordings by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra recorded between 1939 and 1942 by RCA Victor. The recordings were all originally issued as 78 RPM records on the RCA Bluebird and Victor labels and was certified Gold by the RIAA. The album was originally issued on LP and compact disc in reprocessed (fake) stereo sound; in 1988, RCA remastered the album in original monophonic sound for its second CD reissue. The album was also reissued on LP that year under a new catalog number (7648-1-R) and inexplicably omits two tracks, both of which appear on the reissued CD.