The Umbrella Man (song)

Last updated

"The Umbrella Man" (often popularly referred to as Any Umbrellas?) is a British song written by James Cavanaugh, Larry Stock and Vincent Rose. It was first published in 1924[ citation needed ] and first performed live by the comedy double act Flanagan and Allen in 1939 [1] in the musical revue These Foolish Things . [2] It became one of their standards along with “Hometown” and “Underneath the Arches”. It is used in Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective (1986) and the TV adaptation of John le Carré's A Perfect Spy (1987).

Contents

Popular recordings in the United States in 1939 were made by Kay Kyser & His Orchestra (vocals by Ginny Simms & Harry Babbitt) and by the Johnny Messner Music Box Band (vocal by The Three Jacks). [3]

Chart information

Billboard magazine, issue dated January 28, 1939: Sheet-Music Leaders chart for week ending January 21, 1939: Umbrella Man charted at number 1. [4]

Other recordings

Related Research Articles

The popular song "Moon Over Miami" was written in 1935 by songwriters Joe Burke and Edgar Leslie. The music was used in the 1941 film Moon Over Miami being played during the opening credits and also played as dance music at both parties.

"If (They Made Me a King)" is a popular song with music written by Tolchard Evans and the lyrics written by Robert Hargreaves and Stanley J. Damerell. The song was written in 1934, but the most popular versions were recorded in 1950–1951. Perry Como's version, recorded November 28, 1950, was a number-one hit on the Billboard charts for eight weeks. The Como version was released under the following labels and catalog numbers:

"Come What May" is a popular song, written by Vaughn Horton in 1951. It was popularized by Patti Page in 1952.

"Isle of Capri" is a popular song. The music, a tango foxtrot, was written by Wilhelm Grosz, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and was published in 1934. Ray Noble and his Orchestra with vocalist Al Bowlly, recorded it in London, UK, on August 30, 1934. It was released in November on Victor Records in the United States, reaching number one for seven weeks in early 1935.

"Painting the Clouds with Sunshine" is a popular song published in 1929. The music was written by Joe Burke and the lyrics by Al Dubin for the 1929 musical film Gold Diggers of Broadway when it was sung by Nick Lucas. Gold Diggers of Broadway is a partially lost film, and the scene featuring the song is one of the only surviving scenes of the movie.

"Imagination" is a popular song with music written by Jimmy Van Heusen and the lyrics by Johnny Burke. The song was first published in 1940. The two best-selling versions were recorded by the orchestras of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey in 1940.

"Seems Like Old Times" is a popular song, with music and lyrics by Carmen Lombardo and John Jacob Loeb. The tune was derived from a 1939 song, "It Seems Like Old Times" with music and lyrics by Sam H. Stept and Charles Tobias, recorded by Freddy Martin, Ruby Newman and others.

"I Had the Craziest Dream" is a popular song which was published in 1942. The music was written by Harry Warren, the lyrics by Mack Gordon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somebody Loves Me</span> 1924 song by George Gershwin

"Somebody Loves Me" is a popular song, with music written by George Gershwin, and lyrics by Ballard MacDonald and Buddy DeSylva. The song was published in 1924 and featured in George White's Scandals of 1924.

"South of the Border Down Mexico Way" is a popular song describing a trip to Mexico, written by Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr and published in 1939 for the film of the same name starring country star Gene Autry.

"Serenade of the Bells" is a popular song written by Kay Twomey, Al Goodhart, and Al Urbano and published in 1947.

"The Lamp Is Low" is a popular song from the 1930s. The music was written by composers Peter DeRose and Bert Shefter, adapted from Pavane pour une infante défunte, a composition by Maurice Ravel. The lyrics were written by Mitchell Parish.

"As Long as I Live" is a song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Ted Koehler, it was written for their last show at the Cotton Club Parade, in 1934. It was introduced by Avon Long and Lena Horne.

"Flamingo" (1940) is a popular song and jazz standard written by Ted Grouya with lyrics by Edmund Anderson and first recorded by singer Herb Jeffries and the Duke Ellington Orchestra on December 28, 1940, for Victor Records. This briefly reached the Billboard charts in 1941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runnin' Wild (1922 song)</span> 1922 single by Original Memphis Five

"Runnin' Wild" is a popular song first composed and recorded in 1922, written by Arthur Harrington Gibbs with lyrics by Joe Grey and Leo Wood.

"Tomorrow Night" is a 1939 song written by Sam Coslow and Will Grosz. A version by Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights was very popular in 1939.

Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)" is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Gus Kahn. It was introduced in 1929 by Ruby Keeler (as Dixie Dugan) in Florenz Ziegfeld's musical Show Girl. The stage performances were accompanied by the Duke Ellington Orchestra. On the show's opening night in Boston on June 25, 1929, Keeler's husband and popular singer Al Jolson suddenly stood up from his seat in the third row and sang a chorus of the song, much to the surprise of the audience and Gershwin himself. Jolson recorded the song a few days later on July 6, 1929, and his rendition rose to number nine on the charts of the day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can't Escape from You (Bing Crosby song)</span> 1936 song by Bing Crosby & The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra

"I Can't Escape from You" is a song written music by Richard A. Whiting and lyrics by Leo Robin for the 1936 Paramount Film "Rhythm on the Range", and first introduced in the film when Bing Crosby sang it to Frances Farmer. Crosby recorded it for Decca Records that same year with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and it was in the hit parade for 11 weeks reaching a peak position of No. 7. Crosby recorded the song again in 1954 for his album Bing: A Musical Autobiography.

"Our Love Affair" is a song recorded by Frank Sinatra with the Tommy Dorsey Band in 1940. which reached No. 5 in the Billboard charts. Its music is by Roger Edens and lyrics are by Arthur Freed. It was written for the M-G-M musical Strike Up the Band (1940), starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.

"Just as Though You Were Here" is a song written by John Benson Brooks (music) and Eddie DeLange (lyrics). The first recording was made by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra on May 18, 1942 with vocals by Frank Sinatra and The Pied Pipers. It reached the Billboard charts in July 1942, peaking at No. 6 during a ten-week stay. Sinatra recorded the song again on September 24, 1974 for Reprise.

References

  1. Chambers p. 279
  2. "Flanagan and Allen : The Umbrella Man". 45worlds.com. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p.  600. ISBN   0-89820-083-0.
  4. "Billboard" (PDF). 1939-01-28. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  5. "Ambrose : The Umbrella Man". 45worlds.com. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  6. "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  7. "Gracie Fields And Tommy Fields : The Umbrella Man". 45worlds.com. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  8. "DECCA (USA) 78rpm numerical listing discography: 2000 - 2500". 78discography.com. Retrieved 14 March 2022.

Bibliography