Search - Lucille Ball :: Best Foot Forward (1943 Movie Soundtrack) (Rhino Handmade)

THREE CHEERS FOR WINSOCKI!!!

Pamela Fuschetto | Hackensack, NJ | 08/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A great recording of a great movie. Unfortunately, one of the only recordings with the outstanding voice of Tommy Dix available today. Fortunately, the recording includes "I Know You By Heart" sung by Dix but not included in the film as well as "Three Men On A Date" with Kenny Bowers, Jack Jordon and Dix. Great collection of the 40's wartime swing era. Harry James and his Music Makers, June Allyson, Nancy Walker and Gloria DeHaven wonderfully showcased. But the rousing "Buckle Down Winsocki, Buckle Down" performed by the amazing baritone voice of 18-year-old Tommy Dix brings down the house as he did on Broadway, (opening in October, 1941 at the Ethel Barrymore Theater) at the age of 16. In October 1941 he recorded "Winsocki" with Benny Goodman's Orchestra. The record soared to the top of the Hit Parade Charts. Truly an outstanding performance by an amazing young talent. Definitely a must for your collection.

"

A Rousing Listen With Bonuses

ljs | Baltimore, MD USA | 08/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're familiar with and love the movie, this album is a little disconcerting at first. Apparently, when Rhino issues a soundtrack album, they don't actually use the soundtrack of the film. Instead, they seem to be able to isolate the music, and they give you all of it, including all the outtakes. And just to make sure it's a quality product, it seems they remaster it all, so it's clear as they can get it. The results are wonderful to hear, especially with this rouser of a score.



Things that you hear only as underscoring or background when you watch the movie are heard here on their own, with the dialogue track removed. Thus you get the full big band treatment of "I Know You By Heart," followed by a sung version featuring Tommy Dix. You get to hear all of "My First Promise," and a full orchestral version and the opening verse of "Ev'ry Time." You get an overture which starts with a marvelous fanfare that you only hear in more truncated form in the course of the picture. And the outtakes! It seems they did film almost the entire Broadway score before the Hollywood hack job that cut out big pieces. Here we have both orchestral and sung versions of "Shady Lady Bird" and "I Know You By Heart," (a lovely song by the way, and one I'd never heard before), and a jump version of "What Do You Think I Am." The only thing that that seems to be missing is "Just A Little Joint With A Jukebox." And to top it all off, there is the marvellous (if bloody) "Buckle Down Winsocki," probably the most rousing and tuneful school fight song ever to come from Broadway.



I also have to concur with the other reviewer on Tommy Dix's voice. It was a booming baritone and just teriffic. I think the reason he didn't become a bigger star was his physical presence and speaking voice. If you saw him on screen, he was short and something of a wet blanket. Part of that may have been the role, because that's what it called for, but a lot of it may just have been the way Dix was. In any case, seeing him on film it was pretty amazing hearing this powerful voice coming from such a pipsqueak of a guy.



Finally, as if all the extras weren't enough, there are four songs from an Abbot and Costello movie. I'm not sure what the connection with Best Foot Forward is, but they're good songs. Excellent 1940s period music and very enjoyable. All in all, hats off to Rhino on this one."