Okay, the offices of Elisberg Industries are displaced for the day -- again -- so I wanted to get something posted before the maintenance crew arrives and kicks us out until this evening.
I thought I had posted this before, but I did a search of the site and couldn't find it. (Though the search feature here can be a bit temperamental.) Still, though, even if I did post it previously, I'd do it again here. That's because it's particularly appropriate. It's Frank Sinatra once again singing "High Hopes." But not the version you think. This comes from the 1960 presidential campaign, in the days when he was a big Kennedy supporter, and the song has new lyrics as a campaign song on behalf of JFK. (I have a feeling that the new words are written by the song's original lyricist, Sammy Cahn, who was often writing special material, particularly for Sinatra.) I got this on a '45 record when a kidling, given to me by a friend of my father, Newton Minow. (Yes, the father of the oft-mentioned here Nell.) He had been involved in the Adlai Stevenson campaign, and then worked for Kennedy. As you can probably figure out, he got rewarded with a choice position, as chairman of the FCC. So, here again is Frank Sinatra singing "High Hopes," with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and new lyrics (most likely) by Sammy Cahn, who co-wrote the original song. Just not the version you know or likely have ever heard before.
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The other day, I mentioned how Frank Sinatra recorded a bunch of offbeat, charming movie songs around the era of 1960, one of which was "High Hopes." The song was from the 1959 movie, A Hole in the Head, which he starred in. And he had a pretty big hit with it. And the song, written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, did just fine on its own, winning the Academy Award as Best Song. I was going to play Sinatra's hit recording, but then I found this clip from the movie, and decided to use it instead. Not just because it's from the film, but mainly because of who he sings it with, a little kid named Eddie Hodges. That name might be familiar to some of you, but you just can't place it. Or it means nothing to you. But you likely do know of him, very well. Only a few years early, he co-starred on Broadway in The Music Man as the lisping, shy Winthrop Paroo, the kid who introduced the songs, "Gary, Indiana," and "The Wells Fargo Wagon." Here they are together, from A Hole in the Head. By the way, there's something interesting about the scene. If you pay attention, you'll note that the scene is done almost entirely in one shot. In fact, there's only one cut near the end, and they finish the song that way. I have a feeling that in a perfect world they'd have loved to have done the song in just that one shot (otherwise, why stick with it for almost the full song). But my guess is that, as you'll see, there's something at the very end that probably required cutting early so that they could get the end right without having to re-do the entire song over and over until they got it just right. I also wonder if they got the first part in just one take. I say that because at the :32-second mark, if you listen closely, Eddie Hodges gets the words wrong, and Frank Sinatra sort of gives him a pointed, encouraging look to prod him on. And the kept filming. Now, they may have done more takes and decided they they liked the charm of this version. But however many takes it took to work out, they got it just fine. Well...it turns out that the flooring company that was going to be taking out the carpet and installing the new floor wasn't able to get the material they needed, and so everything got cancelled. The apartment is largely packed up, but everything was put on hold and will have to sit that way for another day, with the workers coming back tomorrow, Friday. Supposedly. Hopefully.
(I'd set up plans and appointments for Thursday, so that I could get to them when I was required to be out of the apartment. So much for making plans...). Okay, so, y'know that whole "From the Management" admonishment that you're on your own all day today, and wander around the Internet on your own? Keep that in your hip pocket, because it will be operative on Friday instead... We're back -- for the time being. Today, the offices of Elisberg Industries are getting some long-overdue repair, while saying goodbye to a longtime carpet. The carpet that has been the foundation of the enterprise for the past 15-20 years is FINALLY getting replaced, proving that there is a God. A new wood-ish type flooring will be installed in its place. Among other things, this will let our company tap dance team have an on-site space to practice, meaning we hopefully will have a chance to qualify this year in the state tournament.
As such, we have been thrown out onto the street for the day. It would be nice if things are finished by the time we return, and we have been given assurances that this will happen. Though the maintenance department also promised that the leaky faucet in the third-floor break room would be fixed, and that was 20 months ago. So, we'll see if we're back online in the evening. In the meantime, might I suggest you check out Nell Minow's Movie Mom website here, for two reasons. One, it's really good, with lots of movie reviews and some other movie-related commentary, and two, we're trying to work out a royalty deal. Or you can read all about the Chicago Cubs Spring Training here. "I love my father and my brother … But I am my own man –- and my views are shaped by my own thinking and own experiences." -- Jeb Bush (R-FL), speaking to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs This is one of those times when you just oh-so wish there was someone in the audience who would have raised his or her hand and asked, "That's just great to hear, Mr. Bush. Could you please explain in what ways they're different?" And perhaps another hand reaching for attention, and the person asking, "I am so comforted to hear that. Would you please tell us in what ways you disagree with how your brother handled the 9/11 attacks and Afghan and Iraq Wars?" Jeb Bush says that his views are shaped by his own experiences. And I actually believe him. The thing is -- his experiences are largely shaped by his father and brother. Not all of them, no. And I, in fact, think far more of him than I did of his older brother. That doesn't mean I think highly of him, just higher of him than George W. But for anyone to think that his life and political career and most-especially his non-existent foreign policy experience is shaped by anything other than his father and brother, you aren't thinking very hard. At that same event of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Jeb Bush released his list for foreign policy advisers. There were 21 of them. Impressive. And of those 21...19 have connections with either his father, his brother or both. Only two people out of the 21 on Jeb Bush's list had no direct connection to either George H.W. Bush or George Bush -- Lincoln Diaz-Balart and George Schultz. And Mr. Schultz had been Secretary of State under Ronald Reagan...when George H.W. Bush was Vice President. So, in other words, there's just one person on Jeb Bush's list who has no close connection with his father or brother. The Washington Post put together a Venn diagram to show the overlap of connections. To be fair, in any political party there's likely going to be an overlap of policy experts from one administration to the next. But that hardly means that the connections are going to be nearly unanimous. But the thing is, that's not the point.
The point is -- it's understandable that there are so many overlaps. But Jeb Bush just got up in front of everyone and proclaimed to the world...that there aren't. That he's his own man. That his views are shaped by experiences different from both his father and his brother. And some are. And as he just showed the world -- a whole lot aren't. And in fact, in the one area where he almost no experience, his views are shaped almost entirely by those of his father and his brother. So, Jeb Bush has to make up his mind, which way is it? Are his views shaped by his own experiences, like he says -- or shaped by the experiences of his father and brother, as he shows. And if his views are different, most especially in foreign affairs, I would just dearly love to hear how? Oh, what the heck, I guess I'm just not ready to pass it by yet. I mentioned that Frank Sinatra had recorded "Pass Me By," by Carolyn Leigh and Cy Coleman, so I figured I might as well post his version, too. Actually, it's not only pretty fun, but worth posting since, oddly, he has a new verse of lyrics not in the film's opening credits or in Peggy Lee's hit. I have to assume that they were written by Carolyn Leigh, but don't know if they were written for the original film version and just never used (which would make sense, but why then wouldn't Peggy Lee use them), or if Sinatra asked her to write additional words. They're fairly elaborate and fun. It's so wistful today to think that a song like this could become a pop hit, and that a Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra would record it. But that was the era of such things. After all, let's not forget that he had a hit with another chipper and whimsical movie song, "High Hopes." which was only about five years earlier. (Yes, I know that Sinatra had starred in Hole in the Head, the movie in which he introduced "High Hopes," and the song won the Oscar. But that doesn't mean it had to be it a hit standalone recording. But such were the times.) Worth noting about this Frank Sinatra recording of "Pass Me By" that's so lively is that screen of the video notes it was arranged by Billy May. He had a very successful career arranging, but most notable for these pages is that he did all the joyous arrangements on the classic album, Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America. |
AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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