By Steven Suskin
27 Oct 2008

HANS BRINKER or THE SILVER SKATES [Sepia 1121]
Having brought us CD versions of Hugh Martin's 1951 Broadway musical Make a Wish and his 1952 West End hit Love from Judy, Sepia has now favored us with Martin's television musical "Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates." This was a Hallmark Hall of Fame special, starring the 27-year-old Tab Hunter as the 15-year-old skater from Zuyder Zee. The program aired on Feb. 9, 1958, and was apparently a big hit for Hallmark. Hunter sings perfectly well, if he is perhaps overgrown for the role. Also on hand are pop singer Peggy King and world class skater Dick Button, who as an 18-year-old won the Gold Medal for figure skating in the 1948 Olympics (and remains the youngest person ever to do so). Czech soprano Jarmila Novotna, longtime favorite at the Met, plays Tab's mother and sings one lullaby. Directing was Sidney Lumet, within a year of his breakthrough with "Twelve Angry Men."

Martin's score has all the spirit and sweep of his songs for the 1944 Judy Garland-starrer "Meet Me in St. Louis"; the seven songs do not have the soaring melodies of that film, though, which has relegated them to the lost song folder. (Sepia fills out the CD with 20 vocals by either Hunter or King, including Tab's No. 1 1957 hit "Young Love.")

Even so, the brief score is highly recommended for Martin fans. "Ice" is bright and lively; "My Own True Love," which is more accurately titled "Clop Clop Clop" — that's the sound of wooden shoes on the streets of Amsterdam — has a nice beat to it, as well as a pert, tricky mid-section; and "Hello Springtime" is one of those Martin tunes that's likely to spread a smile on your face. Best of all, perhaps, is the tender "I Happen to Love You," which just misses the distinction of its first cousin "The Boy Next Door." Musical values are top notch, with vocal arrangements by Martin's long-time assistant Buster Davis, dance arrangements by John Morris, and orchestrations from the estimable Irv Kostal (just after West Side Story and prior to Fiorello!).

The many fans of Hugh Martin — who is alive and well and 94, living outside San Diego — have even more reason to cheer this month, as "The Songs of Hugh Martin" has just been published. This folio is packed with information on all his shows, interesting and rarely seen photos, and three-dozen songs. The old favorites — "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Ev'ry Time," "Pass That Peace Pipe" — are joined by quite a few stunningly good songs you might not know, with a handful of charmers appearing in print for the first time.