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ON THE RECORD: Rosemary Clooney, Dinah Shore and Julie Wilson
By Steven Suskin
02 May 2004
JULIE WILSON IN LONDON with Friends [Sepia 1029]
It had not been my intention to review yet another of these British compilations of early 1950s musical so soon, having discussed other such CDs recently. But "Julie Wilson in London" demonstrates a point.
The London cast recording of Kiss Me, Kate, in which the Omaha-born Wilson made a splash at the Coliseum in 1951, is the ostensible feature of this disc. And it's a fairly good set, although it doesn't quite supplant the Broadway album of Cole Porter's 1948 musical. Bill Johnson isn't Alfred Drake, perhaps, but he does very well as Fred/Petruchio. (Let it be added, at the outset, that Sepia's release — which doesn't have the masters to work with — are considerably lower fidelity than the state-of-the-art 1998 Sony reremastering of the show.) Patricia Morison reprises her role as Lili/Kate, and she seems even more fiery than on the Broadway set. Wilson is very good indeed as Lois/Bianca, getting every ounce of oomph from the two big numbers Porter provided, "Why Can't You Behave?" and "Always True to You in My Fashion."
The Kiss Me, Kate selections number ten, as opposed to eighteen on the Broadway album; the Bill Calhoun of Walter Long is missing entirely. But despite the relative brevity, and the low fidelity, the Sepia release gives us another chance to hear the show with its original, strong orchestrations. These are attributed to Russell Bennett, although Don Walker did six of the major numbers (including "Another Op'nin'" and "Where Is the Life That Late I Led?"), and it appears that Hans Spialek lent a hand as well.
The Sepia CD also includes a four-sided, 11-song pop medley from Guys and Dolls, with Wilson singing the Adelaide songs. These are arranged and conducted by Wally Stott and don't especially add to our appreciation of Guys and Dolls.
But "Julie Wilson in London" also includes the original cast recording of something called Bet Your Life. This was a West End entry about a jockey — bet your life, get it — that had a ten-month run back in 1952. Arthur Askey starred, with music by Kenneth Leslie-Smith and Charles Zwar and lyrics by Alan Melville. This is not the sort of show that American listeners might automatically grab off the record rack; I never heard of it, certainly, and the credits do not make it sound all that promising. But here it is, and it is a delightful surprise.
Wilson is the reason that this cast album has been rescued, and she is suitably sassy. The songs are not all that distinguished, mind you, but they are great fun. "Eat Drink and Be Merry," from Askey and Wilson, is rambunctious, even if the lyrics are slightly askew. ("Live" is rhymed with "Aviv," as in Tel Aviv.) "I Love Being in Love" is a sprightly waltz with the feeling of The Pajama Game's "I'm Not at All in Love." "Now Is the Moment," a wedding-night song, appears to be a terribly earnest ballad until rescued by a snappy countermelody. "All on Account of a Guy" is in the "Take Him" vein, with a considerable lift provided by Ms. Wilson and the young Sally Ann Howes. (Howes's other track from the Bet Your Life cast recording, "I Love Him As He Is," was included on Sepia's Wish You Were Here/Paint Your Wagon CD and is thus omitted here.) Wilson also has what I imagine was a show-stopper, the not-so-subtly titled "I Want a Great Big Hunk of Male."
I never saw the show, needless to say, and I don't ever expect to; but the score seems to be more or less in the same vein as The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. Good-natured entertainment, fun performances, clever lyrics (for the most part). The slightly different take on Kiss Me, Kate makes "Julie Wilson in London" worth listening, but the Bet Your Life tracks are the ones that I've been replaying again and again.
—Steven Suskin, author of the "Broadway Yearbook" series, "Show Tunes," and the "Opening Night on Broadway" books. He can be reached by e-mail at Ssuskin@aol.com.
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