Oscar's Favorite Tunes Revisited: The 1930s
1934: “The Continental” (Con Conrad, Herb Magidson) from The Gay Divorcee. The first song to win an Oscar accompanied the long, extravagant production number near the end of the film.
1935: “Lullaby of Broadway” (Harry Warren, Al Dubin) from Gold Diggers of 1935. This version is sung by Doris Day who had a hit with it in the early 1950s.
1936: “The Way You Look Tonight” (Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields) from Swing Time. One of my absolute favorites from this era, I first heard Tony Bennett’s heartfelt rendition of it. This is Fred Astaire performing the song at the piano in a clip from the movie.
1937: “Sweet Leilani” (Harry Owens) from Waikiki Wedding. Almost a theme song for Hawaii, this clip shows Bing Crosby performing in the movie.
1938: “Thanks For the Memory” (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) from The Big Broadcast of 1938. A sweetly nostalgic and creative tune, charmingly delivered by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross in a classic scene from the film.
1939: “Over the Rainbow” (Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg) from The Wizard of Oz. Well, what can you say? One of the most famous songs ever written. This is the clip from the movie where Judy Garland sings it.
Published by Stefan Hedmark 2009-05-21 09:45
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