C.D. Review: Doris Day: Hooray for Hollywood Vol II

 Doris Day's Hooray for Hollywood is a two C.D. set with each C.D. released a few months apart.  Vol II was released in January of 1959.  It features Day's clear voice singing show tunes from Broadway and accompanied by the Frank De Vol and his orchestra.  De Vol also arranged the songs.  This includes music from of the the great composers such as Irving Berlin, Ira and George Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers.  She sings from several different musics, many of them old and forgotten and others still remembered.  The most recognized song is "It Might As Well be Spring" from State Fair.  "Three Coins from a Fountain" is also very memorable.  The majority of the musicals are from the 1930s.

It is an enjoyable arrangment of songs, but most obscure to me.  

Movie Review: ***^Funny Face

Funny Face is a very entertaining movie.  It stars Audrey Hepburn as Jo and Fred Astaire as Dick a photographer.  It also has Kay Thompson as Maggie, a fashion magazine editor.  These three characters do very well together.  The editor has her eccentricities with  lipstick, and a grating voice, but by the end of  grows on you.  The model, who really doesn't want to be  a model, but wants to go to Paris to meet her hero of philosopher of empathic thinking.  And the photographer, who is all business, but is able to keep the model going and performing.  Over time, Jo falls in love with Dick.  Dick finally realizes he returns this love when Jo spends too much time with our philosopher friend.  Dick gives upon everything and is headed back to New York.

The music is by George and Ira Gershwin.  However the music is mostly forgetable.  What is not forgetable is the dance, by both Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn.  Also what is fantastic is the modeling by Audrey Hepburn.  She was a model before becoming a movie star

Music Review: Oscar Hammerstein: The Legacy

Oscar Hammerstein was a prolific lyricist, and wrote with many composers.  This included George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and of course Richard Rodgers.  This anthology of music includes all of these composers.  The music is presented from State Fair, Show Boat, Carousel, South Pacific, and Oklahoma.  The different presentations are from the musicals (which I like best) as well as jazz, big band and solo versions of popular artists.  For example, Frank Sinatra singing "Some Enchanted Evening" was nice, but lacked the energy of the song.  However Sinatra's "Ol' Man River" was very nice.  There are also some original artists, including Mary Martin as Juanita Hall singing "Happy Talk" and "Bali Hai" Mary Martin singing "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy." This collection concludes with Judy Garland singing "You'll Never Walk Alone."  This is a showstopper.