DYING WITH YOUR BOOTS ON---so to speak. Was watching the PBS production of “Magic Moments from the 1950s”, the 2005 live TV production of performances by hit makers from the 1950s , e.g., The Four Aces, McGuire Sisters, Andy Williams, Roger Williams (yes, he of that famous “The Falling Leaves” piano rendition one could imagine leaves falling....). One of the performers looked so old (watery eyed, stubble of growth, etc.) but still sang beautifully. He looked like he was pulled out from his nursing home and dolled up to be presentable on stage. His name is Frankie Laine. Made me Google him and came up with brief Wiki write up below. More importantly, I didn’t realize he was the man behind some of the very popular songs I used to hear an uncle sing at the Iligan Plaza (he won first place for it)—“Jezebel”-- or more well-known ones like the theme from “High Noon” (starring Gary Cooper) (see YouTube link below). It turns Frankie Laine was already 92 years old at the time of the PBS show and he died 2 years later. Angela Lansbury, of “Murder She Wrote” fame, has returned to the legitimate stage in London and in the US (all though 2015) at age 90! My long-time idol is George Burns who, at age 99, was still tickling funny bones on stage, the ubiquitous unlit cigar in hand. Whereas I, at age 59, am already complaining of the getting down a staircase LOL. (from Wikipedia) Frankie Laine (March 30, 1913[1] – February 6, 2007), born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio, was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of Thats My Desire in 2005. Often billed as Americas Number One Song Stylist, his other nicknames include Mr. Rhythm, Old Leather Lungs, and Mr. Steel Tonsils. His hits included Thats My Desire, That Lucky Old Sun, Mule Train, Cry of the Wild Goose Jezebel, High Noon, I Believe, Hey Joe!, The Kids Last Fight, Cool Water, Moonlight Gambler, Love Is a Golden Ring, Rawhide, and Lord, You Gave Me a Mountain. He sang well-known theme songs for many movie Western soundtracks, including 3:10 To Yuma, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and Blazing Saddles, although he was not a country & western singer. Laine sang an eclectic variety of song styles and genres, stretching from big band crooning to pop, western-themed songs, gospel, rock, folk,jazz, and blues. He did not sing the soundtrack song for High Noon, which was sung by Tex Ritter, but his own version (with somewhat altered lyrics, omitting the name of the antagonist, Frank Miller) was the one that became a bigger hit, nor did he sing the theme to another show he is commonly associated with—Champion the Wonder Horse (sung by Mike Stewart)—but released his own, subsequently more popular, version. Laines enduring popularity was illustrated in June 2011, when a TV-advertised compilation called Hits reached No. 16 on the British chart. The accomplishment was achieved nearly 60 years after his debut on the UK chart, 64 years after his first major U.S. hit and four years after his death.[2] https://youtube/watch?v=5sLwPziSznU
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 19:17:43 +0000
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