“Pinocchio” by Cliff Edwards 1949

[melvind]

From the Little Nipper series a 1949 45 RPM record set and booklet narrated by Cliff Edwards (Ukulele Ike) as Jiminy Cricket. Be a kid again and enjoy the 70 year old recording that really sounds great. The recording contains several familiar songs and a cute story for kids of all ages.

“Pinocchio” by Cliff Edwards 1949

(Double-click the video above or click this link to watch the video on YouTube in HD.)

https://youtu.be/k4V-2Olz5MU

[phonosandradios]

That's a great recording. He has a very distinctive voice for sure. Although I knew the voice well I had never seen his picture but I recently found this from a short called "Starlit days at the lido" from 1935 which was filmed in technicolor around the pool area of the Ambassador Hotel in L.A.

Watch the girl with the cigarette carefully - even slowing the video down and having it on full screen its still not possible to see exactly how she does the slight of hand. She obviously has them hidden behind her hand but you can't see her take them out!

(Double-click the video above or click this link to watch the video on YouTube in high quality.)

[melvind]

A fun video and a really well restored print of it. She is pretty great at magic tricks, but I like his song the best. Thanks for posting this. I've not seen it before.

Here he is in The Hollywood Review of 1929 singing Singin' in the Rain decades before Gene Kelly.

(Double-click the video above or click this link to watch the video on YouTube in HD.)

https://youtu.be/jJUNkSql2bc

[Wolfe]

Nice sound again. Especially from 45 rpm's of that era.

Are you aware / do you use the extra downloadable vintage record EQ curves that are available for Audacity ?

[melvind]

Nice sound again. Especially from 45 rpm's of that era.

Are you aware / do you use the extra downloadable vintage record EQ curves that are available for Audacity ?

Often I do use them. I find that the American 78, Columbia 78, and European 78 curves work quite nicely. And, I nearly always add bass boost. Sometime treble boost as well.

[woonettophone]

RCA issued a far more glamorous 78rpm set of the "Pinocchio" soundtrack in the early '40s -- RCA Victor P10 -- dubbed from the original optical track which was unusual at that time. It had a die-cut cover page, which wasn't much cheaper then than it is now and a level of art-direction that was superior to anything I can think of from its era. Hard to know who the target market was for such a fancy release. It was by no means a kiddie set. Cliff Edwards had a long recording career from the mid-'20s to the mid-'60s. He suffered from a serious drinking problem, and was pretty much a mess in his last years, yet the Disney organization stuck by him. There are a couple of LPs on the Disney label with their in-house Dixieland group that are just wonderful. I'm old enough to remember his appearances on "The Mickey Mouse Club."