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I just bought the Edison electric DD with Vaughn DeLeath singing "Here Comes the Showboat". I always thought that this was from the 1927 musical by Kern and Hammerstein called Showboat. But this 1927 hit was composed by black composer Maceo Pinkard, more famous for his Sweet Georgia Brown, with words by Billy Rose. There are so many recordings of this song in 1927 that it must have been a hit. Was it ever used in the musical Show Boat? I think it was used in the 1929 movie version of Show Boat. The big question is did Pinkard and Rose write it to piggy-back on the success of the Kern/Hammerstein musical, or was it written before that? I guess that is a tough research question. My guess is that it was written as a response to the musical's popularity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cw3CVV8A6U

marcapra wrote:I just bought the Edison electric DD with Vaughn DeLeath singing "Here Comes the Showboat". I always thought that this was from the 1927 musical by Kern and Hammerstein called Showboat. But this 1927 hit was composed by black composer Maceo Pinkard, more famous for his Sweet Georgia Brown, with words by Billy Rose. There are so many recordings of this song in 1927 that it must have been a hit. Was it ever used in the musical Show Boat? I think it was used in the 1929 movie version of Show Boat. The big question is did Pinkard and Rose write it to piggy-back on the success of the Kern/Hammerstein musical, or was it written before that? I guess that is a tough research question. My guess is that it was written as a response to the musical's popularity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cw3CVV8A6U

I am certain it was not used in any versions of the stage musical. It might have been used in the score to the 1929 version, (I do not have a copy handy to check), but that was officially a film based on the novel - the score does not have any music from the musical in it. From what I recall the score uses mostly old songs and pieces like the "Down South" cakewalk.

+1 on estott's answer. 'Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man Of Mine' is my favorite from 'The Show Boat'.

What estott said. Credits on the record label (Billy Rose & Maceo Pinkard) bear no resemblance to Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote music and book, respectively, for the original Showboat musical (1927).

I am certain it was not used in any versions of the stage musical. It might have been used in the score to the 1929 version, (I do not have a copy handy to check), but that was officially a film based on the novel - the score does not have any music from the musical in it. From what I recall the score uses mostly old songs and pieces like the "Down South" cakewalk.

Wow, I didn't realize that the 1929 movie was not based on the Kern/Hammerstein musical, but on the Edna Ferber novel from 1926. The movie was made as a silent and as a partial talkie. The movie, according to one source cited below, does have Pinkard's "Here comes the Showboat" in it. It also uses old folk songs by Stephen Foster, and more modern songs like "The Lonesome Road", which is used as its theme song instead of "Old Man River" at the ending. Apparently, some of the Kern/Hammerstein music did make it into the film, including Laura LaPlante lip-sinking "Old Man River" as well as some Kern themes in the overture. The studio got worried thinking movie goers would be expecting a movie version of the Broadway musical, so they filmed a new prologue to the film featuring singers from the original Broadway cast. Another confusing thing is that the movie poster to this film claims it is based on the Ferber novel, Showboat, and the Florenz Ziegfeld Broadway show! Some of the original lost soundtrack has been found on Vitaphone records in recent years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maceo_Pinkard

http://articles.dhwritings.com/m02.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show_Boat_%281929_film%29

The Diamond Disc recording has the line "Gone forever are those cotton-blossom days", around 2:30... and Cap'n Andy's boat in the musical is named the "Cotton Blossom", perhaps Maceo Brown and Billy Rose were making a reference to Kern & Hammerstein.


I was not aware that the 1929 film was not particularly based on Kern & Hammerstein's 1927 stage musical, but both were indeed based on Edna Ferber's novel.


I wonder if this might have been a popular theme, perhaps riding some sort of wave of nostalgia for a bygone era ?

"Waitin' for the Robert E. Lee" was another popular "river-boat song" of the period...


As for "Can't help loving that man of mine", it is a great song, and I definitely prefer the late-'20's versions to the later "funeral-dirge" versions that seem to have become "standard"... it's supposed to be wry and wistful, not moribund.

I was very fortunate to see the Harold Prince revival / restoration on Broadway in 1995... a magnificent production !

Elaine Stritch was playing Parthie-Anne.

I have the original Brunswick Original Cast recording from the late 20's. I think its billed as the first musical show album? At any rate it does not have the selection mentioned by the OP. I agree the 90's revival is a wonderful selection..

Larry

De Soto Frank wrote:The Diamond Disc recording has the line "Gone forever are those cotton-blossom days", around 2:30... and Cap'n Andy's boat in the musical is named the "Cotton Blossom", perhaps Maceo Brown and Billy Rose were making a reference to Kern & Hammerstein.

Both are just using the same cliche - there were TONS of riverboat songs at the turn of the century, and most if not all of them have Cotton in them somewhere: "Floatn' Down To Cotton Town" being a prime example. "The cotton blossoms in the moonlight there / remind me of my mammy's snow white hair" - and I think that song predates the novel

De Soto Frank wrote:

As for "Can't help loving that man of mine", it is a great song, and I definitely prefer the late-'20's versions to the later "funeral-dirge" versions that seem to have become "standard"... it's supposed to be wry and wistful, not moribund.

I agree Frank. Here is the copy I like most. Sorry for the bad transfer... .
https://youtu.be/1F86oTOSukc

gramophone78 wrote:

De Soto Frank wrote:

As for "Can't help loving that man of mine", it is a great song, and I definitely prefer the late-'20's versions to the later "funeral-dirge" versions that seem to have become "standard"... it's supposed to be wry and wistful, not moribund.

I agree Frank. Here is the copy I like most. Sorry for the bad transfer... .
https://youtu.be/1F86oTOSukc

Nice banjo work ! Is this on an arch-label Victor ? ("bat-wing")