The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I was just watching The Helen Morgan Story (1957) on TCM and was wondering why I've never seen one of her records. The blurb describes her as a 1920s torch singer. Did she make many records and for what label?

Yes, according to the DAHR website, she recorded 13 sides for Victor (12 were published) between 1928-1934. Her records aren't very common but they do occasionally turn up. I have one of hers, "Bill" and "Can't help lovin that man" (both from "Show Boat"--Morgan played Julie in the original 1927 production) on Victor 21238, recorded February 1928. I find her performance of "Bill" particularly affecting.

Steven

I also have a copy of Victor 21238, and I agree that "Bill" is very moving.

This is a useful site -- https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/ ... rano_vocal (Don't know about the two Decca recordings since Helen Morgan died in 1941.)

According to the internet movie database -- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050494/so ... tt_trv_snd -- Gogi Grant supplied the vocal renditions for the film.

OrthoFan

I read that Helen Morgan also starred in the 1929 movie version of the novel Show Boat by Edna Ferber, and the 1936 Hollywood movie of the musical Show Boat by Kern and Hammerstein. And she was also in the original Broadway version of the Ziegfeld musical Show Boat. She also had her own night club in New York for a short time, but was busted for selling alcoholic drinks.