Los Angeles photographer Don Jim on the set of Hollywood Record Room.
THE FOUR FRESHMEN
Bobby Troup’s June 22nd edition of Hollywood Record Room featured The Four Freshmen and vocalist Ruth Olay. Don Jim’s archive did not contain any evidence that he attended this episode. The show’s underwriter, Capitol Records, announced a new process, Duophonic, or “half-way stereo” and The Four Freshmen and Five Trombones was among the fourteen albums released in June that introduced stereo traits to monophonic recordings. The group had two recent albums on Capitol that were most likely featured, Voices in Fun and The Freshman Year.
RUTH OLAY
Ruth Lissauer was born in San Francisco, California to Herman And Nina Weiss Lissauer on July 1, 1924. Initially a piano prodigy, her interest in music developed from exposure to her mother’s professional chorus singing work. At age 16 or 17, working as secretary at Twentieth Century Fox, Ruth undertook singing lessons with vocal coach Florence Russell (Dorothy Dandridge). While at work, she met one of Duke Ellington’s vocalists, Ivie Anderson. Together they attended the venue where Ellington was playing and Ruth was persuaded to sing. In 1942, at her mother’s remarriage party she sang and impressed a guest, the wife of songwriter Irving Gordon (Throw Mama From the Train, Unforgettable). Gordon in turn introduced Ruth to jazz musician Benny Carter who became her musical mentor.
She performed under the moniker Rachel Davis and, due to her dark complexion, passing as a black woman, with Carter in San Diego, and later with Jerry Fielding in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills clubs, all the while holding down a secretarial day job at Twentieth Century Fox, including work for celebrated screenwriter Preston Sturges. At the Cabaret Concert Theatre where she both waitressed and sang, she came to the attention of Bill Hitchcock of Zephyr Records. Ruth’s first LP on Zephyr in 1956 was promoted as coming from “the blues shouting tradition”, “pop style” and “swinging interpretation.”
While gigging at the Little Club, Ruth was approached by Bill Burton, who managed, among others, Jimmy Dorsey and Dick Haymes, and soon got her big break when Burton booked her an emergency gig at the Avant Garde Club in replacement of Billie Holiday, who had fallen ill. This developed into a headline run, along with Shelley Berman, Matt Dennis Trio and Lenny Bruce.
A regular at the club was arranger Pete Rugolo, who A&R’ed for Mercury Records. Her first LP on Mercury OLAY! The New Sound of Ruth Olay in 1958 was followed by a guest vocalist spot on Jack Paar’s Tonight Show. She became the “Singing Sensation of the Jack Paar Show” during Paar’s stint, and also appeared later on Johnny Carson’s watch, the latter time backed by Duke Ellington. Subsequent appearances included Jerry Fielding’s TV show, and with Merv Griffin, Jackie Gleason and Steve Allen. In 1961, Olay found time to play the role of Julie in Lewis & Young’s production of Show Boat.
For the second LP, Easy Living, on Mercury in 1959, Olay was set up with Jerry Fielding whose credits included arranging with big bands such as those of Kay Kyser, Claude Thornhill, Jimmie Lunceford, Tommy Dorsey, Charlie Barnet, and Les Brown. LP’s followed on diverse labels after Olay’s departure from Mercury and she continued nightclub appearances and TV shows well into the 1960s.
Don Jim was back in NBC’s studios for the June 29, 1961, edition of Bobby Troup’s Hollywood Record Room. Troup’s guests included George Duning, Connie Russell, and Calvin Jackson. The rhythm section included Jack Sperling on drums and John Pisano on guitar in addition to series regular Rolly Bundock on bass.
GEORGE DUNING
George Duning was an American musician and film composer. He was born in Richmond, Indiana, and educated in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where his mentor was Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.
In the 1940s, Duning played trumpet and piano for the Kay Kyser band, later arranging most of the music for Kyser’s radio program, Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge. It was during the Kyser band’s appearance in Carolina Blues (1944) that Duning’s work was noticed, leading to a contract with Columbia Pictures. Duning joined the Navy in 1942 and served as a conductor and arranger with Armed Forces Radio.
Morris Stoloff signed Duning to Columbia Pictures in 1946, where he worked almost exclusively through the early 1960s, collaborating most often with director Richard Quine.
Prominent Duning scores are two of the best examples of western genre – the original 3:10 to Yuma, and Cowboy – and those he composed for films as diverse as Picnic, The World of Suzie Wong, The Devil at Four O’Clock, Bell, Book and Candle, and Toys in the Attic.
Duning shared music adaptation credit with Nelson Riddle for the successful 1957 film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey starring Frank Sinatra and Rita Hayworth.
During his career Duning worked on more than 300 film and television scores. His notable television work includes Tightrope, Star Trek, The Big Valley, and Naked City, as well as TV miniseries such as Top of the Hill (1980), The Dream Merchants (1980), and Goliath Awaits (1981).
The quality of Duning’s work remained consistently and remarkably high in any medium. His last feature film was The Man with Bogart’s Face (1980). Duning retired in 1981. Nominated five times for an Academy Award, Duning never won.
Duning was an active citizen of the music industry, serving on the ASCAP Board of Directors from 1972 to 1985, and as ASCAP Vice President from 1978 to 1979. He also served on the board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was active in numerous other music industry organizations. In addition to his Academy Award nominations, Duning was honored with awards from The Film Music Society, Down Beat, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and his home state of Indiana (1993 Indiana Composer of the Year).
CONNIE RUSSELL
Connie Russell was an American singer and movie actress. Born in New York City, she appeared in seven films from the 1930s through the 1950s. She was far better known as a singer than as an actress, as her singing career was quite extensive.
Russell was the daughter of Tommy and Nina Russell, a vaudeville team. Her grandparents were also entertainers, performing as Glenroy and Russell. She attended Lawrence High School in Cedarhurst, Long Island, and the Professional Children’s School in New York City.
While she was still a teenager, Russell performed at venues such as the Starlight Club at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria, the 500 Club in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the Famous Door, and the Paramount Theater in New York City. In late December, 1952, she appeared, along with Danny Thomas, Lou Wills, Jr., and Ray Sinatra and his orchestra, at the opening night gala of the Copa Room at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
By the time she was 16, Russell had signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Her film debut came in Cruisin’ Down the River (1953). She played a lead role in the 1956 movie, Nightmare.
On radio, Russell was the featured female singer on Let Yourself Go on CBS (1944–1945). She also appeared frequently on the syndicated Naval Air Reserve Show. In 1947, she became a network staff singer on NBC, joining Manor House Summer Party for an eight-week stint as the program’s featured singer.[
Connie was a regular singer on television’s Club Embassy, Garroway at Large (1949–1951) and on The Buick-Berle Show on NBC (1953–1955). She also had success on Eddie Cantor’s TV program when he liked her so well in a guest appearance that he signed her to a contract.
Probably her best known role was uncredited. She played the singing voice for the sexy Red Riding Hood on the Tex Avery directed 1943 “Red Hot Riding Hood” cartoon playing opposite the Big Bad Wolf in a 1940s nightclub. The cartoon became Avery’s most well known and was voted as number 7 of The 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time.
In the cartoon, she sings a rendition of “Daddy” by Bobby Troup. The speaking voice for the character was played by Sara Berner. Russell appeared on an April 5, 1959, episode of the popular NBC variety show, The Steve Allen Show, singing her song “You’ve Changed” off her new album “Don’t Smoke in Bed”. She also did a short live cigarette commercial parody and appeared alongside Don Knotts, Lenny Bruce and The Three Stooges in the closing musical segment.
CALVIN JACKSON
Calvin Jackson was born in Philadelphia in 1919 to Harry and Margaret Jackson. His mother was a concert singer in Philadelphia. Jackson played piano from childhood, having lessons with private teacher. He studied at Juilliard and New York University.
At the beginning of his career Jackson worked with Frankie Fairfax. From 1943–47 he worked in Hollywood as an assistant director of music for MGM on productions including Meet Me in St. Louis and Anchors Aweigh.
In 1947 he recorded with Phil Moore and also as a solo pianist for Discovery Records. In the summer of 1948, he played with singer Mildred Bailey and dancer Avon Long at Café Society in New York City. In 1950, he moved to Toronto, where he often played on television and radio. Over the course of the 1950s and early 1960s he released several LPs for labels such as Columbia Records.
Calvin Jackson returned to Los Angeles in 1957 where he resumed work as a composer and orchestrator for television and hit musicals like Where the Boys Are and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, which was Oscar-nominated for best adapted score.
Special thanks to Michael Owen, Nick Rossi, and Ron Langinger for assisting with the identification of artists who appeared on the series. Don Jim’s photography from Hollywood Record Room can be licensed for commercial use through CTSIMAGES.
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