Dorothy Collins - Won't You Spend Christmas With Me (STEREO)

In yesterday's post, I gave props to Buster over at Big 10-Inch Record for posting some darn good shares this downloading season. Late last month, I posted an entry that mentioned that two albums I originally had planned on sharing out were already posted to Buster's blog.

One of those two albums was this gem of a Christmas album. I was ready to file it away for the winter and move on to other shares when our friend Ernie (not Bert) pointed out in a comment that Buster had posted a high-fidelity copy of the album whilst mine read STEREO!

It's commonplace here for me to miss small things like that. Maybe it's the early stages of Alzheimer's... Thanks for bringing that to my attention Ern!

Backstory: Marjorie Chandler was born in 1926 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada - just across the river from Detroit, Michigan. She developed a love for music and began singing on radio stations on BOTH sides of the river in her teens. It was also during this time she adopted a new stage name: Dorothy Collins.

On a trip to Chicago in 1940, 14-yr. old Dorothy met bandleader/composer Raymond Scott and was quickly hired into his band. Throughout the 1940s, Scott mentored, tutored, and taught everything Collins needed to know about phrasing, breath control, etc., and became a popular vocalist of the day.

In 1949, CBS asked Scott to take over the bandleading duties for one of its popular shows, "Your Hit Parade". Just as they were getting their feet wet in radio, NBC decided to create the television version of "YHP". With her good looks and style, Dorothy quickly became a fan favorite and rose to stardom.



"Your Hit Parade" was a huge hit on television throughout the 1950s. People tuned in weekly to see and hear the popular songs of the day with male vocalists Snooky Lawson, Russell Arms, and another popular female Canadian vocalist named Gisele MacKenzie!

Then came rock-n-roll. With the advent of Elvis, Ricky, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and others climbing the charts, "Your Hit Parade" tried desperately to stay in touch with the times.


Needless to say, "Your Hit Parade" took a dive in the ratings. Before its run ended, Collins went into the recording studio to create the album you're looking at. With the backing of Nathan Van Cleve & His Orchestra, she recorded twelve straightforward rendtions of Christmas songs.

Nothing really jumps out at you, style wise. Except Collins' wonderful voice.

After the demise of "YHP" in 1959, Collins appeared on television shows and in musical theater. In 1971, she was one of the original cast members in the Stephen Sondheim landmark musical "Follies" and was nominated for a Tony Award for her role.

For five years (1974-1979), she was co-host of a syndicated version of "Candid Camera" with Allen Funt. One such stunt that I remember was Dorothy driving a Volkswagen bug into a gas station and asking the attendant to fill it up. They had replaced the gas tank with a 55-gallon drum inside the car! One guy stood there for 20 minutes in bewilderment!

After "Candid Camera" ended, Collins settled into semi-retirement and made occasional public appearances after that. She had suffered with asthma for most of her life and as she got older, the disease took its toll in 1994. She was 67.


Dorothy Collins - Won't You Spend Christmas With Me (STEREO)


Happy listening...

Bobby Breen - Songs At Yuletide

"My mother is in pictures,
You've seen her on the screen.
She gave chicken pox to Alan Ladd
And mumps to Bobby Breen."

Excerpt from "Ode from a Germ's Eye Viewpoint" by Percy Dovetonsils (aka Ernie Kovacs)

I first encountered the genius of Ernie Kovacs on my local PBS station in 1977. In those days, my brothers and I would place a tape recorder next to the speakers of the TV, record the audio, and listen to it repeated in lieu of a VCR. I quoted this poem frequently, placing the same emphasis on "Bobby BREEN" they way Percy Dovetonsils did.

That was the first time I became aware of someone named Bobby Breen. Curiosity got the the better of me and I went to my local library to consult its newest collection of World Book Encyclopedias. Breen was born in Canada and made his way to Hollywood as a youngster.

His first big break was several appearances singing on Eddie Cantor's radio show in the late 30s. His natural soprano voice separated him from many of the other child singers of the day and led him to RKO Studios. RKO featured him in several singing roles (go figure) in nine movies between 1936 and 1942.

His last film was "Johnny Doughboy" that featured 15-year old Bobby as one of several has-been child stars who want to put on a USO show for the troops! With his voice changed permanently thanks to puberty and a fading movie career, Breen turned to the stage and radio throughout the 1940s and 1950s.

This 10-inch record was released by London Records in 1950 and features nine Christmas songs by Breen (competently backed up by Bruce Campbell & His Orchestra - no, not THAT Bruce Campbell!). Most of the songs are standard Christmas carols and Breen fully sounds like a young adult as he sings; no evidence as a boy soprano here.

In later life, he appeared as a guest pianist with the NBC Symphony Orchestra and hosting a local New York TV show in the early 1950s. He continued to get work in nightclubs and television spots well into the 1960s.

Amazingly, in 1964, Breen signed with Motown Records and released several singles that sold very little. A full album was recorded but never released... anyone have a copy of that album?

Three years later, Breen gained immortality by making the cover of The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". He appears over George Harrison's left shoulder (unlike the hand over Paul McCartney which either belongs to a priest blessing a corpse or is a signal of death in Norway - I forget).

In the late 1970s, Breen retired for good and moved down to Tamarac, Florida. Restless, he started a local talent agency in 1978 and continues to run this enterprise today - at the ripe ol' age of 82!

Merry Christmas, Bobby!


Bobby Breen - Songs At Yuletide


Happy listening...


Capt


P.S. This 10" share is dedicated to Buster, the gent who runs the darn good blog Big 10-Inch Record. Check out his blog for other rare and exotic 10" records, included some amazing Christmas shares!