I was in Notre Dame, Indiana, an unincorporated community in the Michiana area of Northern Indiana, north of South Bend and four miles from the Michigan state line. I was there to watch a football game. I was comfortable and sitting on the hotel bed watching Buck Benny Rides Again, an old BW musical comedy starring Jack Benny.
I was laughing and enjoying the movie. In a few hours I would no longer be laughing as I watched the Washington Huskies and the Fighting Irish compete on the gridiron. The Dawgs lost, of course, but my friends and I had a marvelous time. I enjoyed the trip and the memories, but over the years my mind keeps going back to Buck Benny Rides Again. There was a nightclub scene in the film and for the first time I heard the song: Say It (Over and Over Again):
“Say it over and over again, over and over again,
Never stop saying you’re mine.
Say it, ever and ever so sweet, ever and ever so sweet
Just like an old valentine.”
The song was written by Jimmy McHugh and Frank Loesser. Frank Loesser is one of my favorite composers and lyricists. Most people today know him from his successful Broadway musical, Guys and Dolls among other successful shows. But it was Say It that first won me over.
How many songs can you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing the first time you heard them? I have a Frank Loesser song book and play his music frequently, but Say It is special. I don’t see a football game, I don’t see Buck Benny, I see my wife Peggy. What better memory is there? This morning I was watching Peggy create invoices for our marketing clients, the radio was playing soft and low and I heard the saxophone from across the room whispering to me “Over and over again” by John Coltrane.
One of Peg’s favorite singers is Karrin Alyson, whom we’ve seen live at Jazz Alley in Seattle. Her album Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane, combines Frank Loesser, John Coltrane, and Karrin Alyson with Say It. What a combo! – nwadventures.us/Karrin.html
Think about your favorite songs. When did you hear them for the first time, or the first time they really meant something to you? Music is one of man’s oldest art forms . . . and still it has power to touch our hearts, make us smile, close our eyes and let us dream. – [youtube http://youtube.com/w/?v=u3cF0Dv6Tp0]
I like listening to “old time” music once in a while. KBRD AM 680, out of Olympia, plays music from the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s.
Even more, I like listening to OTR (old time radio); running it in the background while surfing the web. Jack Benny and the George and Gracie Burns shows were just two shows listened to yesterday late afternoon. The site I like is: http://radio.macinmind.com/. You might give it a try as it runs 24/7.
Dave,
Amen . . . I still enjoy watching Jack Benny and Burns & Allen on streaming. The sets were really simple and so were the jokes. I’m easily entertained, perhaps.
I just visited your suggested domain and recognized many of the show titles from “those thrilling days of yesteryear.” I liked to be entertained . . . new stuff, old stuff . . . as long as it’s interesting and well done . . . and connects.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Don