Collection: Alice Faye – You’ll Never Know A Tribute
ASV CD AJA 5303
[69:10]
Crotchet
Amazon
US
Alice Faye (1912-1998) starred in many 20th Century Fox musicals
of the 1930s/40s until a series of disputes with Darryl Zanuck, who promoted
the career of Betty Grable, virtually ended her screen career in the mid-1940s.
She was a popular star, described as "beautiful, warm, honest, talented…"
"Shortly after her almost meteoric first screen successes, she distanced
herself from the tinsel of Hollywood in favour of motherhood."
Before Faye became a firm favourite with cinema-goers, she had been a singer
with Rudy Vallee’s band and indeed she is heard singing with Vallee
on the first two tracks of this 25-song album in recordings (no record labels
mentioned in the notes) dating back to 1933. Her voice had a limited range
and the songs on this album are frankly variable both in their quality and
delivery. Many of the songs have been long forgotten and only a few will
be familiar to today’s listeners, such as: ‘I’ve Got My Love
to Keep Me Warm’; ‘I’ll See You in My Dreams’; and
‘You’ll Never know’. It is interesting to note that the best
of Alice Faye began to emerge in the late 1930s and it is mainly the soundtrack
recordings where she is performing in a role before the cameras that her
full expressive potential is realised. I’m thinking of particularly
of ‘My Man’ from Rose of Washington Square. (Although her
1937 commercial recording of ‘There’s a Lull in My Life’ is
equally impressively heartfelt).
I was disappointed that no mention and no numbers were included from
Alice’s biggest starring vehicles [besides Rose of Washington
Square (1939), and Hello, Frisco Hello (1943)] namely: In Old
Chicago (1938), Hollywood Cavalcade (1939) and,
especially! - Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938)!
Alice Faye was married first to singer Tony Martin (1937-1940) and from 1941
until he died in 1995, the comedy vocalist and bandleader Phil ‘Woodman
Spare that Tree’ Harris, best known for providing the voice for Baloo
the bear in Disney’s animated The Jungle book.
Not the best in ASV’s Living Era series but nonetheless a nice slice
of 30s/40s nostalgia.
Reviewer
Ian Lace
