Happy Old Song: Tu vuò fà l'americano

I haven't post any song for my series "Happy Old Songs" this year. This first entry is a bit different, since I'm just going to do justice to one song: Tu vuò fà l'americano. Right now, a cover of this song, We No Speak Americano by a band called Yolanda Be Cool is everywhere, even in adds with audio in lots of websites. Probably most people dancing to this techno cover doesn't know that the tune is actually 54 years old!

1956. Renato Carosone and Nicola Salerno write this song. It's about the Americanization of an Italian guy:

TRANSLATION (source):

You wear trousers with a patch at the back

A small cap with the peak up

You walk making boaster for Tuleto

Like a bully to make watched you

You want to be American

American, American

Who makes you do that

You want to follow the fashion

But if you drink whisky and soda

You don't seem to be disturbed.

You dance rock'n'roll

You play baseball

But the money to buy Camel cigarettes

Who gives them to you?

Your mother's purse!

You want to be American

American, American

But you were born in Italy

Hear me out

You've got nothing to do with it

Ok, Napolitan

You want to be American

You want to be American!

How can the one who loves you understand you

If you speak half American?

When you make love under the moon

What will you say? "I love you"?

(repeat)

1960. Sophia Loren sings it (twice) in the movie It Started in Naples (Melville Shavelson), also starring Clark Gable (I have to check this film).





2007. The Puppini Sisters, one of my favorites retro bands cover this song. There are many other versions, but this one is my favorite. Here's it live:



2010. Australian band Yolanda Be Cool releases We No Speak Americano, which becomes #1 in many countries.

Which one is your favorite?

 More great music :

Happy old songs 
"All I do is dream of you": pick your favorite version
Happy Old Songs are back! 
Xmas albums from two of my fave retro bands :)
Happy Old Songs from Nora Ephron films
More Happy Old Songs
And even more Happy Old Songs

Summertime and the livin' is easy: new blog design and pics

I hope you like my new blog design (and I really hope it works in your browser). It's summer down here, so I chose summery colors and a header picture that reflects the sleepy mood I'm in. 

While you listen to this lovely song, here are some classic stars enjoying the summer (click to enlarge):

See ya soon!

"All I do is dream of you": pick your favorite version

I love this song! Sometime ago I noticed that it was used in many movies; I'm embedding four versions (well, three because Youtube disabled the embedding option of the one from Singin' in the rain). Which one is your favorite??

1934 - Gene Raymond | Sadie McKee

1935 - Chico Marx | A night at the opera

1952 - Debbie Reynolds and chorus | Singin' in the rain

 Watch in Youtube  (embedding disabled)

1953 - Debbie Reynolds & Bobby Van | The Affairs of Dobie Gillis

 More great music :

Happy old songs 
Happy Old Songs are back! 
Xmas albums from two of my fave retro bands :)
Happy Old Songs from Nora Ephron films
More Happy Old Songs
And even more Happy Old Songs

12 favorite things from "It's a wonderful life" including the board game

Sally from the great blog Flying Down To Rio organized a Christmas movie blogathon, called 12 Days of Christmas movies. I wanted to review It's a wonderful life, but soon I noticed it was pointless. This is a cathartic movie that everybody has seen and loved and I couldn't possibly add something new about it. A more personal post occurred to me, so I give you my picks of 12 favorite things from the film (hope you don't mind, Sally!): 

1. A quote
I know there are like 1,000 quotable lines, but here's one of my faves. Simple and cute:

2. A song
I love this song. You can hear the Buffalo Gals sung by James Stewart and Donna Reed pressing the black button (wait until it appears above the vid) and then hear a really nice version with lyrics from Youtube:

3. A scene
Again, many great scenes. I love when Mary prepares a dinner in the house that's falling apart but she loves anyway; or when she and George do the Charleston near in the pool; or when George asks God for help, or well, all the sequence at the end when he realizes his life was so worthy...BUT, I think the next scene is really dramatic and pivotal, because it shows George's good nature (just press play to go to the chosen scene):

4. A picture from the movie:

5. A behind the scenes pic:

6. A fact:

For the scene that required Donna Reed to throw a rock into the window of the Granville House, Frank Capra hired a marksman to shoot it out for her on cue. To everyone's amazement, Donna Reed broke the window with true aim and heft without the assistance of the hired marksman! (Imdb)

7. A promo shot:

8. A gif:

tocaptureyou

9. An actor
Everyone did a superb job in this film. But this time I'm picking Bobby Anderson, who plays young George. Why? Did you see the #3 scene?

10. A movie poster

11. A related item:

It's a wonderful life - the game. This time it's not invented by me, it's the 1996 Pressman board game based on the movie. I was lucky to find it last year at the flee market. Because it was in English nobody bought it, so I got it for a very low price :) As you can see, it contains cards with questions about the movie, cards with George's family and friends plus two 8 thousand dollars cards. The board let's you "Answer one" (question), " Take a card" (from the other players' hands), "Draw any card" (from the deck), "Lose a card" (boo!), "Wait here" and gives you the possibility of getting the $8,000. When you collect one money card, 5 different family and friends cards and correctly answer a final question, you win :)

Did you know the answers from the question above? Yeah, some of them are really specific, that's why it's better if you play right after watching the movie. Interested in buying the game? It's on Ebay.  

12. A quote from the crew about the movie

urbanrecord

"(...) By the end of 1947 the film was quietly put on the shelf.

But a curious thing happened. The movie simply refused to stay on the shelf. Those who loved it loved it a lot, and they must have told others. They wouldn't let it die any more than the angel Clarence would let George Bailey die. When it began to be shown on televison, a whole new audience fell in love with it.

Today I've heard the filmed called "an American cultural phenomenon". Well, maybe so, but it seems to me there is nothing phenomenal about the movie itself. It's simply about an ordinary man who discovers that living each ordinary day honorably, with faith in God and selfless concern for others, can make for a truly wonderful life."

(James Stewart |Source)

Hope you enjoyed!

Marlene Dietrich: "It's right here for you"

Marlene Dietrich
Song: "It's right here for you" by Tom Dorsey.

More Photo[graphs] + Music:

• Burt & Ava: "In the mood"
• Gregory Peck: "Can't help lovin' that man"
• Coolest.pic.ever: Errol Fever
• Clark & Carole: "Tea for two"
• Cary Grant: "When or where"
• Desilu: "That Sunday, that Summer"
• Errol & Olivia: "Magic Moments"
• Paul & Joanne: "Twist and Shout"
• Gary Cooper: "Mercy"

Xmas albums from two of my fave retro bands :)

Have you ever heard about Pink Martini? Or The Puppini Sisters?

Let me tell you something, they are infinitely awesome. And if you love old music like I do you are gonna love them.

Pink Martini are a classy band from Oregon that make their own version of songs from all over the world in a way that transports you to those elegant dance halls you see in old movies. Their sound is just mind blowing and some of my fave songs from them are:

"Amado mío" --

"Ninna Nana" --

"Una Notte a Napoli" --

AND MY FAVORITE..."No hay problema" --

Well, their new Xmas album is called Joy to the world  and you can preview it here. It includes "White Christmas", "Santa Baby", "La Vergine Degli Angeli", "Little Drummer Boy", a really lively "Auld Lang Syne" version and the marvelous "Shchedryk".

The Puppini Sisters are three girls, one Italian and two English, that sing in close harmony vocal style. You know, like The Andrews Sisters, The King Sisters, etc. Their covers from old and new songs are super fun, like:

"Mr. Sandman" --

"Tu Vuo'Fa L'Americano" --

...and "Crazy in love" (Beyoncé) --

Their Xmas album, Christmas with The Puppini Sisters includes "Santa Baby", "Let it Snow", "Winter Wonderland" and "O Holy Night". You can preview it in their official site.

Hope you like them  ^^

Gregory Peck: "Can't help lovin' that man"

Gregory Peck
Song: "Can't help lovin' that man" by Julie London.

I've been preparing a post this week for which I need to watch and rewatch several movies, that's why I didn't update before. About the song: the music was composed by Jerome Kern and the lyrics were written by Oscar Hammerstein II for the play Show Boat. In the movie version from 1936 Irene Dunne dances to it while Helen Morgan and Hattie McDaniel sing it, and later, Ava Gardner was dubbed by Annete Warren even when her own voice was great. Oh, and I didn't mean that Greg was "lazy" or "slow" :) 

More Photo[graphs] + Music:

• Marlene Dietrich: "It's here for you"
• Burt & Ava: "In the mood"
• Coolest.pic.ever: Errol Fever
• Clark & Carole: "Tea for two"
• Cary Grant: "When or where"
• Desilu: "That Sunday, that Summer"
• Errol & Olivia: "Magic Moments"
• Paul & Joanne: "Twist and Shout"
• Gary Cooper: "Mercy"

Burt & Ava: "In the mood"

Burt Lancaster & Ava Gardner
Song: "In the mood" by Glenn Miller.
Pics Credits: 1: likeadoll || 2: frdirector

[Today is his birthday ] :)

More Photo[graphs] + Music:

• Marlene Dietrich: "It's here for you"
• Gregory Peck: "Can't help lovin' that man"
• Coolest.pic.ever: Errol Fever
• Clark & Carole: "Tea for two"
• Cary Grant: "When or where"
• Desilu: "That Sunday, that Summer"
• Errol & Olivia: "Magic Moments"
• Paul & Joanne: "Twist and Shout"
• Gary Cooper: "Mercy"

Coolest.pic.ever: Errol Fever

 

Errol Flynn
Song: "Fever" by Peggy Lee.

More Photo[graphs] + Music:

• Marlene Dietrich: "It's here for you"
• Burt & Ava: "In the mood"
• Gregory Peck: "Can't help lovin' that man"
• Clark & Carole: "Tea for two"
• Cary Grant: "When or where"
• Desilu: "That Sunday, that Summer"
• Errol & Olivia: "Magic Moments"
• Paul & Joanne: "Twist and Shout"
• Gary Cooper: "Mercy"

Happy Old Songs are back!

Readers in the mood for 5 happy old songs say AYE and press play :)

"Puttin' on the Ritz" by Clark Gable

(Irving Berling, 1959)

I love the version from "Idiot's delight" starring Clark Gable (haven't seen the whole movie). It's a short clip but always makes my day :)

"If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" by Cake Eileen Barton

(written by Al Hoffman, Bob Merrill, and Clem Watts, 1950)

This song is ridiculously happy. Don't you just want to clap your hands?

"Sing, sing, sing" by Benny Goodman

(written by Louis Primma, 1936)

I don't know if I would call this song "happy" but it's so energizing that cheers me up.

"Rum & Coca Cola" by The Andrews Sisters

(composed by Lord Invader and Lionel Belasco)

Uhm, according to the video uploader this song is about " alcohol and... prostitution?". Well, if you just forget about that, I think this is really a happy song.

And finally, my fave of this selection...

"Drum Boogie" by Irene Daye

Well, Barbara didn't sing in this clip from "Ball of fire" (1941), but who cares? It's such a great scene, especially the part of the matches :)

Have a swell week! 

Need more? Previous "Happy Old Songs" posts:

• Happy Old Songs from Nora Ephron films
• Happy Old Songs
• More Happy Old Songs
• And even more Happy Old Songs

Clark & Carole: Tea for two

Clark Gable & Carole Lombard
Song: "Tea for two" by Dina Shore & Frank Sinatra  (Music: Vincent Youmans|Lyrics:Irving Caesar).

More Photo[graphs] + Music:

• Marlene Dietrich: "It's here for you"
• Burt & Ava: "In the mood"
• Gregory Peck: "Can't help lovin' that man"
• Coolest.pic.ever: Errol Fever
• Cary Grant: "When or where"
• Desilu: "That Sunday, that Summer"
• Errol & Olivia: "Magic Moments"
• Paul & Joanne: "Twist and Shout"
• Gary Cooper: "Mercy"

Cary Grant: When or where

Cary Grant
Song: "When or where" by Peggy Lee (Rodgers and Hart).

More Photo[graphs] + Music:

• Marlene Dietrich: "It's here for you"
• Burt & Ava: "In the mood"
• Gregory Peck: "Can't help lovin' that man"
• Coolest.pic.ever: Errol Fever
• Clark & Carole: "Tea for two"
• Desilu: "That Sunday, that Summer"
• Errol & Olivia: "Magic Moments"
• Paul & Joanne: "Twist and Shout"
• Gary Cooper: "Mercy"

Happy Old Songs from Nora Ephron films

Have you noticed that the most famous movies directed or written by Nora Ephron have marvelous soundtracks that always include oldies?

I'm dedicating this post from the Happy Old Songs series to these soundtracks. Let's see:

"When Harry Met Sally" (1989)

Written by Nora, its soundtrack includes "Let's call the whole thing off" (written by the Gershwin brothers and sung by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong); "Have yourself a Merry little Christmas" sung by Bing Crosby; "It had to be you" sung by Frank Sinatra; "Say It Isn't So" (written by Irving Berlin); "Stompin' At The Savoy" (written by Benny Goodman); "Isn't It Romantic" (written by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers). Embedding the happiest from the list:

"Sleepless in Seattle" (1993)

The movie was directed by Nora and we all love it. Yeah, I'm totally generalizing, but you gotta love this film, with all the references to "An affair to remember" plus Tom + Meg at their second best. Besides it has "As times goes by", "Over the rainbow", "Jeepers Creepers", "Makin' Whoopee" (sung by Dr. John), "Stardust" by Nat King Cole, "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" by Louis Armstrong, "Sleigh Ride" (sung by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans) and the marvelous "Make Someone Happy" by Jimmy Durante. The happiest IMO (they aren't the same versions from the movie):

"You've got mail" (1999)

Marvelous movie based on the Lubitsch's classic "The Shop Around the Corner". Includes songs by Louis Armstrong ("Dummy Song"), "Over the rainbow", "Rockin Robin" by Bobby Day, "Splish Splash" by Bobby Darin, "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" (written by Joe Young and Fred E. Albert and sung by Billy Williams), "I Guess The Lord Must Be in New York City" (written and performed by Harry Nilsson). It also features "Dreams" by one of my favorite modern bands, The Cranberries.

"Bewitched" (2005)

The movie is horrible, but the soundtrack includes "Witchcraft" performed by Frank Sinatra, "L-O-V-E" by Natalie Cole, "The name song" by Shirley Ellis, "Bout Time" performed by Louis Armstrong and, of course, "Bewitched Theme".

"Julie & Julia" (2009)

I liked the movie overall, but I think it wasn't very well developed. Anyway, its soundtrack presented me "A Bushel and a Peck" (written by Frank Loesser/published in 1950). This song was first used in the Broadway show "Guys and Dolls", many singers covered it, but my favorite by far is the one by Doris Day used in the film. Oh, it also included a song by one of my grandparents' favorite singers, Charles Aznavour.

Previous "Happy Old Songs" posts:

• Happy Old Songs
• More Happy Old Songs
• And even more Happy Old Songs