Gordon Jenkins Conducts "26 Years of Academy Award Winning Songs" [1960]

CG Records CGS 3002

On this ambitious effort, conductor/arranger Gordon Jenkins manages to squeeze all of the Oscar-winning songs dating back to the first, 1934's "The Continental" from The Gay Divorcee, and up to 1959's "High Hopes" from A Hole in the Head, on one LP. To do so, not surprisingly, he abbreviates them, providing versions that run only a minute or two each. But even at medley length, his arrangements quickly bring out the salient characteristics of each tune. Some are lively and playful, such as "Zip a Dee Doo Dah" from 1947's Song of the South and "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" from 1951's Here Comes the Groom, and are handled with a zesty swing. Others are powerful ballads, their melodies emphasized with strings, such as "Over the Rainbow" from 1939's The Wizard of Oz. On occasion, such as with "White Christmas" from 1942's Holiday Inn and "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing" from the 1955 film of the same name, a vocal chorus emphasizes the song's memorable lyrics. Jenkins does not convince listeners that these are the best movie songs of their years, a highly debatable issue, but he does demonstrate that they always have something to recommend them.

Tracklist:
01 (1934) The Continental (from "The Gay Divorcee")
02 (1935) Lullaby of Broadway (from "Gold Diggers of 1935")
03 (1936) The Way You Look Tonight (from "Swing Time")
04 (1937) Sweet Leilani (from "Waikiki Wedding")
05 (1938) Thanks For The Memory (from Big Broadcast of 1938")
06 (1939) Over The Rainbow (from "The Wizard of Oz")
07 (1940) When You Wish Upon A Star (from "Pinocchio")
08 (1941) The Last Time I Saw Paris (from "Lady Be Good")
09 (1942) White Christmas (from "Holiday Inn")
10 (1943) You'll Never Know (from "Hello Frisco, Hello")
11 (1944) Swinging On A Star (from "Going My Way")
12 (1945) It Might As Well Be Spring (from "State Fair")
13 (1946) On The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (from "The Harvey Girls")
14 (1947) Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (from "Song of The South")
15 (1948) Buttons and Bows (from "The Paleface")
16 (1949) Baby, It's Cold Outside (from "Neptune's Daughter")
17 (1950) Mona Lisa (from "Captain Carey, USA")
18 (1951) In The Cool, Cool of The Evening (from "Here Comes The Groom")
19 (1952) High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin') (from "High Noon")
20 (1953) Secret Love (from "Calamity Jane")
21 (1954) Three Coins In The Fountain (from "Three Coins In The Fountain")
22 (1955) Love Is A Many Splendored Thing (from "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing ")
23 (1956) Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) (from "The Man Who Knew Too Much")
24 (1957) All The Way (from "The Joker Is Wild")
25 (1958) Gigi (from "Gigi")
26 (1959) High Hopes (from "A Hole In The Head")