Johnny Mercer Documentary on TCM tonight

[BERIGAN]

Meant to mention this before....forgot...sue me! EST. The Fleets In has Jimmy Dorsey's band. They used to run it many years ago on AMC.

http://www.imagebam.com

Edited November 15, 2009 by BERIGAN

[Teasing the Korean]

I saw about an hour's worth of this (how long was it?). Very good show, but it's always so frustrating to see clips of songs instead of the whole thing.

Interesting to see John Williams at the piano - I didn't think he touched one since "Dreamsville."

[BERIGAN]

Its a little over 80 minutes. I assume it was made for TCM, so since it was in a 2 hour slot, why not more complete clips??? Some really amazing clips from TV shows, some that looked surprisingly good, like they were shot of Film. I'd love to see more of that 1959 color program, with Ellington and Ella!

And John Williams and Eastwood talking over themselves...could have edited that out as well. That, and the footage with Eastwoods very young daughter singing.

I feel very dirty saying this, but she's going to be quite the looker when she grows up. Can't really sing though. At least not yet.

But, all my bitching aside, a very interesting bio. Can it really be he collaborated with over 200 songwriters????

And why is it, we all know that he wrote the lyrics to this song and that song, but not who wrote the music to those songs?????

Without looking it up, who wrote the music to Fools Rush In, or Too Marvelous for Words????

[Teasing the Korean]

And why is it, we all know that he wrote the lyrics to this song and that song, but not who wrote the music to those songs?????

Without looking it up, who wrote the music to Fools Rush In, or Too Marvelous for Words????

For the same reason that "Anything Goes" is a Cole Porter song, but "I've Got You Under My Skin" is a Frank Sinatra song. That's just how it works.

[BruceH]

And why is it, we all know that he wrote the lyrics to this song and that song, but not who wrote the music to those songs?????

Without looking it up, who wrote the music to Fools Rush In, or Too Marvelous for Words????

For the same reason that "Anything Goes" is a Cole Porter song, but "I've Got You Under My Skin" is a Frank Sinatra song. That's just how it works.

Also, he had so very many different collaborators...scores. The documentary touched on this.

I'm a big fan of Mercer, so I loved seeing this. Thought there were times when it could have gone into more detail, but you can't expect miracles. On the whole I'd say it was a great intro to him.

[medjuck]

I really enjoyed this. Didn't know a lot of it (e.g. that he was a fairly popular singer.) Loved the many interview clips with him.

[BERIGAN]

Since I usually give no heads up. HEADS UP!!! Weds, 18th at 6 PM, EST , they will re-run this Documentary.

[AllenLowe]

thanks Berigan; re-Medjuck, I always liked Mercer's singing - see the LP with Bobby Darin, for a start. Also, I'm using him in my blues anthology, singing a duet with Nat Cole.

Also, book-wise, I would recommend Philip Furia's Mercer bio.

[ghost of miles]

Wish we got TCM around this neck o' the woods (at least as part of an affordable cable package).

I'll post this in the radio forum on Wednesday, but this week's Afterglow Mercer tribute is already up:

Too Marvelous With Words: Johnny Mercer, America's Poet Laureate

[BERIGAN]

Wish we got TCM around this neck o' the woods (at least as part of an affordable cable package).

I'll post this in the radio forum on Wednesday, but this week's Afterglow Mercer tribute is already up:

Too Marvelous With Words: Johnny Mercer, America's Poet Laureate

Ever hear of satellite??? Or don't they offer that in flyover country?

actually, it pisses me off that TCM is not part of basic programming any more. Even less people will get a chance to watch older films.