On this week's episode of Mark Steyn on the Town, we observe a most consequential anniversary, enjoy some protean French rock'n'roll and hear Sinatra on a hit he "unequivocally detests".
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~Thank you for your kind comments about last week's edition. Bob Loblaw tweets:
This week's Mark Steyn On the Town has got to be one of my favorites! The birthday tribute to Mel Brooks's Show Tunes was so much fun!... and the backstory on the song 'Save the Last Dance for Me' gives it a whole new depth of meaning. Excellent production as always.
Mr Bradley, an Oregon Steyn Clubber, says:
Wow, that hour just flew by. Really enjoyable song selection. Doc Pomus left behind quite the song catalog. I loved your trivia tidbit that Andy Williams was denied the #1 slot for Can't Get Used To Losing You by Little Peggy March and her even bigger hit I Will Follow Him (which was, interestingly, an English language version of the hit French song Chariot by Petula Clark). The first 45 I ever bought was by Ms. March in 1963. Ah, the memories.
Wish your Mel Medley could have included I'm Tired by Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Shtupp but Frankie Laine's serious take on the film's title tune is just as satisfying. Mel Brooks could do it all.
Your weekly Sinatra Sextet was especially perky, my fingers started popping all by themselves. Ring-a-ding-ding indeed. Between the upbeat news on the political front and this snappy episode of On The Town, the only way to summarize the last seven days is that was the week that was!
For Teresa Maupin, a Mark Steyn Club member from California, one moment in particular stood out:
Loved the backstory of 'Save the Last Dance for me'!
However, Richard Woodruff, a First Week Founding Member of The Mark Steyn Club, would have liked confirmation of a possibly apocryphal tale:
Hi Mark- loved the show, as always, and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Frankie Laine sing the theme from Blazing Saddles- but I thought you'd comment on the story that when he recorded the number, he didn't know it was a spoof. Sounds a little too good to be true- what's your take?
I had precisely two conversations with Frankie Laine, in neither of which did "Blazing Saddles" come up, Richard. However, I would seriously doubt that tale. His performance was magnificent, but he knew what he was doing.
Olga found Sinatra's turn as a heroin addict somewhat confusingly named:
It has always confused ~ & will forever distress ~ me that
The Man with the Golden Arm is not a title of a James Bond movie. How is that even possible? Anyone would think the Broccolis haven't got a preemptive copyright on golden body-part everything.
Gary Alexander, on the other (golden) hand, thinks they had the wrong body part:
As for Man with the Golden Arm, it always frustrated me knowing that both drumming and dealing cards (Frank's money skills in the film) are more about WRIST control than arm strength, with the arm just being a pincushion for his heroin shots. So, it should have been, "Man with the Golden Wrist," right? A little off-putting for mass marketing, perhaps, but Sammie Cahn would have a field day with Wrist-y rhymes with Frank's TRYST or in the Mist (or just Missed being Kissed). If all else fails, just do the Twist to Mr. Liszt
One more from Josh Passell, a First Weekend Founding Member of The Mark Steyn Club:
I swear every time I've heard the cleverest lyrics, I hear another Sammy Cahn song. Can 'Come Blow Your Horn' be beat by anyone? Not named Porter, that is? What a meeting of minds: Cahn's, Van Heusen's, Sinatra's, Riddle's. Great art by committee is possible, if the Chairman of the Board is on board.
~On the Town is my weekly music show on Serenade Radio every Saturday at 5pm British Summer Time - that's 6pm in western and central Europe or 12 noon North American Eastern. You can listen from anywhere in the world by clicking the button at top right here.
As you know, I'm a great believer in old-school appointment listening, and love the way Serenade's Saturday schedule flows through the day. However, we appreciate that many potential listeners are, at the appointed hour, shampooing the cat. So, as a bonus for Steyn Club members, we post On the Town at SteynOnline every weekend. You can find all our previous shows here.
We do enjoy your comments on our weekend programming. Steyn Clubbers are welcome to leave them below. For more on The Mark Steyn Club, now in its ninth year, see here - and don't forget our special Gift Membership.
Mark Steyn on the Town can be heard on Serenade Radio at its regular times next weekend:
Saturday 5pm London time/12 noon New York
Sunday 5am London time/9pm Los Angeles