We all know a movie's box office can be boosted if the film contains a hit song. This is true today, and it was true in the 1950s. For Paramount's 1953 Houdini, the attempt at a hit appears to have been "The Golden Years." While the melody plays several times during the film, this recording by Clyde Rogers with Russ Morgan and His Orchestra includes the words.
Was it a hit? I don't know, but I doubt it. It's a bit dreary. But what I like is that it keyed into the nostalgia for the early 1900s that was part of the appeal of Houdini (1953) for the older crowd. The young had Tony and Janet!
Below is sheet music for "The Golden Years."
I like it! Maybe because I’m a sucker for old sounding music of any kind. Hehe.
ReplyDeleteWhen would rock and roll come into play? It would be a bit silly to have a song in that style for a movie like this, but the youth would’ve liked it. If not rock and roll what other genres?
Much of the focus of "Houdini" was that it was a period piece of a different era...Dime Museums, Beer Halls/NiteClubs, Vaudeville....so the music would have to invoke that era of what once was.
DeleteIn the late 40s and thru the 50s, there were other film bios that nostalgically looked at the era of vaudeville/theater shows, before "talking pictures" and later TV took over. Music was right for the film.
Diego Domingo
Rock and roll was percolating, but hadn't yet broken wide. I looked up what Elvis was doing in 1953. Houdini was released in June 1953. Elvis graduated High School that month and recored his first song (a gift for his mother) in July. I wonder if the teenage Elvis saw the movie?
DeleteThat’s crazy! Maybe Elvis did see it! Who knows?
DeleteHarry in the afterlife on one of his birthdays:
Delete*Elvis is invited and agreed to sing “Jailhouse Rock” and try to reenact the dance he did*
Harry: The King!
Elvis: Handcuff King!
*they fistbump* 🤣
Told you my imagination was very active. I come up with stuff like this! Lol!
DeleteWhile Elvis earlier recorded ballads with little success, "Hound Dog" didn't come out till 1956. Elvis may well have seen "Houdini" as besides being a popular movie many saw, it's said he WANTED to be Tony Curtis when he got to Hollywood.
DeleteDiego Domingo
Rock and roll would not arrive until 1955 when Bill Haley and his Comets released Rock Around the Clock.
DeleteThat’s right. Now I remember.
DeleteThere may have been other recordings of the song. Looking at The Billboard charts for 1953 might show if it got much notice.
ReplyDeleteI do remember years ago on, "The Lawrence Welk Show"(!) the soloist Jimmy Rogers was singing a song and I soon realized it had
the familiar melody from, "Houdini."
Diego Domingo
I made a cursory search for it on the chats and didn't find anything.
DeleteAll of your points make sense. Of course we want music that would fit the style of turn of the century music or music that Harry might have listened to.
DeleteMy imagination is just very active. 😅