Track Listing

1. Hostess With the Mostes' on the Ball - Ethel Merman
2. Steppin' Out with My Baby - Irving Berlin
3. I Got the Sun in the Morning - Betty Hutton
4. Mandy [#] - Irving Berlin
5. Blue Skies - Bert Fiske, Al Jolson
6. Puttin' On the Ritz - Clark Gable
7. Isn't This a Lovely Day? - Fred Astaire
8. Shaking the Blues Away - Lyttle Sisters, , Ann Miller
9. Heat Wave - Ethel Merman
10. Vaudeville Medley: I Love a Piano/Snookey Ookums/The Ragtime Violin - Irving Berlin
11. Let Me Sing and I'm Happy - Al Jolson
12. Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody - Allan Jones
13. Top Hat, White Tie and Tails - Fred Astaire
14. Colonel Buffalo Bill [#][Outtake] - Irving Berlin
15. You Can't Get a Man with a Gun - Betty Hutton
16. Marching Along with Time [#][Outtake] - Ethel Merman
17. They Say It's Wonderful [Outtake] - Judy Garland, Howard Keel
18. Cheek to Cheek - Fred Astaire
19. After You Get What You Want, You Don't Want It - Marilyn Monroe
20. Anything You Can Do [Outtake] - Judy Garland, Howard Keel
21. You're Just in Love - Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor
22. Let's Face the Music and Dance - Fred Astaire
23. Easter Parade - Fred Astaire, Judy Garland
24. There's No Business Like Show Business - Irving Berlin
25. Alexander's Ragtime Band - Alice Faye

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #62426 in Music
• Released on: 1999-02-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Amazon.com
Irving Berlin's songs defined popular music in Tin Pan Alley, and once the talkies took over, the composer who helped shape ragtime found a second wind, churning out movie song after movie song that kept him in the entertainment spotlight. Irving Berlin in Hollywood focuses on these songs, made unforgettable by the likes of Fred Astaire, Ethel Merman, Judy Garland, and the full-throated Betty Hutton. It's infectious stuff, brimming with romance and timeless themes; even today it's hard not to be caught in the charms of songs like "Anything You Can Do" or "Cheek to Cheek." Because of licensing difficulties, there are some obvious omissions from some of Berlin's finest screen moments (no Holiday Inn or White Christmas tracks), but there are plenty of gems here (tracks from Easter Parade, Annie Get Your Gun, Top Hat, and Alexander's Ragtime Band). A few previously unreleased Merman tunes and great liner notes by Ian Whitcomb make this a must-have for musical lovers and one of the best collections of Berlin's music. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews

fine single CD compilation
Irving Berlin In Hollywood has twenty-five wonderful songs and ballads by the great Irving Berlin that ever performed in Hollywood pictures. There are even a few outtakes on this CD which makes it all the more valuable; and the sound quality is excellent considering the age of these recordings. The artwork is very tastefully done and the liner notes are well written, too.

Ethel Merman starts things off with a song named "The Hostess With The Mostess" from Call Me Madam. Ethel's excellent diction bolsters her performance and that big band musical flavor really works wonders for this ballad. I love that horn work! Betty Hutton and the MGM Chorus perform "I've Got The Sun In The Mornin'" from Annie Get Your Gun; Betty has a great voice even though not everybody was her fan. Betty belts this out and she really does it up right! In addition, Al Jolson performs a shorter version of "Blue Skies" from The Jazz Singer;" this is easily a major highlight of this album, and Jolson aces this number seemingly without any effort. He was THAT talented!

Ethel Merman returns to sing one of my very favorite Irving Berlin tunes entitled "(We're Having A) Heatwave;" "(We're Having A) Heatwave" was a number Josephine Baker liked to perform when she was in Europe and elsewhere and Ethel Merman's version is every bit as good! Great! "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody" comes from The Great Ziegfeld; and Allan Jones performs this for Dennis Morgan who was apparently dubbed for his singing. Allan Jones sings this with panache; and this too is another of my very favorite Irving Berlin melodies even if this version by Allan Jones isn't my favorite version. There's also "You Can't Get a Man With A Gun" by Betty Hutton; she delivers this with a lot of energy and that's terrific!

Judy Garland and Howard Keel do a magnificent job on "They Say It's Wonderful" which was an outtake from Annie Get Your Gun before Judy was replaced by Betty Hutton. Judy sounds great and it's too bad she was replaced by Hutton--but, that's show biz!

Fred Astaire sings a heavenly version of "Cheek To Cheek" from the movie Top Hat; I believe he sang this to Ginger Rogers in a scene they did together. Judy Garland and Howard Keel come back again for a rousing rendition of "Anything You Can Do" from Annie Get Your Gun; and "Let's Face The Music and Dance" features Fred Astaire crooning sweetly as he dances with Ginger Rogers in a scene from Follow The Fleet. Judy Garland sings "Easter Parade" with panache and I'm very impressed!

The CD ends well with "Alexander's Ragtime Band" from the movie of the same name; and this awesome number makes a fitting, energetic ending for this album.

Sure there may be a few numbers missing here because of what Amazon calls "licensing difficulties;" but this is still a very strong single CD compilation of some of Irving Berlin's best work. I highly recommend this for fans of classic pop vocals and people who like songs from classic movies will be charmed by this album as well.

Irving Berlin IS American Music
This is a great compilation of film performances of songs by the king of American standards. Berlin wrote many songs which were introduced by Fred Astaire and Ethel Merman, an there is a nice sampling of these two artists here. Jolson's "Blue Skies" from 1927's THE JAZZ SINGER also appears, and many many others. "You're Just in Love" is one of the most brilliant pieces of melody/countermelody overlapping in the history of music and will be stuck in your head for days. You will also find both Judy Garland AND Betty Hutton's ANNIE GET YOUR GUN songs here, along with a bevy of other greats.

Worth it for Ethel Merman Alone!
The work of Irving Berlin is still as fresh as ever, and I have a new appreciation for the late Ethel Merman based on her swingy, energetic rendition of "Marching Along With Time," which was one of the best musical numbers to wind up on the cutting room floor -- thankfully, it was resurrected and we can enjoy it today. Today's youthful swing fans should hear it and realize what the truly hot stuff really sounds like!