Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962 Film Soundtrack)

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Music reviews of Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962 Film Soundtrack)

Music Review: A PEFECT DAY
Rating: 5 Stars

The film was MGM's big holiday release during the 1962-63 movie season and starred the world's number one box-office attraction, Doris Day. The grosses, however, did not quite measure up to the blockbuster comedies Miss Day was making during that time, the film being labeled old-fashioned and corny. That does not diminish in any way the outstanding musical score of the film and the soundtrack does full justice to that score.

Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart composed the score for "Jumbo" for it's stage debut at the Hippodrome in New York City in the 1930's. They were at their peak as a team and "Jumbo" contains some of their finest work. George Stoll and his MGM musicians bring out the best in those songs and the arrangements effectively capture the magic and wonder of the Big-Top, in which the story is set.

Among the most famous songs from the score are "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", "My Romance", and "Little Girl Blue". For the film another Rodgers and Hart song was added from another score, "This Can't Be Love". It's a nice addition.

Doris Day has rarely sounded better, vocally. Her voice had taken on a maturity and depth, after twenty years of singing professionally, as well as a sensuality that is most affecting. From her exuberant "Over and Over Again" and "The Circus on Parade" to the poignant "My Romance" and the heartbreakingly real "Little Girl Blue", her phrasing, intonation and richness of tone as well as crystal clear diction are beyond reproach. She manages to brilliantly make the listener understand her character and the feelings swirling through her without the need to see even a frame of film.

Day's co-star Stephen Boyd did not do his own vocals in the film but his voice double renders a lusty version of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" with Stoll's orchestrations taking the listener on a breathtaking merry-go-round ride. One might wish that Jimmy Durante was utilized more since his unmistakable voice during the reprise of "Most Beautiful..." is a joy to listen to. Martha Raye, too, is not given a great deal of airtime but she makes the most of it and her harmonizing with Day on the underrated "Why Can't I" is a musical highlight.

The finale, "Sawdust, Spangles and Dreams" is a rousing and memorable showstopper and the title is certainly apropos.

If you want to hear Day at her vocal peak and have a wonderful representation of Rodgers and Hart at their best, then you'll not find much that is better than "Jumbo".

Description of Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962 Film Soundtrack)

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