DORIS DAY: Blonde on Blonde - Listen

[webmaster]

DORIS DAY: Blonde on Blonde (April 7th 2009, BBC Radio 2, 60mins)

"Mariella Frostrup celebrates iconic blonde Doris Day, the popular actress and Academy Award-winning singer with the girl-next-door appeal."

Listen / Download: http://www.box.net/shared/mxzv9fxenn

Great that there is still so much interest in Doris!

[Jas1]

Yes Samantha, it should be primarily about Doris' film career and I very much look forward to it. It is the first [of 3] weekly shows; the others are on Diana Dors and Marilyn Monroe.

This evening on radio they played Diana Dors from her 1960 album 'Swinging Dors' - which I have but have no device now to play! Anyhow, I'd forgotten just how good a singer Diana Dors was, very good indeed. The song they played was 'April Heart' - a little known gem.

Enjoy the show all.

[webmaster]

DORIS DAY: Blonde on Blonde (April 7th 2009, BBC Radio 2)

Listen / Download: http://www.box.net/shared/mxzv9fxenn

[Peter Flapper]

Hi Bryan,

Thank you so much for uploading this show, I wasn't able to hear it Live. You are a great webmaster and a true Doris Day fan!!!

P

[daybyday08]

I just got done listening to it. It was very interesting! I was surprised to hear some of the remarks. But, it was very good!

[webmaster]

Thanks Peter!

I haven't had time to listen to all of it yet.



The presenter, Mariella Frostrup, is well known on British TV and radio for her throaty voice and presents arts and discussion programs. She's very intelligent and a bit of a' women's liberation' character, so I would expect the program to be interesting, although someone else is credited with writing it, I'm sure she had an input.

Samantha, you'll have to develop a thicker skin about what the media say about Doris - she's a celebrity and criticism goes with the territory. But she gets far less than most stars and it's usually because she's seen as too 'nice' - the 'Miss Goodie Two-Shoes' label that she's had for most of her career.

[Jas1]

I really enjoyed to show and overall thought it was well balanced.

The BBC obviously used footage from their two interviews with Doris [from 1989 and 1994]. I was particularly interested in some of the footage not used in the TV shows, in particular, Doris' comment that she was heavily influenced by Billie Holiday's phrasing - we always hear of the Ella influence but it was Billie's interpreation of the lyric that got Doris - and Ella's tone.

[puck]

Thank you Bryan, to make it possible that we also can listen to the BBC Radio show.
I'm agree with Peter you are a great webmaster and a true Miss Day fan !
Thank you !

[webmaster]

Thank you, Puck! Must be my Day for getting compliments.

And I know you were 'just saying' Samantha! I'm 'just saying' as well!

I've heard Doris mention Billie Holiday several times, Jas. Doris' voice seemed a lot more jazzy when she first started, probably the Ella & Billie influence. I think the Warner Brothers 'experience' turned it into a more 'popular singer' style. But I love her voice however she pitches it.

I made a YouTube ages ago of Billie singing "Love Me or Leave Me" - very different from Doris, but both singers are excellent doing it.

[webmaster]

Must remember to try and listen tomorrow night to the one on Diana Dors.

I listened to the program on Doris last night and I'm afraid to say I thought it was the same old story. I could have put it together myself. With the exception of one item, I had heard it all so many times before that it was almost boring. Doris Day for people who knew nothing about her. Wikipedia Doris Day with a few songs thrown in. But it probably wasn't aimed at people like me - would you make an hour long program explaining the basic story of Jesus to the Pope? They even used voice clips from BBC TV interviews that I've listened to a lot recently.

The only new thing I heard was that when her composer/arranger Ray Heindorf's job came up for renewal after 20 years or so at the studio he was told that Doris would have to approve it by hiring him to work on her next film as she was, by then, "queen of the studio lot". She didn't.

Although, for me, it was uninspiring, it was still about Doris and I listened with interest, but I was left feeling disappointed.

BTW - I'm not getting any notifications about replies to posts - anyone else having that problem?

[howard]

"The only new thing I heard was that when her composer/arranger Ray Heindorf's job came up for renewal after 20 years or so at the studio he was told that Doris would have to approve it by hiring him to work on her next film as she was, by then, "queen of the studio lot". She didn't."

Bryan, I'm pretty sure that was Sammy Cahn speaking. He needed a job, and spoke to DD about it. She told him she would speak to someone, but it never happened for him.

[webmaster]

You could be right, Howard, I could have got them mixed up, they were both being mentioned at the same time.

Maybe download and listen, Howard?

[daybyday08]

I thought I heard that it was Sammy Cahn too. That's so sad that he lost his job. I really hope that he misread the situation and that somebody else got him fired.

[joe]

I really appreciated the comments of Vladimir Ashkenazy near the end of the program:

"She always sang absolutely clean, very musical. Unaffected, straight to the point. Wonderful."

[Pettles]

Does anyone know if this download is still available? It seems like it is not downloading fully for me.

animal lover.

[webmaster]

Yes, it is still okay - I just tested it - it's 51MB so it you have a slow connection it may take a while - with a fast connection it only takes a few minutes. You can also listen to it where I've posted it.

[Pettles]

Finally got it to work, but didn't reply when I did. Sorry about that.

So, thank you very much.