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MMD > Archives > September 1999 > 1999.09.02 > 02Prev  Next


Mechanical Music in the Movies & "Wabash Blues"
By Brian Smith

Here's a couple entries for the list of Mechanical Music on the silver
screen:

The 1945 movie "Nob Hill" with George Raft and Vivian Blaine takes
place in ragtime era San Francisco.  George Raft runs a saloon, and in
the back of the saloon is an upright player piano.  You can hear it
throughout the movie, but there's a nice scene with Vivian Blaine
sitting at the piano and singing with a word roll.

In "Ziegfeld Girl" with Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Jimmy Stewart; Lana
Turner goes into a speakeasy.  In the back of the speakeasy is a
Cremona style "A".  The bartender goes over and drops a coin in the
slot and the Cremona lights up.  The tune it plays is "The Wabash
Blues".  It sounds like it could be a Capitol arrangement on an A roll
from the late twenties.  Does anyone know the roll number with this
version of "The Wabash Blues"?

Brian Smith

 [ This data courtesy Rob DeLand: "Wabash Blues" was recorded in
 [ 1921 by an unknown artist for Columbia Music Roll Co.  The song
 [ was issued on 88-note rolls as Columbia 228 and Supertone 5158.
 [ Beginning in January 1922 the song appears on ten different Columbia
 [ 10-tune A-rolls, numbers 1638, 1642, 1647, 1651, 1655, 1661, 1679,
 [ 1690, 1691 and 1701.  It certainly was popular!
 [ -- Robbie


(Message sent Thu 2 Sep 1999, 19:42:15 GMT, from time zone GMT-0700.)

Key Words in Subject:  Blues, Mechanical, Movies, Music, Wabash

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