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
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