Oct. 10, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 10/10/25 Edition

Show Notes
Transcript

The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s.

On this week's program: A trivia question about a dance enjoyed by young and old alike, a groundbreaking female vocalist, some songs from the 30s that rocked in the 50s - plus many more great records and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's broadcast.

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It's make Believe Ballom time. Put all your cares away.

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All the bands are here to bring.

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Good cheer your way.

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It's make Belief Ballroom time and free to everyone. It's

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no time to friend your Dalis said bombs, close your

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eyes and visual lie in your solitude. Your favorite bands

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are on this stance, and mister Miller w you in

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the boot.

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It's make Believe Ballom time.

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We are a sweet romance.

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As you make bottle.

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Come on, Jon, Last dance, Last, Hello world. I'm Jeff Presler,

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turning on the lights of the Make Believe Ballroom and

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welcoming you into my Crystal studio for another program of

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classic big band hits from the nineteen thirties and forties.

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Please get ready as I play for you some amazing

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big band jazz, swing, blues, and boogie woogie favorites. Folks,

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you're listening to the Make Believe Ballroom, broadcasting almost continuously

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since nineteen thirty five, and hi friends, once again, welcome

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into the Crystal studio. As I prepare to well, I

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prepare to regale you with an eclectic mixture of a

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big band tunes and tails. So let's get swinging with

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this first selection.

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No, I don't anything. I haven't anything, let anything. Let ahead.

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That was Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra with Deep River,

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recorded on Victor Records, February the seventeenth, nineteen forty one.

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Let me play one more song while I now ask

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you to ponder this trivia question. The question is what

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bandleader invented the beloved conga line? Interestingly enough, a tradition

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that started with a nineteen thirties and forties orchestra continues

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to this very day at celebrations. I'm sure everybody has

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either willfully participated in or was forced to participate in

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a conga line somewhere along the line as you celebrated

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an event. Let me just give you a quick clue.

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It wasn't Xavier Cougart. The answer to that question, though,

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after I spin this.

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One, do.

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They take the times even status? The third Passing the Sway,

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the Sapping the Sea is the Sas.

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The Sour, recorded in New York City, February the fifteenth,

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nineteen thirty seven for Decca Records, and the Kirk and

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His Cloud of Joy with Wednesday Night Hop. I'm Jeff Bresler,

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and you are listening to the one the only the

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original Make Believe Ballroom coming to you today from my

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Crystal studio. So I handed out a little trivia assignment

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prior to the Kirk record, and the question was what

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band leader invented the beloved conga line, A tradition that

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started with a nineteen thirties and forties orchestra that continues

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at celebrations to this very day, done by both the

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young and old alike. And you can't say that about

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many dances. And I also told you that it wasn't

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Xavier Cougar, so who was it. Well, in the late

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nineteen thirties and early forties, he and his orchestra specialized

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in conga music. He was able to blend Latin percussion

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with American swing made that fusion. He became popular and

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he was a regular performer with his orchestra in New

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York City at the La Conga Club. He went on

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to appear in the movies in the forties and eventually

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moved over to television, where he led what was possibly

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the most famous TV orchestra of all time. On TV,

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he didn't perform at the Lacanga Club, but rather the

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Tropicana Nightclub. His band was given the fictitious name of

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Ricky Ricardo and his orchestra on that TV program The

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Beloved I Love Lucy with Lucille Ball. He was the

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Cuban born Latin bandleader Dessi Arnez, who at the very

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Lacanga Club in New York City invented the conga line.

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They raved about Sloppy Jewel, the Latin lafario, but Havana

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has a new sensation. He's really a modest guy, although

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he's the hottest.

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Guy in Havana. And here's what he tells to say.

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They call me Cuban peete.

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I'm the king of the room, a pet.

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When I play the marak as, I go chick chickibum,

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chick chickiboo. Yes, sir, I'm Cuban Peete. I'm the craze

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of my native street. When I start to dance, everything

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goes chick chickibum chick chicky boom.

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That's saying, your readers.

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They sing and how they swing with this rumbo it's.

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Very nice, soft, full of spies.

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And when they're dancing, they bring a happy ring ever

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a girl singing a song all the nail. So if

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you like the peet, take a lesson from Cuban Peete,

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and I'll teach you to chick chickibum chick chickibum, chick

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chick ibum.

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See saying you read that, I know that you will

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like the cheeky boom.

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Houses the dance of Latin romance and human. It doesn't

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teach you in a hurry like God for Curry.

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You're now in Havana and there's always Maniana.

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So saying you reader, please take it easy, do it

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with ease, and you'll.

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Love it when you do.

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The chick chick chick abun, chick chick abun, chick chick

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chick chick chick abum, chick chick abum chick chickibum.

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Perhaps not a conga, but rather a rumba we just

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listened to. That was composed in nineteen thirty six, and

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it would become, along with bob Aloo, a signature number

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for Desi Arnez, who performed it in a nineteen forty

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six musical film called Cuban Pete from RCA Victor Records.

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Cuban Pete by Desi Arnez and his orchestra vocal by

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Desi and Amanda Lane, recorded back in nineteen forty six

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Desi Arnez. So next time you're at a wedding or

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a celebration on the conga line, you could say that

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it was invented by Ricky Ricardo aka one Desi Arnez.

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The Baible, recorded July the twelfth, nineteen thirty nine, at

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RCA Victor's Studio Number two in New York City for

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their Bluebird label. We just heard Indianna by Earl Hines

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and his Orchestra. Why don't I now flip that one over?

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Indiana was the B side of that Bluebird record? What

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was on the A side? On Riding and Drive in

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Neural Hines and his Orchestra the A side of that

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Bluebird record, recorded July the twelfth, nineteen thirty nine. I'm

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Jeff Bresler, and you're listening to the weekly edition of

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the Make Believe Ballroom. I'm so happy you're joining in

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listening to this classic big band music along with me.

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I want to take a few moments to tell you

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about a female singer who was extremely popular. Her sweet

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spot was from nineteen thirty four to thirty seven, where

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she served as the key vocalist for Benny Goodman and

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his orchestra. I'm talking about Helen Ward. She was extremely

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talented and in my estimation, she was a groundbreaker in

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many ways, but by choice, she cut her career short

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after she married Albert Marx, the jazz producer and manager,

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in nineteen thirty six. She went on after that to

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continue singing, but in a more targeted way. Now Albert

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Marx might sound familiar. I spoke about him on a

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recent program as the person who had the Benny Goodman

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Carnegie Hall concert back in nineteen thirty eight recorded for posterity.

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It was a non commercial recording that he made, but

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it was eventually released to the public in nineteen fifty.

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And I also think it was the great sound engineer

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Harry Smith who Marx asked to record the evening using

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just one hanging microphone. Was a covert kind of recording.

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But that's another story for another time. Now back to Helen.

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I said that Helen Ward was a groundbreaker, and I

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say that because she will always be remembered as one

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of the finest female singers of the early swing era,

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who was later emulated by vocalists like Helen Forrest. For example,

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she was among the early quote unquote girl singers. Now

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that term was not meant by me to be derogatory.

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Was the phrase used back then to describe female vocalists.

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It was mostly men who held those big band vocalist positions,

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and Helen Ward was one of the first to serve

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in the role of lead band vocalist as a female.

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So let's honor Helen with a couple of Benny Goodman records.

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So you met someone who sent your bags on your nail?

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Good you good e.

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Don't you met someone and now you know how it

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feels good?

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Good?

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So you gave her y'all haunt you just as I

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gave mine to you, and she broke in a little pieason.

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Now how do you do?

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Don't fly away to singing the blues all night?

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Don't you think that loves the ball? Dyn the mine

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for rain?

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Hello, you had to coming to you, to her, to

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to bore me and to hope you're satisfied.

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You ran you Goody Goody spent four weeks at number

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one on the weekly Your Hit Parade Survey from Victor Records.

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The Johnny mercer Maddie Malnik written song by Benny Goodman

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and his orchestra vocal by Helen Ward, recorded in Chicago

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January the twenty fourth, nineteen thirty six, and of course

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Goody Goody went on to become a huge hit for

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Frankie Lyman What is the name of his group Frankie

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Lyman and the Teenagers with their rock and roll version

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of Goody Goodye, which they recorded in nineteen fifty seven.

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Let me play another one by Helen Ward. So why

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don't we go looking at the playlist here? Why don't

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we go to a radio remote? This one from February seventeenth,

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nineteen thirty six, broadcast on NBC Radio from Chicago's Congress Hotels.

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You live in like a Bomby breeze in the night

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is may you hit the nink coolm.

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In June upon the summary day you hit my instormation.

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I had to fall, Thank you God so much loss

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the bottle. You hit this fall like a person embrace.

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Wins and on his hide us as a bot, I

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BENNI my fireside.

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Matter of factly don't know exactly what it is the

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new God, but you.

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He's the spot.

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Now. Benny Goodman and his half all of the blaze of.

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Benny Goodman and his orchestra with a vocal by Helen

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Ward the song titled you Hit the Spot. I love

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those old radio remotes that were brought into folks living

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rooms throughout the twenties, thirties, and forties. Two songs sung

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by the wonderful Helen Ward. Thanks for joining me today

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on the Make Believe Ballroom. We're coming to you from

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the Crystal Studio and broadcast to our affiliates across the

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USA and in the United Kingdom by the Public Radio

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Exchange PRX, the PACIFICA Network, and Global Community Radio, as

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well as independently distributed to many stations by the one

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and Only Me. Anyway you've gotten here, I am delighted

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that you're joining us on the Ballroom today. I'm going

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to hold now the next segment of the show in

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abeyance because I was thinking, as a result of the

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Helen Ward Benny Goodman tunes, a couple of side notes

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that came to mind while I was listening to the songs.

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I mentioned that Frankie Lyman recorded Goodie Goodie in nineteen

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fifty seven, so that brought to mind another record from

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a female vocalist who in the early nineteen thirties sang

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a tune that also received a later early rock and

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roll revival.

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You saw me standing alone. You will follow dreams in my.

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Will follow all of my.

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You knew jaws.

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While I was, You heard me.

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Saying a prayer.

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Some one I really could care.

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And then there's suddenly appear before me, the only one

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whom my arms will ever hold. I heard somebody will.

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Please adore me.

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When I love the moon had turned to go. Now

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I no longer alone without a dream, in my home,

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without alone of my own.

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You saw me standing.

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All without a dreaming my heart.

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Without a law.

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Of my own.

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Bloom. You knew job what I will.

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You heard me say a prayer fall some one I

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really could care.

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And then there's suddenly a fear before.

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Me, the only one my arms will have a home.

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I heard somebody was firstly a doorm and when I looked,

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the moon.

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Had turned to bow mo without a dreaming with all.

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My Connie Boswell on Brunswick Records with a big hit

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for her Blue Moon, recorded back in nineteen thirty five,

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and much like Goody Goody, Blue Moon had a doop

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version that was sung by the Marcels and it was

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recorded in nineteen sixty one. You know It's interesting that

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groups like Frankie Lyman and the Marcels went back to

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the music of the nineteen thirties and forties to use.

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I guess well many of the early rock and roll

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and du op artists perhaps were brought up on listening

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to big band music on the radio when they were young,

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or maybe playing their parents' record collections. Blue Moon just

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a side journey here in this week's edition of The

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Make Believe Ballroom, and I thought of that song while

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listening to Goody Goody, And now as the wheels spin again,

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I have another thought in my mind. Of these doop

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early rock and roll remakes just came to my mind.

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I need to find it on the playlist, so bear

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with me for a moment. I have to move over

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to the other computer here. Nothing worse than dead air

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on the radio. Hold on, I'm on one of my

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playlist computers.

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I found it.

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Now I need to press this button and you should

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have it.

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Are the scarss out to night? I don't know if

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it's cloudy upright, because.

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I only have O oh, you dear.

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The moon may be high, but I can't see a

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thing in the sky because I only have E F

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you I don't know if we're in a god.

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I'm all rather crowded.

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Of you.

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Here, Soma. Maybe millions of people go far, but they

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all disappear.

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From you.

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My Only Have Eyes.

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All from Columbia Records. I Only Have Eyes for You

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composed by Harry Warren and Al Dubin Ben Selvin and

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his orchestra, vocal by Howard Phillips, recorded in New York

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City June the twenty eighth, nineteen thirty four, and remade

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into a dua pit in nineteen fifty nine by the

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legendary Flamingos. I also think Art Garfunkle covered that song.

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Not one hundred percent sure there, but I think he did.

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Well.

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Nevertheless, I said that during the Helen ward segment, I

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was thinking of some other things in addition to rock

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and roll and duop, and when I played you hit

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the Spot the radio remote with Helen and Benny, it

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got me to thinking about the songwriting duo of Mac

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Gordon and Harry Revel, who composed that great song. So

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I don't have to pull my dead air routine like

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when I was looking for I Only Have Eyes for You.

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I'm going to play a tune and then let you know,

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if I found what I'm looking.

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For any.

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Am, it would.

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Recorded in New York City on the twenty ninth of

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June nineteen thirty nine for Columbia Records Savoy Stampede, Benny

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Carter and his orchestra. I'm Jeff Wrestler and this is

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the Make Believe Ballroom. So I found the clip I

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was looking for. I spoke before Benny Carter of the

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songwriting duo of Mac Gordon and Harry Revel for our

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longtime listeners. You know, I enjoy playing records where composers

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also sang their own works. I've played records by Well, Hogy,

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Carmichael how I hate to get up in Irving Berlin,

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George Gershwin, let's see Cole Porter, of course, and who else?

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Harold Arland. I played songs that he's done and a

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few more. Well mac Gordon. He wrote the lyrics for

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a song that saw Eddie dutchin chieve number one hit status.

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It was also recorded by Bing Crosby, Al Bowley and

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a host of others. Guy Lombardo, I think, also recorded

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this song, but lyricist Mac Gordon put his own music

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to voice.

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Did you ever see it? Re Well? I did.

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Did you ever hear a dream talking? Well?

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I did?

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Did you ever have a dream?

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Will you with?

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Will you be by?

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Oh it's all grand and it's too too dim mine.

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Did you ever see a dream? Nancy relied? Did you

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ever see a dream?

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Wrong?

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Nancy?

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Well I did? Did you ever mine heaven fide in

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your arms saying.

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I love you?

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An well? The dream that was walking and the dream

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that was talking, and the.

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Heaven in marm of you?

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Did you ever see a dream? Walking? Written by Harry Revel,

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the lyrics by Mac Gordon, published in nineteen thirty three,

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And we just had the pleasure of hearing the actual

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lyricist Mac Gordon sing his own song.

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Mm hmm.

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Ain't she sweet? See her comment on the street? Now

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ask you very confidentially, ain't she sweet?

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Ain't she nice?

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Look proverty once on twice? Now ask you very confidentially,

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ain't she nice?

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Just casting?

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Uh in her direction?

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Oh me, oh my, ain't that perfection?

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Solidude?

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I read?

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Take it out? Don't you think she is neat? And

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as you very co and she's sweet? Yes?

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And I in that direction, popa and dig that job

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for two.

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And pops, that's perfection sent take it Baby.

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Solidude, I read be that's a fun thing.

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Go down the street?

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Do you dig me?

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I mean confidentially?

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And she's me.

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Ain't she sweet? On Vocalion Records, recorded April the seventh,

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nineteen thirty nine, Jimmy Lunceford and his Trio featuring the

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vocals of Truemy Young and cy Oliver. This is Jeff Prestler,

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and you're listening over the radio today to the Make

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Believe Ballroom the same way many listeners enjoyed this very

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program over the years since its inception in nineteen thirty five.

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He wasn't born in nineteen thirty five. But many of

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you may wonder why Lenny from Down the Block, who

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was the producer emeritus of the Ballroom, has not been

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presenting his record Picks of the Week. An explanation to follow,

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not any.

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Yeah, I think the.

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Paper and doing anything. Rever revers.

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Features Good Queen Best, a well known composition by Johnny Hodges,

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released by the Johnny Hodges Orchestra in nineteen forty three

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on the Bluebird Record label. So why no Lenny from

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down the Block? Well, if you've been listening he several

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weeks back, it's probably more than a month ago, he

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went on an RV trip along with his wife and

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a whole bunch of friends who also own RV's. They

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formed a caravan. He came back from that. It was

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in Texas and he and his wife cooked. Then flew

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from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale and headed on a cruise.

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They came back from that. I spoke to Lenny. He said,

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they love the cruise and now they have this insane idea.

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Lenny and his wife Cookie, They've decided on a trial

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basis to go on and around the world cruise. Yes, folks,

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you can buy a condo stateroom on a ship and

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sail the world. If they like the trial, they will

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be out to sea for the foreseeable future. Lenny, my friend,

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you sold more pizzas at your Palermo palace in Brooklyn

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than one could imagine to now live the life of royalty.

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So a little seafaring record for you. When my ship

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comes in Kate Smith on Decca Records from nineteen thirty four.

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I'll have a golden castle, grand and hall with eighteen

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butlers standing in the hall and Walter Disney paintings on

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the ball. When my ship comes in I'll leave the

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choice of autos up to you. And if you think

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a big Rolls Royce will do, I think I'll play

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it safe an.

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Order to.

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When my ship comes in a by Barnum and Bailey and.

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Boo right next door.

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They'll give two performances daily for the kids who never

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saw show before in golden chairs. Will step our tea

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for two. I'll have Jack Miller here to play for you.

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I'll have been Crosbie singing Boo.

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When my ship comes in, I'll buy out every ice

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cream factory. All the kids can come and get it every.

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And I'll throw all the spinnach in mussy.

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When my ship comes in, I'll buy him all all

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the public schools inside and all day long.

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I'll haven't closed up.

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