Dated singing revisited

[Gerry O.]

[quote="alain"]I forgot to include my "username" in earlier post noting my appreciation of Gerry O's insights.....

That's OK....I forgot to include MY username in my "Thank You" response to your message....I guess that we're all still getting used to this new format!

[BobR]

Laura did you indicate on the OTR digest message board recently that you located a missing recording of a show from the 30"s and if so will it be available for purchase?

[LLeff]

Laura did you indicate on the OTR digest message board recently that you located a missing recording of a show from the 30"s and if so will it be available for purchase?

Well, I said that as an April Fool's gag. HOWEVER, I've got the next best thing. I'm awaiting some final paperwork, but I hope in the next few weeks to be able to make a significant announcement regarding these shows. Stay tuned!

[Roman]

The opinion that some have made of Dennis's singing being anachronistic is way off the mark. In the late 30s and 40s, just about every popular comedy or variety radio program had a tenor. It's a bit silly to assert that a singing style that is out of fashion today must also have been anachronistic 65 years ago. The plain fact is that Jack had a weekly audience of about 30 million. That's "American Idol" numbers in a country half the size of today's America. And, when all's said and done, isn't that the ultimate testimony to how "unfashionable" or "anachronistic" Dennis Day was to the audience of his day?

[shimp scrampi]

Well, I made an offhand remark to this effect in a post about the Harris-Faye show in another thread, so I suppose I should clarify.

I agree Dennis, and, before him, Kenny Baker, were probably the order of the day in the mid-30s - but, by the early '40s, Bing Crosby, Sinatra, and the rest started to change the face of popular music. Their stylistic influence can still be heard today. The "radio tenor" style, like it or not, really hasn't persisted. Dennis, and I'm happy about this, continued on the Benny show because he was a great cast member, and his singing, while certainly not stylish, particularly by the time the show was into the late '40s and '50s, certainly was pleasing, tolerable, or a good time for a bathroom break for a good share of the audience.

It's funny you mention "American Idol" because I think fifty years from now - god forbid that show persists - it will look even more corny and square too. The contestants on that program, much like Dennis, aren't going for what's new and innovative, basically they were/are shooting for a middle-of-the-road kind of general audience, with "standards" of today that are comparable to Dennis' choice of material and style. I'm sure it works for some people, it just doesn't for me. Some people like rutabagas, some don't. It's not an objective value judgement.

Once in awhile, with the right combo of material that is just intrinsically good stuff, and works for Dennis' voice , he can knock one out of the park for me, and I'll really enjoy it.

But, I'm doubting that those ratings numbers you cite represent people tuning in just for the sake of Dennis.