'Little Girl Blue'

I just this week received an ebay order of The Dean Martin Show Volume 3. It is a compilation VHS of several moments of Dean's 60' show. Peggy is featured singing this Rodgers and Hart song, "Little Girl Blue" The show was filmed in 1967. She looks great and sounds great. After her solo performance, Dean joins her for a good medley. My one and only problem with this medley is that Greg Garrison, the producer talks over the beginning of it. He is, however, talking about Peggy's legend and how Dean admired her. This is brief so you do get to see most of the medley.

I just wanted to pass this along in case any of you want to make the purchase. This period is when I first became aware of Peggy on television on a regular basis after I had become hooked on her. She really looks and sounds great. In trying to find it, you will have to search under Dean Martin as I don't this comes up under a Peggy Lee search.

Ron

Thanks for the information, Ron and Becky. Could you tell me the title of just one or two songs from the medley? I'd also love to know the catalogue number of both the VHS and DVD versions, plus the year in which they were released.

I saw that performance of "Little Girl Blue" once. I have to say that it left no impression whatsoever on me. I obviously have to watch it a second time.

Ivan

Hello Ivan,

Regarding the Dean Martin Show mentioned above - She not only sang/performed 'Little Girl Blue', but also 'Walking Happy'. If you were not impressed with 'Little Girl Blue' you should take another viewing - it is done very well. The only thing that bothers me a bit, and it has nothing to do with her performance, is that the techs did not have the lighting positioned properly so there is shadow reflected from her left eye lash. This show was taped and aired in 1967. It was released by Guthy-Renker Entertainment in 2003 - I do not see any catalogue number.

The songs in the medley are 'Just You, Just Me', 'For You', 'The Very Thought Of You', 'You're Driving Me Crazy', 'Go Where You Go (Do What You Do)'.

Becky

I'm so upset. I thought I was ordering a DVD but received a VHS instead. My copy is a compilation of Dean Martin shows and Peggy doesn't do "Walking Happy" on it. I hope I haven't overlooked it, but I thought I went through the whole tape.

The list of songs and the date are listed on the "Peggy on TV" section of this site, but "Little Girl Blue" is omitted from the roster.

Becky, is yours a different release from "The Best of The Dean Martin Show Volume 3"?

Iv?n, I have to agree that you should have another listen to "Little Girl Blue" I do admit that I didn't like it as much on the first listen, but now I play it every evening. The duet with Peggy and Dean is interesting. Peggy is very subtle about it, but she seem to be cueing Dino. They seem to really enjoy each other and enjoy singing together. They look at each other throughout the whole medley. I know Peggy was fond of Italian men from some comments she made about Mike Renzi in concert and at the Ballroom.

I read that the arranger had a tough time with their duets due to the vocal range of each.

Ron

Hello Ron,

The VHS you bought has the only footage currently available to be purchased. Which is her performance of 'Little Girl Blue', and the duet with Dean Martin.

I have the whole show on tape, there by having the entire performance. She performed 'Walking Happy' prior to 'Little Girl Blue'.

Becky

Becky and Ron,

Thanks once again.

Ron, now that Becky told me the release year (2003) and label (Guthy-Renker Entertainment) could you tell me the video's number? Thanks in advance. (I ask because I plan to eventually include VHS and DVD in the discography.)

Oh, it's obvious that I have to hear "Little Girl Blue" again. I'm not saying that it wasn't well done -- we are talking about Peggy, after all -- just that my first viewing did not leave much of an impression. However, I am well aware that part of my reaction is due to another singer's "interference" -- I have become very used to Anita O'Day version of the song, as I have played it a lot.

Ivan

Iv?n,

This is very odd -- my video has a 2002 copyright. It is a Guthy-Renker distribution and the only number I see is DVSL003. Does that help?

Now, on another subject - without starting a riot, I truly am stunned that you are a fan of Anita O'Day. Now, take into consideration how many definitions there are of "stunned". I, too, like so many genres of music, but they are, for instance, Mamas and Papas, Dionne Warwick, Mabel Mercer, Bernadette Peters, Sting, Annie Lennox, Linda Ronstadt. None of these is so dramatic a departure from the Peggy Lee style as Anita O'Day.

I saw Anita O'Day once in a lounge in Vegas. I was entertained, but her delivery is so dramatically different. For one thing, I couldn't differentiate her from the wait staff (she was clothed in a very "Wal-Mart" smock) until she hit the stage. I don't know... I try not to close myself off from anyone producing good product... perhaps I should give Ms. O'Day another listen. I have a couple of her recordings, but they have never grabbed me.

This is all to say that "you just never know". My comments are certainly no criticism... that's not what I think music is all about. Whatever grabs you, grabs you. It's just a topic for discussion.

Back on the Dean Martin release, I'll be searching ebay for the release (hopefully in DVD form) that Becky has.

Love to all,
Ron

Regarding Anita O'Day, get "Anita Sings The Winners," and you'll understand why she is so highly regarded. Her interpretation of "Body and Soul" is astounding -- what she does with the melody and the lyric are phenomenal. She finds fresh insights and unexpected treasures in songs we've all heard a zillion times. There's no doubt Peggy could have sung this way had she chosen. Again and again she navigated highly difficult songs (the whole "Mirrors" album) with ease and again and again she told tire-treaded songs ("Whisper Not" and transformed them into new experiences. Some singers commit to experimentation (Mark Murphy, onetime Capitol labelmate) and some to songs strictly as written (Anne Murray, onetime Capitol labelmate).

Neither is better than other, just different.

Wayne in Chicago

Ivan, there is a number written on my DVD, it is very hard to read. It looks like GUT1DC010MSD010 CPU USA M03--02 -

Ron, you can purchase a new DVD of 'The Best of the Dean Martin Variety Show - Volume 3' from www.DeanVariety.com . However, it will not have Miss Lee performing 'Walking Happy'. They did not include her entire performance on the DVD.

Becky

Thanks once more, Ron and Becky. Definitely helps.

Ron, Anita is actually one of my favorite singers! The fact that I like her doesn't mean that I'm blind to some of her shortcomings, though. A lot of her post-1960's material is practically the same set of songs over and over, with variations done in the name of (melodic, jazz) improvisation. With her favorite scat phrase (ga ga ga) used so often, she also runs the risk of making you gag at times.

Ah, but at her peak in the 1950's and 1960's, when she was good, she was really good. Her versions of "Sweet Georgia Brown," "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Tea for Two" are marvels of inventiveness. Her ballads "When Sunny Gets Blue," "Little Girl Blue" and "All the Sad Young Man" rate as the very best versions of those songs, in my book. I'm also very partial to a few other numbers of hers, including various uptempo pieces from the album mentioned by Wayne ("Four Brothers," in particular) and from her Latinized album with Cal Tjader (especially her approach to "An Occasional Man".

That eulogy finished, I definitely agree with your point that we can't all possibly like the exact same singers. Doubtlessly, there are other singers who you care about and I don't, or that people would think I should care for ... and I don't. One example (or maybe I should say one confession): Doris Day.

Incidentally, Peggy and Anita are said to have been good friends for some time, but eventually they had a falling out.

Ivan

Thank you Wayne and Iv?n for the recommendations for Anita O'Day selections. I will look for these releases. When I saw Ms O'Day in the 80's, I guess I was marking her on the "Peggy" scale, which is not a good thing to do.

I must admit...I like some Tammy Wynette and even some bluegrass offerings, so I'm not narrow-minded when it comes to good performances of any genre. It's just that on this website, I'm in a different mindset. My bad.

Ron

A mystery: I recently bought the aforementioned DVD (volume 3), only to discover that there were no Peggy Lee performances in it.

Since Ron's comments make it clear that the performances are in the VHS, my question is strictly about the DVD.

Could it be that "Little Girl Blue" appears in a different DVD volume? Unfortunately, Becky hasn't posted in years ... Does anybody else here has the Guthy-Renker or the Life-Time DVD where that performance can be found?

Ivan

Hi Ivan,

I was surprised when I read that you were not a fan of Doris Day. I've never been "gung ho" but I did enjoy some of her early work with Columbia during late 40s but it wasn't until her album with Andre Previn that I enjoyed her most then I drifted. I sort of stopped enjoying her when she started shouting her high notes 1950s. I did enjoy her tender rendition of "Little Girl Blue" from Jumbo. I wish Peggy had made a studio recording of "Little Girl Blue." I do agree Doris never reached the status of the artist that Peggy was. I could let some of Ms. Day's albums go but none of Peggy's. I have always admired your taste! Thank you for all the fantastic work you do for this board. Hope your move went well. All the best in the New Year!

Regards,
michael W.

Thanks for that, Michael. Well, I don't dislike Doris. On the contrary, I have a lot of respect for the lady. I do think that her voice is appealing, and so is her personality. It's just that her singing doesn't have much of an effect on me -- not even in that tasteful album with Previn, which is widely and justly acknowledged as her very best. I can honestly call it a great album with great singing, yet I can't say that it has any emotional impact on me.

That said, I love her album of bossa nova and Latin numbers, Latin for Lovers. It's too bad that she stopped recording shortly afterwards; I like the maturing sound of her voice in the mid-1960s.

An earlier rendition of hers that I also love is "Night Life" (co-authored by Willie Nelson). But even in that number there are parts in which her approach doesn't fully appeal to me.

I think you are on to something when you mention the higher notes. Even when she is singing in a quiet manner, her way of singing often suggests to me Broadway and the theater. I tend to prefer singers whose style is rooted in the blues -- independently of whether their singing comes off as loud or "quiet."

By the way, I have been told that Doris liked Peggy's singing quite a bit. She's said so, off the record.

There's actually one particular song from the 1940s (I forgot its title) in which Doris seems to be channeling Peggy.

Doris recorded Peggy's composition "Just an Old Love of Mine," too.

Ivan