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"THINGS I FORGOT TO TELL YOU" by PHIL MOORE

SHOWBOAT" Couple times while tip-to'in' blackly through white corporate mine fields of the industry with my antenae up (all the time), I've stepped into some "mess" that I just couldn't shake off my shoes. Such as the instance when I was conducting the M.G.M orchestra scoring some backgrounds to a rather sensual scene behind Lena Horne. I had been at the studio for about four years, and by now, was one of a pool of orchestrators and arrangers they had under contract. For nearly two years they would not permit me to orchestrate any scores that needed violins and strings, but I was the "The Man" when it came to jazzy big band production numbers, and we had to sound "hot". The syndrome was, I presume, "How would a colored person know anything about strings and all that legit stuff?" However, with the success of my "hot" charts, Finston finally spoke to somone about my background, and they gave me a shot at writing for the whole thing. And, after trying me out on a few unimportant string sessions, they finally let me use the complete orchestra. This was one of those sessions. We had been recording all morning. Everyone, including my immediate boss, the music director of the film, Georgie Stoll, seemed to like my chart. The sound department had done a great job in balancing all the little sensual sensative sounds I had scored. Now was the big moment. (more) -2 - "SHOWBOAT"

The producer, Arthur Freed, was coming on stage to hear the piece played along with the rought cut of the film (Through the grapevine we had heard he had been up all night with an ill friend who had finally died. Great time to hear my music) The first thing that happened when Mr. Freed walked on the stage was a big argument with Georgie--probably about some "gin"game money he owed Freed. (I heard that some guys secured their jobs by losing to producers and executives at "gin." They'd have a hard time firing a guy until he'd paid his gambling debts.) After this altercation Mr. Freed came over to me, put his arm around my shoulder, for I was one of his fair-haired boys at the time, and ordered the film to be run once again with my music background.... He and I watched it. Of course all his inferiors watched ~hg.. When it was finished he had a disturbed look (his coterie assumed a like attitude). He thought a moment, then requested that it be run again--by this time his arm was no longer around me. Third run through finished, he addressed me very kindly , explaining that my music just "missed." "Didn't seem to catch the the feeling of the scene. Wasn't quite "on track" with the dramatic aspects of the scene. He was going to ask Georgie to have one of the other guys do a version of music for the scene. Then he would have that version also recorded, and would make a decision as to which he preferred. Having more than a little interest in which track he would select, I went to the recording stage a few mornings later when they recorded the other man's version. I thought it was very good, but really not much better than mine, at best. (more) ......

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Mr. Freed came down, greeted us all and asked that the film and the two versions be screened. After watching them both he made his choice.. After making his selection, on the way out, he stopped by to console me, "Phil, did you see how all the factors were right on target? Every little nuance was caught, and it was so sexy. You can't win 'em all, Kiddo. Don't worry, we all miss sometime. Giving me a reassuring smile (I hope meaning, "It's all right, you 're still working"), he gathered his entourage and left... Later on...Someone must have told him. He had chosen my music.... Do you know, Mr. Freed never spoke another word to me again in his life?

Shortly af ter that I left M.G.M. because, altho I know Mr. Finston had tried very hard, he just couldn't get the front office to accept signing a colored man as a full music director with credits and everything. At least that's what he told me. and I believed him. After nearly five years, and working on about forty films, I thought I had "auditioned" enough. Anyway, all the time I had been there I was coaching singers, writing for bands, and setting acts in my spare time, so I wasn't without work. I had also written "Shoo-Shoo, Baby,"a pop song that was acheiving great popularity. In fact it was number one on the Hit Parade for seventeen weeks.

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My duplex studio was located one door off the Sunset Strip on Hilldale. Dorothy Dandridge lived downstairs, and I had the two upper floors. Practically right across the street on Sunset was a hamburger joint where Marilyn and Harold Lewis were doing there own cooking and serving. -They called this little store-front operation "Hamburger Hamlet." (They've done pretty good since then....You betchal") One day I got a call from George Rosenburg, a movie personality personal manager, asking me if I had time to work with one of his clients, Ava Gardner... Now who wouldn't have time for Ava Gardner? She had been cast as Julie in the re-make film version of "Showboat" being made at Metro, and at this point Arthur Freed, the producer, wouldn't let her actually sing on the soundtrack. I understand he had told her something subtle like, "Ava, you can't sing".... Of course I agreed to have a consultation with Miss Gardner, and she came by my studio. She explained that she used to sing when she was a kid, but hadn't sung for long long time. On top of that, she was "scared to death" of microphones. Yet she was determined to get to sing and record at least one song in the film. (You can see that George did me a favor!). But she was such a wildly beautiful thing, and had a great speaking voice....We just had to give it a shot... It was a "shot in the dark" too, because, although her singing voice wasn't at all bad, but the singing voice is rather like a muscle that she hadn't used it in years. Due to her shooting schedule, we had to rehearse in the evening, and with only a small piano light on, 'cause she got "spooked" seeing the microphone! (more)

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This made things a bit rough for me since I was "going steady" with Dorothy Dandridge at the time. And she'd pop up through my backdoor every evening, and catch us performing in the dark. Needless to say, this didn't set too well with Miss "D.") As I understand it, Ava was an exceptionally beautiful country-type girl from either North or South Carolina. Probably han't even worn shoes very much, when Mickey Rooney spotted her, and, to make a short story tall, had captivated this lithesome beauty's heart, married her, and carried her off to Jollywood. At that time, he was under contract to M.G.M. While Ava was hanging around the lot with Mickey, someone of import saw her and decided she should be in pictures. And, all of a sudden, she was co-starring in films. She didn't know anything about acting (she has learned since..in spadesi, and was harshly criticized by reviewers for not being able to act. This gave her a deep complex. Despite the fact she was now a contracted Metro artist, working at acting continuously, and constantly improving, there was strain and pain in each assignment stemming from her inferiority complex. While coaching with me she was also seeing a psychiatrist to help her iron out her difficultiles. Man, she was "acting out" eertbhin short short dresses (for that time); being rather coarse and loud in her speech; cursing whenever she felt like it; sitting in unfeminine positions with dress up to hereL..And no drawers!. (And in comes Dorothy... You see, there are problems in every field.) (more) "SHOWBOAT"

Fortunately, it took a little time, before they were ready to record the score at the studio. This gave us enough time to get ready to try to get Freed to change his mind. I thought the best way to show Ava was by making a "demo" of her singing one of the "Showboat" songs. We went into Radio Recorders Studios and kept making "takes" of the song until we finally got one just about as good as she was going to do at that time. I asked Radio Recorders make a couple copies of the acetate dub with the same "take" on both sides of the disk. We fabled the sides "A"and "B", though they both were the same. I called George and asked him to meet us at my studio where I played the dub for him. He was pleasantly surprised. Then I brought to his attention that though the sides were fabled "A" and "B", they were both the same "take"... The strategy I suggested for them to use when they played it for Mr. Freed, was to insist he play side "B". Of course, Mr. Freed, being all-knowledgable about music (he have his name on one song "Pagan Love Song", I believe), would demand they play side "A" They should protest and argue that they should play side "B." Aftersome arguement they should finally accede to Freed's wishes and reluctantly play side "A" I was told they did just this, and Freed did just what I thought. When it was over, he said, "Hey, that not so bad, that sounds pretty good....If that's the worst you can do, you got it!" And that's how Ava Gardner got to sing "Can"t Help Loving That Man Of Mine" in "Showboat".... (more) , . . . .. m

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There's a P.S. to this guilefull tale. Somehow one of my clients, Annette Warren, unbeknowenst to me, had auditioned to "dub" (ghost sing) the female tracks for the film. And she got the job singing some of the other "Julie" songs. Not knowing the full story, I think Ava got upset with me. Ava, Honey, not that it matters much after all this time, I had nothing to do with it. Except most the singers I work with get the job......

Come to think of it. There's a second P.S. I should add. I think, despite all this "hukka-mukka"...Wouldn't it have been great if another M.G.M. contract player, Lena Horne, had been given the role? Now I guess Arthur Freed won't even speak to me in heaven...... Sometimes coaching and arranging, is more arranging than coaching.