Take Two

Today I'll be posting two earworms for the price of one. Why? Because in attempting to post one yesterday I managed to accidentally delete several hours of work. I never said I was a smart man. Just a computer-challenged man unable to get a teenager to show me what to do.

Yesterday song: 9/13/2014 - "Theme From Gunsmoke" written by Rex Koury with words added later by Glen Spencer. There were several titles given this song over the years like "Empty Saddles" and "Dusty Trails". Tex Ritter sang a version of it for the B side of his hit record "The Wayward Wind". Such diverse folks such as Lawrence Welk and Duane Eddy produced instrumental versions. The vocal meandered with lyrics featuring ghostly cowboys and other nebulous images.
The radio version of "Gun smoke" debuted in 1952 and ran till June of 1961. It featured William Conrad as the stony voiced Marshall Matt Dillon and was one of the first "adult" western as it tackled issues of drug abuse, murders, rapes, insanity and murder without
blinking and left Hoppy, Gene, Cisco, Roy, The Lone Ranger (thanks Clayton Moore, who would have turned 100 today) in the dust.

Today: 9/14/2014 - "Goodnight My Someone" written by Meredith Wilson from his musical
"The Music Man" with story by Wilson and Franklin Lacey. It glommed 5 Emmys after it's Broadway debuted in 1975 and sung in the movie version by town librarian Marion (played by Shirley Jones) and accompanied by Amarrillis as she practices her cross hand piece.Professor Harold Hill later does a duet with her using this song and "Seventy Six Trombones". Many years ago our oldest son John played the part of the lisping little boy "Winthrop" from this show for a highschoool production. He was pretty good.
Meredith Wilson was involved heavily with movies and broadcasting, receiving several Oscar nominations for various film scores including Charlie Chaplains' "The Great Dictator".

 He was born in Mason City Iowa in 1902 and received an education at the Juilliard School of Music before becoming a flute and piccolo player with John Philip Sousa famous band and moving to Hollywood where he eventually became music director for the NBC network affiliate out there.While at this job he became a member of the "George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" where he played their shy music director. He later went on the compose many serious classical pieces like  Symphony No. One in F Minor and Symphony No.2 in E Minor. He received praise for his music as, "complex" and "well crafted" with sometimes "starting counter point.
Wilsons other Broadway shows include "The Unsinkable Molly Brown', later made into a movie starring Debbie Reynolds and "Here's Love".