THE WONDER BAR
Composer: Robert
Katscher
Lyricists: Rowland Leigh (London); Irving Caesar
(N.Y.C.)
Opened: December 5, 1930, Savoy Theatre, London; March
17, 1931, Nora Bayes Theatre, N.Y.C.
Performances: 210 (London); 86
(N.Y.C.)
Note: A complete song list for the London production is not available at this time.
The Cantor-Ohf Shabbes (Yiddish folk song):
1. 78/Brunswick 6501 (Al Jolson)
[reissued on Al Jolson On Broadway, CD/Intersound 3592]
2. 78/Decca 29251
(Al Jolson) [also found on Souvenir Albums, Vol. 6, 10"/Decca 5315]
3.
Jolson Sings Again, 10"/Decca DL-5006 (Al Jolson) [reissued as Musical Memories
RGCD 1105]
4. Big Broadcast Of 1935, Kasha King 1935 (Al
Jolson)
Don't Pose As A Saint (L: Rowland
Leigh) (used in the London production only):
1. 78/Decca F2130 (The Rhythm
Maniacs conducted by Philip Lewis)
(Oh,)
Donna Clara (M: J. Petersburski; L: Fritz Loehner-Beda; Irving
Caesar):
1. Click here for recordings of
"(Oh,) Donna Clara."
Elizabeth (My
Queen!):
1. 78/Columbia 2423 D (Carmen
Lombardo with Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians)
2. 78/Brunswick 6082
(Emil Coleman and His Orchestra with vocal chorus) [reissued on The Music Of
Broadway: 1931, JJA (M) 19778]
3. 78/Victor 22655 (Clare Hanlon and Chorus
with Waring's Pennsylvanians) [reissued on The Broadway Years, Vol. 2, CD/The
Old Masters 129]
4. 78/Gramophone B 5938 (New Mayfair Dance Orchestra)
[reissued on Back To Those Happy Days, CD/Vocalion 6089]
5. 78/Decca F2397
(Carl Brisson with orchestra accompaniment) [reissued on A Little White
Gardenia, CD/ASV/Living Era 5451]
6. 78/Columbia DB394 (Elsie Randolph with
orchestral accompaniment)
7. 78/Columbia DX201 (London Theatre Orchestra)
8. Night Time Brings Sweet Dreams Of You, CD/ASV/Living Era 5616 (Debroy
Somers & His Band)
9. My Brother And I, CD/Rollercoaster Records 6005
(Bob and Alf Pearson)
10. Just About As Good As It Gets!, CD/Smith &
Co. Sound & Vision SCCD 1142 (Humphrey Lyttelton)
11. Strictly Tempo:
50 Ballroom Favourites, CD/Rex 327 (Joe Loss)
Estrellita (M/L: Manuel M. Ponce):
I have not attempted to compile
discological information for this standard.
Ev'ry Day Can't Be A Sunday (M/L: Al Jolson) (interpolated
for use before play begins):
1. 78/Decca F 3005 (Carl
Brisson)
I'll Believe In Love (L: Rowland
Leigh) (used in the London production only):
1. 78/Decca F2127 (Carl Brisson
with orchestral accompaniment) [reissued on A Little White Gardenia,
CD/ASV/Living Era 5451]
2. 78/Columbia DX201 (London Theatre Orchestra)
I've Got A Plan About You (L: Rowland
Leigh) (used in the London production only):
1. 78/Decca F2127 (Carl Brisson
with orchestral accompaniment)
2. 78/Columbia DX201 (London Theatre
Orchestra)
Tell Me I'm Forgiven (L:
Rowland Leigh) (used in the London production only):
1. 78/Decca F2128 (Carl Brisson
with orchestral accompaniment) [reissued on A Little White Gardenia,
CD/ASV/Living Era 5451]
2. 78/Columbia DB393 (Gwen Farrar with Billy Mayel,
piano, and Peggy Cochrane, violin)
3. 78/Columbia DX201 (London Theatre
Orchestra)
4. Phil Kelsall At The Yamaha, CAS/Grasmere GRTC 60 (Phil
Kelsall)
5. Wake Up And Dream, CD/ASV/Living Era CDAJA 5449 (Georges Metaxa
with the New Mayfair Orchestra conducted by Ray Noble)
6. Falling In Love
With Love, CD/Music Club Records MCCD 339 (The Victor Silvester Orchestra)
7. Night Time Brings Sweet Dreams Of You, CD/ASV/Living Era 5616 (Debroy
Somers & His Band)
8. Tangos, Concertos & Other Light Music: The
Early Years, Vol. 2, CD/Dutton Vocalion 6044 (Mantovani & His Orchestra)
Trav'lin All Alone (M/L: J.C. Johnson)
(interpolated for use before play begins):
1. 78/Columbia 1933 D (Ethel
Waters with novelty accompaniment) [reissued on The Chronological Ethel Waters
1929-1931, CD/Classics 721]
2. 78/Bluebird B 5647 (George Thomas with
McKinney's Cotton Pickers) [also 78/Victor V 38112; reissued on The
Chronological McKinney's Cotton Pickers 1929-1930, CD/Classics 625]
3.
78/Brunswick 7467 (The Boswell Sisters with orchestra) [also 78/Okeh 4495;
78/Vocalion 4495; reissued on Boswell Sisters Collections, Vol. 5, 1933-1936,
CD/Storyville NOCD3023]
4. 78/Vocalion S 172 (Billie Holiday And Her
Orchestra) [also 78/Vocalion 3748; reissued on The Essential Billie Holiday:
The Columbia Years, CD/Legacy 78667]
5. The New Earl Hines Trio, Columbia
CS-9120 (Earl Hines) [reissued on Classic Trio Sessions, CD/Lone Hill Jazz LHJ
10329]
6. Feeling Good, Columbia CS-9247 (Henry "Red" Allen)
7. Duets
& Solos, CD/Sackville 5002 (Doc Cheatham and Sammy Price)
8. The
Nathaniel Smith Jazz Project Live, CD/Unknown label (Nathaniel Smith Jazz
Project)
9. Never In A Million Years, CD/Challenge Records CHR 70019 (Kenny
Davern and Dick Wellstood)
10. My Inspiration, CD/Musicmasters 65077 (Kenny
Davern)
11. The Basement Tapes, CD/Chiaroscuro 222 (Milt Hinton)
12.
Swingsational, CD/MCA Special Products 21152 (Artie Shaw and His Orchestra)
13. Don't Worry About Me, CD/Unknown label (Leslie Newman)
14.
Boulevard Of Broken Dreams Box, CD/Basta 9037 (Boulevard Of Broken Dreams)
15. Three Classic Albums, CD/Real Gone Jazz RGJCD 251 (Clark Terry)
16.
Complete Recordings, CD/Definitive Classics DRCD 11206 (Jimmie Noone)
17.
Introducing Sunny And Her Joy Boys, CD/Stony Plain 321341 (Sunny and Her Joy
Boys)
18. Wie Man Mit Jazz Die Herzen Der Frauen Gewinnt, CD/ Kein &
Aber 48572 (Joseph Von Westphalen)
19. Tribute To A Blue Lady, CD/C 4
(Carole Alston)
20. Jazz Passions, CD/Unknown label (Jacque Tara
Washington)
21. Mister Moon, CD/Black Eagle (New Black Eagle Jazz Band)
22. Basie/Eckstine Incorporated, CD/Capitol 28636 (Count Basie and Billy
Eckstine)
23. You're A Lucky Guy, CD/Concord Jazz CCD 40742 (Dave
Frishberg)
24. Born To Swing, CD/Audiophile Records 316 (Daryl Sherman)
25. Vol. 1, CD/The Old Masters 133 (Isham Jones)
26. Moody Marilyn
Moor, CD/JVC Victor 61467 (Marilyn Moore)
27. Rebecca Kilgore With The
Keith Ingham Sextet, CD/Jump Records 1224 (Rebecca Kilgore with the Keith
Ingham Sextet)
28. The CBS Jazz Piano Collectino: An Art Tatum
Concert/Fatha, CD/CBS Records 4656322 (Earl Hines Trio)
Turning
Night Into Day (L: Rowland Leigh) (used in the London production
only):
1. 78/Columbia DB394 (Elsie
Randolph with orchestral accompaniment)
Valse Amoureuse:
1. 78/Columbia DX201 (London
Theatre Orchestra)
Wonder Bar (L: Rowland
Leigh) (used in the London production only):
1. 78/Gramophone B 5938 (New
Mayfair Dance Orchestra) [reissued on Back To Those Happy Days, CD/Vocalion
6089]
2. 78/Decca F 2397 (Carl Brisson with orchestral accompaniment) [also
78/Decca F2128; reissued on Cavalcade Of London Theatre, Decca (S/M) D140D1/4]
3. 78/Columbia DX201 (London Theatre Orchestra)
Unrecorded Material:
The Dance We Do For Al
The Dying Flamingo (dropped for the subsequent tour)
Good Evening,
Friends
I'm Falling In Love
Lenox Avenue (M/L: Irving Caesar; Al
Jolson; Joseph Meyer) (interpolated for use before play begins)
Ma Mere (M:
Henry Warren; L: Irving Caesar; Al Jolson) (interpolated for use before play
begins; also used in SWEET AND LOW)
Something Seems To Tell Me
(interpolated for use before play begins)