This
is the second of Judy's Decca cast albums. And one of her
most popular. So much so that the album reached #2 on Billboard's
new "Best Selling Popular Record Albums" chart in early 1945.
"The Trolley Song" would make #3 on the Singles Chart and was
also nominated for the Oscar for "Best Song" of 1944. It lost
to Bing Crosby's "Swinging On A Star" from Going
My Way.
"Boys And Girls Like You And Me" was a Rogers & Hammerstein
song cut from the stage version of "Oklahoma!" prior
to its opening night. In St
Louis it was planned to have Esther Smith (Judy) sing
the song to John Truitt (Tom Drake) while visiting the unfinished
fairgrounds, just after "The Trolley Song" sequence. The number
was recorded and filmed, but removed from the picture after
the first previews. The footage no longer exists. Although
the song was not a part of the finished film, Judy's Decca
recording remained a part of the album throughout the years.
Just prior to these Decca sessions, Judy signed a new contract
with the label on April 1, 1944.
Decca released these Meet
Me In St. Louis recordings
on LP with The Harvey Girls in the 1950s/60s on Decca
DL 8498 and then in 1978 on the MCA
owned AEI label, AEI
3101.
In 1996, MCA added the Girl
Crazy songs and "March Of The Doagies",
and released the CD version of the LP (using the LP artwork
as shown above) as "The
Complete Decca Original Cast
Recordings"
(MCAD-11491).
Photo above at right: Inside
cover of the album features MGM publicity
photos.
Photo at left: Cover of the insert included with the album. Click
on the image to see a larger version!
All images on this page from the collection of Scott Brogan.
Album cover restoration by "Alex in Belgium". Thanks Alex!
