Yes, Sir-ee! Kritzerland to Release "The Gang's All Here" Score Featuring Benny Goodman

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By 1943, Busby Berkeley was a Hollywood veteran who had choreographed the dance sequences that would make him famous for decades. He had also directed several classic films such as the Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney vehicles Babes In Arms and Strike Up The Band. However, he had never directed a full motion picture in color, where his choreographed tableaux could be more vividly realized. That all changed with The Gang's All Here. This famous musical has never had its soundtrack officially released on CD, but Kritzerland is rectifying that with a new edition coming out in January.

The musical stars Alice Faye (in her second to last film until 1962), Phil Baker and Carmen Miranda. As was typical of some musical films at the time, the plot is rather involved concerning mistaken identities and multiple romances. It has gained camp status over the years and is probably best remembered today for its dance sequences, including the famous "The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat" (where the dancers all wear fruit hats and some clothing), which became inextricably linked with Miranda. That number also caused a bit of controversy with its sexual symbolism involving bananas. Very blatant, but of course very mild by today's standards. The film was added to The Library of Congress' National Film Registry in 2014.

The music in the film was written primarily by Harry Warren and Leo Robin. Warren was a frequent collaborator with Berkeley, the pair working on a total of 18 films together. By 1943, Warren had already won an Academy Award for Best Song for "Lullaby of Broadway" and would win another that year for "You'll Never Know." (He would win yet another in two years for "On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe.") He also composed such classics as "Jeepers Creepers," "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" and "Chattanooga Choo Choo," among others. Leo Robin was a Broadway and Hollywood veteran who had written lyrics for numerous projects and songs, including Bob Hope's signature tune "Thanks for the Memory."

The Gang's All Here also featured another musical heavyweight: Benny Goodman. "The King of Swing" and his orchestra played a large portion of the music on the soundtrack and also appeared as themselves in the film. The famed jazz clarinetist is credited with helping to kick off swing era of the 1930s, and his 1938 performance at Carnegie Hall is one of the most famous and significant jazz concerts in history. Goodman and his orchestra were no strangers to Hollywood, having appeared in several films prior to 1943. He would even have his own life turned into a film in 1955's The Benny Goodman Story starring Steve Allen and Donna Reed. Rounding out the all-star team for the film was musical director Alfred Newman.

Kritzerland's first-ever legitimate CD for The Gang's All Here features all of the cues from the score along with some unused ones from the vaults. All of the music has been restored by Mike Matessino. The CD is limited to 1,000 copies. You may order it from Kritzerland's website at the link below. It is not due to start shipping until the second week of January, but the label usually begins shipping a few weeks earlier.

Various Artists, The Gang's All Here: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Kritzerland, 2017)