Sophia cover |
Yolande cover |
More about both sides of this promotional LP below.
Sophia Loren in Rome
Sophia Loren in Rome was a follow-up to the successful Elizabeth Taylor in London program of 1963, which also offered a John Barry score.
Along for the ride in Rome was Marcello Mastroianni, who had been paired in a number of films with Loren.
Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren |
When you net all this out, the abridged version of the score on the Chemstrand LP only leaves out one theme ("The Aggressors"). Nonetheless, I don't want anyone to feel short-changed, so the download includes a lossy transfer of the entire commercial LP, which I have remastered. It, like the Chemstrand album, is in mono, but in both cases the sound is pleasing.
Unsurprisingly, Loren showed off the fountains of Rome during the program |
The Bride Wore Yolande
The Bride Wore Yolande had the good fortune to employ the talents of the kinetic Helen Gallagher, who had a very long career on Broadway, winning two Tonys, and on television, winning several Emmys.
Her first song on the LP assures us that, "With the right nightgown, a woman can rule the world!" I am not sure this explains the rise of such women rulers as Margaret Thatcher or Indira Gandhi, but it does make for a catchy ending to her first song, "Live the Life of Yolande." Gallagher's second song, "They Did It with Yolande," expands on this theme, informing us in the process that Salome "got a head" with veils made by Yolande.
Helen Gallagher |
The LP provides no information on who wrote the music or lyrics for this show, other than it was a production of Spectrum Associates.
1963 Yolande ad |
Neither Sophia Loren in Rome nor The Bride Wore Yolande are on YouTube, but both can be found on DVD. The LP originally included a booklet of fashion drawings entitled "Yolande - Designer's Sketch Book of Lingerie Fashions of the Future," but my copy is missing that insert, sorry!
If you like industrial musicals or other promotional records, I've previously featured The Going Thing for Ford from 1970, The Shape of Tomorrow: A Musical Introduction to 1958 Westinghouse Appliances, the Edsel Dealer Announcement Show, also from 1958, The Real Joy of Living for Schlitz Beer from the late 50s, the Where There's Life Budweiser tie-in from 1960, Warner's Color TV Fashion Show from 1956, and The Two Sides of the J's with Jamie, with that group's commercial work from the early 60s. All can be found via this link.