Description
1. Overture
2. Main Title (Buckle Down Winsocki, You’re Lucky)
3. Opening: Gymnasium/Arrival of Girls/Buckle Down Winsocki
4. Wish I May
5. Three Men on a Date
6. Two O’Clock Jump
7. Ev’ry Time
8. Ev’ry Time
9. The Flight of the Bumblebee
10. The Three B’s
11. I Know You by Heart
12. I Know You by Heart
13. Shady Lady Bird
14. My First Promise (The Ring Waltz)
15. Alive and Kickin’
16. What Do You Think I Am?[Outtake]
17. You’re Lucky
18. Buckle Down Winsocki/Finale
19. Exit Music
20. Wish I May [Alternate Take]
21. I Hope the Band Keeps Playing
22. The Cocabola Tree
23. As I Remember You
24. Fun on the Wonderful Midway
George Sidney’s 1943 cinematic adaptation of George Abbott’s Broadway smash Best Foot Forward boasts a luminous cast led by Lucille Ball (as herself), who is joined by Tommy Dix (Elwood “Bud” Hooper), Nancy Walker (Nancy), and June Allyson (Ethel) from the original staging on the Great White Way. The plot centers on Ball’s visit to the Winsocki Military Academy, an all-male prep school. In search of publicity, she answers Dix’s invitation to the campus, albeit unaware that she must be hidden away from the omnipresent faculty, who have roundly rejected a proposal to make her the queen of the upcoming prom. Even as she is prominently featured in the film, Ball’s vocals were actually dubbed in by Gloria Grafton. Most significant among the hits spawned by the original dramatization is the “Buckle Down, Winsocki” fight song, reprised by Dix in the movie to equal effect. Likewise, Allyson, Walker, and Gloria DeHaven (Minerva Pierce) illuminate “The Three Bs,” as Allyson takes on the mantle of “barrelhouse,” Walker demonstrates the “boogie-woogie,” and DeHaven personifies the “blues.” Another seminal performance presents Walker alongside Harry James & His Orchestra on “Alive and Kickin’.” Interestingly, as these were the only two melodies from the motion picture to have been previously issued, the stellar readings of Jeanne Durrell’s languid and dreamy ballad “Ev’ry Time” and Dix’s romantic confessional “I Know You By Heart” — each of which is offered in an instrumental form as well — make their debut release here. Another not to be missed entry finds James directing his band throughout the romping “Two O’Clock Jump” and an insanely swift execution of “Flight of the Bumblebee.” Augmenting the contents of Best Foot Forward are four sides from the seemingly disparate Abbott & Costello in Hollywood (1945). The connection — besides being MGM productions — is the formidable team of Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, who are arguably best known for their scores to Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and Good News (1947), garnering respective Academy Award nominations in the Best Song category. While their work with comedic masters Bud Abbott and Lou Costello would not earn similar lauds, Robert Stanton (Jeff Parker) energetically leads the Lyttle Sisters on “I Hope the Band Keeps Playing” and his co-star, Frances Rafferty (Claire Warren), on an extended version of “Fun on the Wonderful Midway.” In 2004, Best Foot Forward was made available in a limited-edition pressing of 2,500 copies, making it highly prized for collectors and enthusiasts alike!
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