MovieChat Forums > Interrupted Melody (1955) Discussion > Eileen Farrell wrote she was 1st ghost s...

Eileen Farrell wrote she was 1st ghost singer billed on screen - wrong.

posted 14 years ago by G_Scott
3 replies | jump to latest

That distinction belongs to the one & only Gogi Grant for The Helen Morgan Story (1957) who received full screen credit with even a shift in the overture music to mark the point when "SONGS SUNG BY GOGI GRANT" appears on screen, the opening instrumental medley arranged by Ray Heindorf to very purposely shift into the opening bars of "The Man I Love" when Gogi's name appears.

Heindorf, Warner Brother's Musical Director, was proud of his find after a long search on orders of Jack Warner to find a "Garlandesque" voice before shooting commenced.
According to Heindorf himself "After listening to every "Ghost" singer in Hollywood I turned on my car radio & heard Gogi's recording of The One I Love [belongs to somebody else]"

That became the 1st time a ghost singer was given not only onscreen, but full screen credit in the opening of a film biography (Jolson & Jane Froman recording the actual vocals for their screen biopics excepted though they, for obvious reasons, didn't need onscreen billing).

[–] G_Scott 14 years ago

In reply to myself: I found this link to a radio interview with Parker & am listening to it & how interesting that she makes MUCH of how Farrell "Refused" to be given any public credit for the film to avoid any offending Lawrence.

Very interesting.

http://media.usm.maine.edu/~wmpg/archivefiles/Dinman/Interrupted%20Melody.mp3

[–] liscarkat-2 10 years ago

"That distinction belongs to the one & only Gogi Grant for The Helen Morgan Story (1957)"

Three years earlier than that, in 1954, Mario Lanza received prominent credit in the opening titles of "The Student Prince" for providing the singing voice for Edmund Purdom.

[–] spencerc2217 8 years ago

Interrupted Melody appeared two years before The Helen Morgan Story.