Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Ernest
Date: 31 Jul 08 - 01:52 PM

Sam Shepard played drums with the Holy Modal Rounders.

On songs/tunes that ... well ... came from the folk repertoire (Indian War Whoop, Soldiers Joy).

Best
Ernest

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 31 Jul 08 - 11:22 AM

Just watched The Gene Krupa Story last night, starring Sal Mineo. It sure looked to me like Sal was doing his own drumming ~ that would be hard to fake, after all ~ but in the big on-stage performace near the end of the film, it looked like it might have been faked; audio and video didn't seem to synch as perfectly as in the eaalier sequences.

Maybe Sal was a good enough drummer to actually play all but the most demanding parts ~ ??

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 31 Jul 08 - 11:04 AM

Sterling Hayden, who was a maverick in many ways and a professional pain in the ass to Hollywood producers, was an accomplished musician, sailor and explorer. He was much happier doing almost anything else BUT acting, but the gigs paid for his other interests.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 30 Jul 08 - 11:36 AM

I knew that Jeff Daniels preferred living in Michigan to Hollywood, and that he maintains some kind of local community theater near his Michigan home, so I'm not too surprised that he has crossed paths with Big Mick. Didn't know about his musical background, though...

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Big Mick
Date: 30 Jul 08 - 10:16 AM

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the actor Jeff Daniels. He is a great songwriter and folk style performer. When I was doing the two fundraisers for Utah Phillips, Jeff really wanted to be there but had prior committments. But he sent a major contribution and his best wishes. Actually he didn't want folks to know that he did this, but I feel it is important for folks to know that he put his money out to honor and help a fellow musician.

Great man, and very good musician,

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 Jul 08 - 09:49 AM

There is a version of the guitarists favourite Hesitation Blues in Jimmy's 1930 breakthrough movie Public Enemy.

Its being played by a piano player called Putty Nose. Then Jimmy shoots him during the performance.

Dirty rat....!

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST,Norman
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 09:20 PM

I recall seeing an old western on late night TV some years ago called 'Johnny Guitar' which starred Stirling Hayden and Joan Crawford. Hayden played a guitar, or did he?

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: pdq
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 04:19 PM

"Lonesome George" Gobel is often thought of as a professional guest on shows like Johnny Carson, but he was star of his own The George Gobel Show from 1954-60. It was nationally rated Top 10 and had writers like Norman Lear and was directed by Freddie De Cordova, Carson's director. Gobel also gets feature and starring credit in about two dozen movies, but his early years were spent as a working musician at WLS (Chicago) show National Barn Dance. He was a good enough guitar player to have Gibson offer his special version of the Gibson L-5 jazz guitar (archtop) for public sale.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 03:35 PM

Someone already mentioned that all the Carradine brothers can play. I believe that whichever one was in Altman's Nashville not only performed his featured song ("I'm Easy"), but wrote it as well.

Congrats on teaching Ms Nixon, Frank. Her work generally involved stand-up vocalizing accompanied by full orchestras, so she probably didn't use the guitar professionally very often if at all, but I'm sure she enjoyed it, and her obvious musical talent must have served her well as your student.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Stringsinger
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 03:27 PM

Poppa Gator, I can attest that Marnie Nixon played guitar. I taught her years ago.
I also taught Carol Lawrence, the lead singer in "West Side Story" on Broadway.

Cliff Edwards was an established entertainer in his day. He was probably the first
person to introduce "scat singing" to the recording world prior to Louis Armstrong.
He introduced George and Ira Gershwin's famous song "Fascinatin' Rhythm".

Giselle MacKenzie was a great instrumentalist as well as a fine popular singer of her day.
She played violin extremely well (catch her YouTube with Jack Benny) and so there is
reason to believe she could play guitar as well. She played everything else.

Charo with Xavier Cugat was a fine flamenco player. But since we're talking about
actors or actresses per se we must include:

Sean Penn who played the Django wannabee although Howard Aldin did the soundtrack.

Of course Roy Rogers (Nee: Leonard Sly). Patti Andrews played uke in a movie but she might have been faking it. David Carradine must have learned some guitar to play
in "Bound For Glory".

Maybe we can come up with some more later.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Greg B
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 03:19 PM

James Cagney Jr., the actor's adopted son, recorded with
Cliff Haslam et. al. on Folkways "Colonial and Revolutionary
Sea Songs."

Howzzat?

Some trivia is more trivial than others.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 03:00 PM

Audrey Hepburn had her singing dubbed in at least some of her her films, if not all of them, so I think it's likely that her instrumental musicianship may have been faked as well.

Well, I'm only absolutley sure that her singing was dubbed in My Fair Lady ~ I am not so sure about Breakfast at Tiffany's.

TMC aired a feature last night about Marnie Nixon, the dubbed-in offscreen voice of many Hollywood actresses in the 50s/60s/70s. She definitely sang for Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Hepburn in My Fair Lady, as well as several others I can't remember at the moment. (I only saw part of the TV feature, not all of it.) I'm fairly sure she sang for a number of animated characters in addition to providing her singing voice to subsuitutute for live actresses.

In some cases, the women for whom she substituted were decent singers, even in some cases having sung the roles onstage, and they were seriously miffed. Ms Nixon did not receive credit onscreen, but her conributions were not kept strictly secret, just downplayed and not widely publicized.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 02:32 PM

I've seen photos of Martin Milner playing jazz guitar. I've heard he released a couple of records and considered a recording career before his acting took off.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Dave Illingworth
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 02:10 PM

Ah, Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards. Made some fine records - check out his 1928 "Stack O'Lee" - a very underrated singer. He sang
"Singin' in the rain" in the film HOLLYWOOD REVUE OF 1929, long before the later (but also good) Gene Kelly version.
He also recorded some risque (at the time) "party records", with such titles as "I'm a bear in a ladies boudoir", "I'm gonna give it to Mary with love" and "If you can't land her on the veranda".
He was upset that the record label of his biggest hit "When you wish
upon a star" bore the name Jiminy Cricket, and not his own.
Died penniless and forgotten in in a nursing home (1971) age 76.
But he had a colourful life, and the specialist record labels keep his great music available.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 01:39 PM

Audrey Hepburn played guitar (apparently) in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
A name some older folk may recall is Cliff Edwards, a former vaudevillian and western movie sidekick of the forties. Once billed as Ukelele Ike, he was the voice of Jiminy Cricket in "Pinocchio" and sang the timeless "When You Wish Upon A Star." He and Judy Garland had somewhat parallel careers in that both were extraordinarily talented, very well liked in the movie community, but both were badly used and both undone by alcohol and/or drugs.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST,PeterL
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 01:00 PM

I seem to remember hearing Cagney was interested in the Uilleann Pipes, owned a full set (one of the US pipers has the set now I am told) and probably played them too.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Stringsinger
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 12:29 PM

David Soul of "Starsky and Hutch", William Schallert of "Father Knows Best", the actress Bonnie Bedelia, "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" Arlene Golonka (from the Second City),
and I'll think of some more.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 12:11 PM

Marilyn Monroe was driven not only to be successful, to also to be a skilled and respected performer; consider her decision to leave Hollywood for New York for a while to study at the Actors Studio, which was widely ridiculed at the time.

I wouldn't be surprised if she learned those guitar chords specifically for that part, and learned them well. I've always assumed she was really playing the uke in "Some Like It Hot"; I'll try to watch more closely next time and make sure. One thing is very clear: she does her own singing in most if not all of her films, employing an unconventional but highly expressive and endearing vocal style.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST,Henri de tete-Vide
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 11:15 AM

Ronald Reagan played the American people for long enough.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST,Fred
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 09:25 PM

I saw Marilyn Monroe,no less, in an oft-repeated rather gutsy film on British TV In which she,a kid and someone like Bob Mitchum end up on a raft(presumably having been sold down the river)with an inevitably wet blouse.
Anyway,she does a song with a spanish guitar and this time round I noticed she appeared to be fingering the,admittedly simple,chords properly.
Next time they show Some Like It Hot I'll see how she handles that uke rather than what normally catches the eye.
Fred

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: goatfell
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 03:36 PM

who is this KURT DOUGLAS, I've heard of KIRK DOUGLAS though maybe that's his brother

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Greg B
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 03:32 PM

Peter Sellers is featured on uke on the 'Steeleye Span' version of
'New York Girls.' Uke and chatter, in fact.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Art Thieme
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 09:08 PM

Lee Harvey Oswald played keyboards in a rock combo. I know that because I saw a picture of it on the Internet.

Does anyone have a link?

Art

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 04:10 PM

I've always been disappointed that Bing Crosby wasn't interviewed about the guitar. He played, of course, but, over the years, he had a stream of great guitarists backing him e.g Eddie Lang and Les Paul, to name but two. I believe Bing once made a trip to Paris to try to get Django to record with him, but, so the story goes, he couldn't find the elusive guitarist.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST,alinact
Date: 26 Jul 08 - 11:02 PM

Jack Benny could actually play the violin, I believe!

Allan

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 25 Jul 08 - 03:25 AM

I remember seeing British actor Tom Conti play flamenco guitar on a number of chat shows years ago.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 24 Jul 08 - 03:17 PM

Absolutely right about Harpo ~ I couldn't have phrased it any better myself. (I know, because I tried!)

I saw "Night at the Opera" recently, too. We were probably watching TCM at the same time. I believe they showed it that night because the interview aired earlier that same evening featured Bill Murray talking about, among other things, his favorite moments in movie comedy ~ including that film's famous stateroom scene (where so many people are jammed into a tiny space).

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: frogprince
Date: 24 Jul 08 - 12:37 PM

Harpo Marx played the harp? Really?

We happened to catch "A Night at the Opera" on TV a few nights ago. It was the first time in years I had watched one of their movies, and heard him play. There's something about watching him do all that demented physical slapstick, and then sit down and play like some kind of angel.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: SINSULL
Date: 24 Jul 08 - 12:34 PM

No Poppa. It is another Steve:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0084196/

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST,Neil D
Date: 24 Jul 08 - 12:33 PM

Peter Sellers is mentioned as both a ukelele player and drummer.
I've seen a picture of a ten year old Andy Irvine, who was a child actor, holding a guitar that Peter Sellers gave him when they were in a play together.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 24 Jul 08 - 12:25 PM

Oh yeah, one more thing:

I read or heard somewhere that the guitar player singing on the staircase during the "Animal House" toga party ~ upon whose head Beluschi busts his guitar ~ was none other than Chicago folk icon Steve Goodman.

I'm familiar with some of Steve's songs and know him by name and reputation, but never saw him in person and am not really able to recognize his face. Can anyone verify (or disprove) that he indeed played this tiny but very memorable cameo part?

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 24 Jul 08 - 12:20 PM

Robert Mitchum is mentioned above ss a piano player, just once and briefly. I know that he wrote the theme song for one of his films, "Thunder Road." The movie is about hot-rodding moonshiners in the South, and the song has a sort of Southern Appalachian flavor, so I had always assumed that Mitchum had written it on guitar. Maybe not, unless he "doubled" on guitar and piano..

Another actor/songwriter mentioned above is Charley Chaplin, but no one made mention of his most famous song, the wonderful "Smile (Though Your Heart is Breaking)."

I was interested to read the stories about Groucho Marx as a guitar player, especially the one where he met Segovia. Is it necessary to mention the intrumental talents of his two brothers? Probably not ~ their playing is featured in almost every Marx Brothers film: Harpo's very lyrical and classical-sytle work on the harp, and Chico's humorous and eccentric approach to the piano.

A couple of folks made note of Audrey Hepburn playing guitar in one of her movies. Which one, please? I missed that one...

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST,Hali'a
Date: 24 Jul 08 - 02:41 AM

No one may still be reading this thread, but in case they do,
yes, James Cagney (who didn't like being called "Jimmy" - a diminutive used against his wishes by Warner Bros for marketing - he much
preferred plain "Jim")was an accomplished guitarist, and there are a number of surviving photos of him playing guitar (and at least one playing ukulele!)...at home, on various sets,
even off-set in Hawai'i. I believe his Gibson guitar was sold
at auction (Doyle) after his death. His training was classical. The real
Cagney was very unlike his screen gangster persona...a talented amateur painter, cook, horseman, poet, and definitely much more than an
amateur musician. (A lot of piano-playing photos survive as well. Heard he played the drums, too.)

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Aug 03 - 06:42 PM

If you can, see the 1957 film "A Face in the Crowd." Andy Griffith not only shows his musical talent, but he shows a lot more acting talent than he is generally given credit for. He plays an obnoxious SOB, totally unlike Andy of Mayberry.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST,pdq
Date: 09 Aug 03 - 03:20 PM

Andy Griffith, on his weekly T.V. show and home-spun morality play Mayberry R.F.D., hosted the bluegrass band The Dillards many times. They were called The Darlings on the show. Griffith has pulled out a guitar or ukelele on many T.V. shows and movies over the years, and can really play. He has a college degree in music and has taught theory at (at least) the highschool level.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: X
Date: 09 Aug 03 - 01:14 PM

If we're talking historical figures, Gen. U.S. Grant played a Martin guitar.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: RangerSteve
Date: 09 Aug 03 - 06:27 AM

A friend of a friend gave Mia Farrow ukelele lessons for "Purple Rose of Cairo", so I guess she's really playing in that film.

Andrew Jackson played the banjo. I don't suppose we'll ever know if he was any good.

Al Capone and "Machine Gun" Kelly played in a jazz combo while they were at Alcatraz. Kelly played drums and Al played tenor banjo. The banjo was reportedly studded with diamonds.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: X
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 09:21 PM

Jerry Van Dyke played the tenor banjo and the gentleman who played the French POW on the TV show, "Hogans Heros," is 5-String picker. Sorry, I can't remember the actors name.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: CraigS
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 06:35 PM

Nobody's mentioned the Jordan F1 team band, with Eddie Jordan on drums and Damon Hill on guitar. Or those forgettable occasions when John MacEnroe got his Les Paul out for charitable purposes. Or Ron Atkinson, the soccer manager, doing his Sinatra impersonations (which would be quite good if there was an ounce of originality in them).Or those famous astronomers with composing and musical talents, William Herschel and Patrick Moore (plays a mean xylophone). Or those times that Dennis Healey played piano for the YTV Christmas pantomime (sorry, Tim, it had to come out). Or the best jazz guitarist that ever lived, Julian Bream. Or the famous Scottish fiddler, Charles Kennedy...

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 06:29 PM

I think Jerry Van Dyke, brother of Dick Van Dyke, who is also a comic actor (he was the sidekick in the TV series "Coach"), plays guitar and sings and had a couple of hit novelty records back in the 60s.

Charlie Chaplin composed music to accompany his silent movies, and you can buy albums of his music – called by the slight misnomer "soundtrack albums".

Steve Allen played piano and composed lots of music.

Robert Duvall did his own singing in, and some songwriting for, "Tender Mercies."

Slightly off-topic: Dwight Yoakam is a decent actor and did a good job in "Sling Blade." (I see he has made several other movies, but I haven't seen them.) Willie Nelson was credible, though not very exciting, in "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Barbarosa." Paul Simon was quite good, I think, in "One Trick Pony." (Though the soundtrack album was a dud.) Courtney Love was excellent in "The People vs. Larry Flynt."

Neither here nor there: Harry Blackmun played a Supreme Court Justice in Amistad, and was suitably dignified. The wonder, of course, is that he did it at all.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 05:37 PM

Martin Mull worked the southern California music club circuit in the early 70's with sort of a hybrid standup comedy/music act. His presence in that scene is mentioned in Peter Rowan's song "Lonesome L.A. Cowboy".

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Amos
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 05:04 PM

Steve Martin was an organ scholar, too, I believe....

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Peter T.
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 04:40 PM

Julia Roberts knits. yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 05:12 AM

And who can forget the late great Bob Arnold's (Tom Forest in The Archers) many recordings of tradiotonal songs?

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 04:02 AM

Woody Allen leads a jazz band on clarinet, Harry H.Corbett (Harold Steptoe)sang sea shanties on early 60's HMV folk LP's (anyone remember him in a club?). Ronnie Scott once said- "Marilyn Monroe came in the club the other night, she didn't play anything but then she didn't have to"

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 03:44 AM

Peter Sellers played drums Spike Milligan played a mean trumpet and a generous guitar. They both played in bands during their War Service, and played together (with one or two others) after the war, before they became professional comics.

Dear old Roy Castle went the other way: he could play anything (literally!) and made his way into stage and film acting.

Steve

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 07 Aug 03 - 04:14 PM

(Herself is logged on,I'm too lazy to change my cookie). Dudley Moore was an organ scholar at University and a musician first until brought into Comedy via the Footlights and then Beyond the Fringe. Continued to play Bach and jazz throughout his career.

RtS

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Gene
Date: 06 Aug 03 - 09:47 PM

Audie Murphy was musically talented - and was quite successful as a songwriter.

Often teaming up with other talented artists and composers such as Guy Mitchell, Jimmy Bryant, Scott Turner, Coy Ziegler, or Terri Eddleman.

Dozens of Audie Murphy's songs were recorded and released by such great performers as Dean Martin, Eddy Arnold, Charley Pride, Jimmy Bryant, Porter Waggoner, Jerry Wallace, Roy Clark, Harry Nilsson and many, many others.

His two biggest hits were Shutters and Boards and When the Wind Blows in Chicago.

Eddy Arnold recorded When the Wind Blows in Chicago for his 1993 album Last of the Love Song Singers.

======================================

RE: Martin Mull in an previous post---

Martin Mull wrote a sequel to 'A BOY NAMED SUE'

Titled: 'A Girl Named Johnny Cash' - recorded by Jane Morgan.

'

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: musicmick
Date: 06 Aug 03 - 05:23 PM

It was the first "Back To The Future". He was doing the whole Chuck Berry routine. It sure looked like he was playing. Maybe, I got fooled by the duck walk.

Subject: RE: Jimmy Cagney - guitar player ?
From: Bert
Date: 06 Aug 03 - 12:38 PM

I THINK Michael J Fox was playing the guitar in one of those Back to the future movies.

John Cassavetes had a whole TV series about a Jazz musician in "Johnny Staccato"