Barbara Allen in '30's Film

Subject: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Judy Cook
Date: 12 May 03 - 10:37 PM

Hi all,

I just got an email with this question. I'm stumped. Anyone know?Do you know what film (from the 1930s?) the song Barbara Ellen was featured in?

Judy

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: masato sakurai
Date: 12 May 03 - 11:16 PM

In the film Scrooge (1951), "Barbara Allen" is "played as background music during film and sung by guests at Fred's Christmas party".

~Masato

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 12 May 03 - 11:26 PM

I remember that, too. It feature's prominently in several scenes as I recall.

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Art Thieme
Date: 13 May 03 - 12:07 AM

I keep thinking it is the great British romance story called I Know Where I'm Going with Roger Livesay and Wendy Hiller----but the more I think of it, the song that was done a few times in that fine film was the title song, "I Know Where I'm Going".

Art

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Cluin
Date: 13 May 03 - 01:18 AM

I thought for a minute that I had heard it in an old Veronica Lake movie where she and an older relative were ghosts of witches burned at the stake, but I just remembered that the song used in that one was Three Jolly Coachmen.

Brain fart.

Anyways, that Veronica Lake was pretty hot, wasn't she?    ;)

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 13 May 03 - 10:44 AM

And don't forget Porky Pig sang it (eventually!) in Robin Hood Daffy.

Steve

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 13 May 03 - 01:25 PM

Hi Judy. I think you'll find that many people FEEL that "A CHRISTMAS CAROL" with Alistair Sim is older than it actually was (there were two earlier versions) but I'll bet that's the version they're looking for. (Barbra Allan and young Jemmy Glenn)

Cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Judy Cook
Date: 13 May 03 - 01:57 PM

Thanks, one & all!
--Judy

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 13 May 03 - 03:52 PM

Judy,

    Check out the 30's version of David Copperfield (with WC Fields as Wilkins Macawber). There's a scene where the guy playing Steerforth is entertaining Copperfield's friends by singing a verse of the Outlandish Knight. At least I caught the phrase father's stable where there stand thirty and three. Of course that's propethic in the plot.

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Art Thieme
Date: 13 May 03 - 11:37 PM

And in the film JAWS the grizzzled shark hunter sings a verse or two of "Spanish Ladies".---------------but no B.A.

Hi Judy ------- & Dennis too.

Art

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: masato sakurai
Date: 14 May 03 - 06:11 AM

I've not seen the movie, but "Barbara Allen" is featured in The Bachelor (1999) too. Of course, let's not forget Songcatcher.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Coyote Breath
Date: 14 May 03 - 08:58 AM

And almost inaudible renditions of 'Old Joe Clark' and 'Hop High Ladies' in Henry Fonda's 'Grapes of Wrath' (at the Saturday night dance in the migrant camp) and I think there were some others but possible BF here too.

CB

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Fiolar
Date: 14 May 03 - 09:03 AM

I'm nearly sure that a version of Barbara Allen was sung in the 1959 film "The Buccaneer" starring Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner.

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Cool Beans
Date: 14 May 03 - 05:08 PM

AS long as we're doing the Folk Songs in Movies thing, maybe we could rename the thread, or start anew.
At any rate, Humphrey Bogart sings "The Bold Fisherman" in "The African Queen." "There was a bold fisherman and he sailed off to Pimlico...singing Twinky Doodle Dum..." That one. Pimlico, eh? He must have been going to the Preakness.

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: GUEST
Date: 14 May 03 - 05:13 PM

going down that road feeling bad was also in grapes of wrath...

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 14 May 03 - 05:16 PM

Well it's not a folk song, but I LOVED Kirk singing "Got a whale of a tale to tell you...." in 20000 Leagues under the sea.

Rick

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Cool Beans
Date: 14 May 03 - 05:25 PM

So, who's the better singer, Kirk Douglas or Humphrey Bogart?

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 15 May 03 - 04:05 AM

Rick, did he really play that banjo (Kirk) or was he dubbed? (Likewise Nat Cole and Stubby Kaye in Cat Ballou)
You know I like to know!!!!

RtS

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: GUEST,Mr Red
Date: 15 May 03 - 09:35 AM

Nat playing banjo? I seem to remember his fingers flew in time to the music but failed to flail occasionally so I would have to say NO. Stubby ? sorry wasn't watching both banjos (one is enough - please) but I would have to give him a definite maybe.

Didn't the Everley Brothers do a very true version of Barbara Ellen too?

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 15 May 03 - 09:58 AM

Nope, none of 'em played the banjo, however.....

Jerry Van Dyke and George Seagel DO!

Was "A Capital Ship" from a movie?

Rick

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: GUEST,Randall
Date: 15 May 03 - 02:58 PM

> Jerry Van Dyke and George Seagel DO!

What about Paul Newman? (I'm thinking of his version "Plastic Jesus" from Cool Hand Luke.)

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Cluin
Date: 15 May 03 - 09:32 PM

John Lithgow and Steve Martin play pretty good banjo too.

And a better singer than either Kirk Douglas or Humphrey Bogart was Robert Mitchum (even though it wasn't him, but Tennessee Ernie singing the theme song from "River of No Return").

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Coyote Breath
Date: 16 May 03 - 01:59 AM

Lithgow and Martin - proof that you NEED a sense of humor to play the banjo.

CB

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 16 May 03 - 03:20 AM

Thanks, Rick, I don't think their fretting fingers moved much, so I guessed that!
I saw George Segal on a chat show play his banjo, seemed pretty good.
My dear old mother went to her grave convinced Kay Kendall really played the trumpet in Genevieve! More innocent times, I guess!

RtS

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: GUEST,dave
Date: 16 May 03 - 08:24 PM

i remember it in the alistair sim xmas carol film and very nice it was too.great film by the way,the best adaptation of that book.
god bless us all,said tiny tim!

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 17 May 03 - 02:08 PM

Spencer Tracy sings 'Little Fishes' in 'Captains Courageous' and don't forget A.L.Lloyd as the shantyman in 'Moby Dick'.

All the best.........Harry.

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: GUEST,M'Grath of Altcar
Date: 17 May 03 - 07:54 PM

I once spotted Martin Carthy in an early 60's black and white detective thriller. ( It may have been The Mystery's of Edgar Wallace. ) He's definitely in the credits does anybody know?

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Leadfingers
Date: 18 May 03 - 11:34 AM

If you are including actors who played/sang in films,what about Anthony Banderas who HAD to learn Marriachi guitar for the Desperados or at least I think thats what it was called,which has some good music
in it and some lovely tongue in cheek shoot outs as well.

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Art Thieme
Date: 18 May 03 - 12:38 PM

Rick,

Kirk singing ??? I can't remember Shatner ever singing anything like that in any of the episodes I ever saw !!

Art ;-)

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Art Thieme
Date: 18 May 03 - 12:41 PM

I mentioned WENDY HILLER and Roger Livesay's fine film I Know Where I'm Going" in my first post to this thread. I just saw yesterday that Dame Wendy Hiller passed away this week at age 90. I'm sorry to hear that.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Little Robyn
Date: 18 May 03 - 10:34 PM

Spencer Tracy also played a hurdy-gurdy while he was singing to Freddie Bartholmew in Captains Courageous. He sang other songs in another language as well but I can't remember them.

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Cluin
Date: 19 May 03 - 02:54 AM

Emilio Estevez, as Billy the Kid, whistles Mná na hÉireann in Young Guns.
There were a couple of other Irish tunes in that one too. I remember him dancing to Planxty Irwin, I think.

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Judy Cook
Date: 19 May 03 - 09:50 PM

We just watched "Best In Show" on DV. One of the guys sings the last verse of Barbara Allen as a good night over the phone to his dog.
--Judy

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: GUEST
Date: 19 May 03 - 10:36 PM

One of the plays we put on when I was in college was "Dark of the Moon". I can't even recall the playwright, but it was set in the Appalachians and featured lots of music. What I remember was that Barb'ry Allen was sung several times and was more or less a theme song.

Also, I just watched Moby Dick on DVD and there are some good old sea chanteys performed in that one.

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: JJ
Date: 20 May 03 - 08:31 AM

"Dark of the Moon" by Howard Richardson and William Berney uses its own version of the song to establish the romance between John the Witch Boy and the human Barbara Allen. (The play invents an entire backwoods folklore about witches, too.)

I played Barbara's little brother Floyd way back in 1965.

The play was made into an opera, "Conjure Moon," by the Lloyd brothers, D. Thomas and Timothy, in the 1980s.

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 20 May 03 - 01:15 PM

Good old sea-shanties by Bert Lloyd in 'Moby Dick'.....

Subject: RE: Barbara Allen in '30's Film
From: GUEST
Date: 20 May 03 - 02:37 PM

"You done sloppin' them hawgs yit?"
Dark of the Moon - our finest hour!