LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Summer Holiday was M-G-M's 1948 release of producer Arthur Freed's screen musicalization of Eugene O'Neill's hit play Ah, Wilderness!. When work began in 1945, Freed's production unit at M-G-M was savoring the success of Meet Me In St. Louis and just completing The Harvey Girls. Extensive edits marked Holiday's final phases, and as a result, Harry Warren and Ralph Blane's original score was cut nearly in half. This Turner Classic Movies Music/Rhino Handmade release presents the complete, integrated score as originally intended by the film's creators for the very first time, supplemented by rare demo recordings featuring the vocals of lyricist Ralph Blane. Lighter than most O'Neill material, Ah Wilderness! told the story of the Millers, a small-town Connecticut family, whose middle child graduates high school and experiences the onset of adulthood. For the screen version, Freed hired veteran director Rouben Mamoulian, whose credits included Applause, The Song Of Songs, and the Broadway productions of Porgy And Bess and Oklahoma!. Composer Harry Warren was paired with lyricist Ralph Blane, who had been on the writing team for Meet Me In St. Louis. Walter Huston and Selena Royale were cast as the Millers, and Gloria DeHaven as the ingenue. Frank Morgan, Agnes Moorehead, and Jackie "Butch" Jenkins were selected for supporting roles. Mickey Rooney, who played the youngest child 11 years earlier in Ah, Wilderness!, landed the starring role as Richard Miller. Delivered considerably over budget, Summer Holiday got a lukewarm reception at its first sneak preview. A re-edited version then sat on the shelf for nearly a year and a half before premiering on April 16, 1948. Key scenes were omitted, as were several of Warren and Blane's songs; and although M-G-M was noted for saving unused material, a vault fire destroyed all of the deleted footage. Fortunately for M-G-M musical devotees who have wondered what the "real" Summer Holiday would have sounded like, copies of the deleted songs were located for this Turner/Rhino Handmade release, thus restoring the complete score as submitted by Warren and Blane. Now, for the first time, it is possible to better understand the musical tableaux originally intended for the screen. Note: Because of the variety of surviving sound sources gathered together to produce this collection, changes in audio quality from track to track may be more evident than is normal for Turner/Rhino Handmade releases. Summer Holiday is available as an individually numbered limited edition of 2,500 copies.
TRACK LISTING MAIN TITLE (SPRING ISN'T EVERYTHING/THE STANLEY STEAMER/AFRAID TO FALL IN LOVE) (1:55) OUR HOME TOWN (Extended Version) (5:50) AFRAID TO FALL IN LOVE (3:55) NEVER AGAIN (Outtake) (2:34) DAN-DAN-DANVILLE HIGH (3:24) THE STANLEY STEAMER (Extended Version) (4:52) OMAR AND THE PRINCESS (Outtake) (5:26) WISH I HAD A BRAVER HEART (Outtake) (4:44) MEDLEY: INDEPENDENCE DAY/WHILE THE MEN ARE ALL DRINKING (4:57) YOU'RE NEXT (0:59) BARROOM SEQUENCE (Extended Version) (8:28) SPRING ISN'T EVERYTHING (2:16) AFRAID TO FALL IN LOVE (Reprise - Outtake) (1:06) SPRING ISN'T EVERYTHING (Reprise) (0:46) FINALE (1:02) OUR HOME TOWN (2:19) AFRAID TO FALL IN LOVE (3:13) THE STANLEY STEAMER (3:38) SPRING ISN'T EVERYTHING (4:19) NEVER AGAIN (3:17) OMAR AND THE PRINCESS (2:55) WISH I HAD A BRAVER HEART (3:54)