Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte
Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte is a song by Frank De Vol (music) and Mack David (lyrics) that was released in 1964.
Frank De Vol and Mack David wrote Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte for the film Lullaby for a Corpse (1964, Original Title: Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte ) directed by Robert Aldrich , with Bette Davis , Olivia de Havilland and Joseph Cotten in the lead roles. The song, which featured in the film by Al Martino and a children's choir, received an Oscar nomination for Best Song in 1965 .
Originally, the film and the film song did not share the title; the working title of the film was What Ever Happened to Cousin Charlotte? Allegedly, Bette Davis didn't like this working title because it was mistakenly a sequel to What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) suggested. The song, which begins with Hush, hush, sweet Charlotte , was written at an early stage in the film's making, and Bette Davis suggested that Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte could serve as the title of the film.
In the script of the film, the song was written for the character played by Bette Davis, Charlotte Hollis, who is dominated by the memory of her married lover John Mayhew, who was murdered forty years earlier and whose death Charlotte is blamed. In the film, the song has to address Charlotte's loss as a signature tune, which dominated her entire subsequent life. The song melody is played from a music box that Charlotte keeps. Bette Davis as Charlotte also plays the song on the harpsichord and sings it in a complete version in the film, while the recording of Al Martino only appears in the credits in a chorus. Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte is played in full length in the instrumental version by the Frank DeVol Orchestra and sung by a children's choir.
The Al Martino version appeared as the B-side of his single, My Heart Would Know , which was released in January 1965 and reached # 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 ; Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte also appeared on Martino's album Somebody is Taking My Place . When the song received an Oscar nomination for Best Song , Bette Davis should first introduce it herself; in fact, it was then introduced by Patti Page and released on Columbia Records .
With Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte Patti Page had a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in May 1965 ; the song came in at number 8 on the charts and gave the singer the 15th and last gold record of her career. Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte was also the title track of the album of the same name (1965) by Patti Page. The instrumental version of the film theme Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte appeared on the Frank DeVol Orchestra's album Theme from Peyton Place and 11 Other Great Themes (1965) and was used on the B-side of the single Theme from Peyton Place . Gerry Mulligan recorded another instrumental version of the song on his album If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join' Em (1965) with other mainstream pop hits. Lyricist Mack David produced a recording of Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte by Hoyt Axton ; Bruce Forsyth played another version , which competed with the Patti Page single released in Britain in June 1965, but neither the Forsyth single (with the Mike Sammes Singers) nor the Page version reached the British charts. The version by Richard Chamberlain appeared in September 1965 on his album Joy in the Morning , which contained other musical and film songs; and Chris Connor brought the film songs on Sings Gentle Bossa Nova out. Bette Davis introduced the song to promote the film on March 1, 1965 on Steve Allen's television show; their version did not appear until 1976 on the album Miss Bette Davis . I've Got a Secret "before.
Individual evidence
- ^ The 1965 Academy Awards in the Internet Movie Data Base
- ↑ Charlotte Chandler. The Girl Who Walked Home Alone Simon & Schuster (NYC) 2006, p. 244
- ↑ David Bret Joan Crawford: Hollywood Martyr Da Capo Press (Philadelphia PA) 2008, p. 244
- ↑ www.45cat.com