In this edition of Klaatu Barada Nikto I am featuring a moment of peace from Andy and David Williams. They sing the very rare "Falling Falling Gone" that was composed by Rhonda Fleming. The words and the music of this song are very heartfelt and beautiful. For me, I get into a meditative mood whenever I hear it. Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.
Bobby Breen, who was born on November 24, 1927 in Canada, was the finest treble voice of the late 1930s. It is astonishing, but he started to perform in night clubs at the age of four. Bobby then went on to become a leading child actor in Hollywood, and he appeared in many movie musicals in the 1930s, and 1940s. Bobby's vast repertoire included not only popular standards, but also classical music, including opera. He was an eclectic child star, and was the first to create a certain mystique in the eyes of the movie going public. It is not widely known, but Bobby is one of the people that The Beatles admired, and he is pictured on the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover. Bobby is in the front row, right in-between George Harrison and Marlene Dietrich. Now that was quite an honor, and goes to show you just how highly esteemed the music of Bobby Breen was. In 1938, Bobby starred in the movie "Hawaii Calls", which was also the name of a very popular radio show, featuring authentic Hawaiian music that was hosted by the legendary Webly Edwards. The show was broadcast live every week from Waikiki Beach by KGMB, a radio station in Honolulu, and later distributed by "electrical transcription (an early type of recording device that used acetate/aluminum disks)" throughout the continental United States. Please remember that at that time Hawaii was still a Territory Of The United States, and there was no technically reliable way to transmit a radio show "live" to the mainland. Bobby's co-star was a Hawaiian boy who went by the name of Pua Lani, which means "Heavenly Flower" in the Hawaiian language. Not only that, but scores of Hawaiian, and hapa haole (half Hawaiian) children, were used as extras in the film. In "Hawaii Calls", Bobby sings a beautiful operatic piece called "Macushla", accompanied by a full symphony orchestra, but instead of using that song, in this edition of Movies Hawaii I am featuring a novelty number from the movie called "That's The Hawaiian In Me", that was composed by Hawaiian entertainers, Johnny Noble and Margarita Lake. It is a really cool song, and beach scene. Click on the upper video widget to watch this clip. I find it interesting though, that on the side wall of the now defunct Waikiki Theatre (it opened on August 20, 1936 and closed in November of 2002), located in Waikiki of course, there is a huge full-color movie poster of "Hawaii Calls". It makes me smile whenever I see it. "Hawaii Calls" is in the public domain, and the complete movie can be watched for free by clicking on the lower video widget. Bobby Breen passed away on September 19, 2016 at the age of 88, in Pompano Beach, Florida, three days after the death of his wife. Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.
Tsar Nicholas Romanov, and his wife, the Empress Alexandra, along with their five children, were executed (murdered is a better word) by the Bolsheviks on July 17, 1918. Nicholas was the last Tsar of Russia. The whole family was canonized as saints by the Russian Orthodox Church on November 1, 1981. Saint Alexei, Tsarevich of Russia, was two weeks shy of his fourteenth birthday at the time of his death. His four sisters, The Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatyana, Maria, and Anastasia were were 22, 21, 19, and 17 years old, respectively, when they were murdered. I have adopted Saint Alexei as my patron saint. Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.
I am a big fan of movie soundtracks, and lately, there have been very few, that to my taste, separate them from the pack. Well, that changed suddenly when I discovered "Chapters" from the soundtrack of "Christopher Robin". It was composed by Geoff Zanelli, who also did the soundtrack for "The Odd Life Of Timothy Green". "Chapters" has a very beautiful, and haunting sound. It is almost a soundscape. I really love this song. Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.
In this edition of Klaatu Barada Nikto I am featuring David Kawika Crowley singing the very haunting "E Ho'o Pili Mau I Ku'u Pu'u Wai (Forever Close to My Heart)". It's quite possibly the most beautiful song to come out of the Big Island of Hawaii. This song is about the love that David feels for his wife, and also for Hilo. He lived there for many years, but now lives of Oahu. "E Ho'o Pili Mau I Ku'u Pu'u Wai" first appeared on the first "Home Grown" album that was produced by radio station KKUA in 1979. It's the last song on the second side of the album. Unfortunately, the sound quality of the LP version is extremely poor, as it was recorded in monophonic sound. The version in the video below was re-recorded recently in full stereophonic sound, and it's a sonic delight to hear. I've been searching for "E Ho'o Pili Mau I Ku'u Pu'u Wai" for about 30 years, and I finally found it today on YouTube. Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.
