In 1960 20th. Century-Fox announced that a remake of their 1945 hit musical, STATE FAIR, which featured Rodgers & Hammerstein’s only score written for a film, was in the works starring Pat Boone, Bobby Darin, Ann-Margret and Alice Faye, returning to the studio and films after a 17 year absence. In addition to reprising the 1945 score, Rodgers & Hammerstein would write several new songs for the new version. Unfortunately, before filming began, both Oscar Hammerstein and Buddy Adler, Fox’s Studio Head of Production, died. A devastated Richard Rodgers, rather than seeking out a new partner, decided to write both music & lyrics for the new songs in STATE FAIR. Rodgers was already forced to write the lyrics for “This isn’t Heaven”, a new song that was to be added to the film version of “FLOWER DRUM SONG, but the song was cut before filming and was then added to STATE FAIR for Bobby Darin to sing. The Arthur Fiedler RCA LP which is the source of this download was already in preparation by this time and “This isn’t Heaven” is not featured on the album. NO STRINGS, which like the remake of STATE FAIR, also premiered in 1962, is the only Broadway show for which Richard Rodgers wrote both the music & lyrics. It was rather controversial for its time in the casting of Diahann Carroll and Richard Kiley as the star-crossed lovers although the subject of interracial romance was never a part of the show’s book or score.
Arthur Fiedler’s Boston Pops recording of instrumental selections from the scores of STATE FAIR & NO STRINGS was also released in 1962. Due to the lackluster reception for the 1962 remake of STATE FAIR by both critics and filmgoers the LP went out of print rather quickly and has not been reissued on CD as of this writing. This remaster’s source was a RCA Red Seal LP from the early 1960s in reasonably good condition. The original album has been expanded to CD length with the addition of 6 recordings of other Richard Rodgers music recorded by Fiedler & the Pops, mostly from superior tape sources. The Boston Pops employed some of the best orchestrators and the arrangements on the State Fair/No Strings recording are lively and very respectful of Rodgers’ music. With the additional musical material this makes for a wonderful evening of Richard Rodgers in spectacular RCA “Living Stereo” sound.
STATE FAIR & NO STRINGS The Music of Richard Rodgers / Arthur Fiedler / Boston Pops Orchestra
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