1941 Best Original Song - All Hail Those Andrews Sisters

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WON: "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good

SHOULD'VE WON: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B," Buck Privates

1941, the year when How Green Is My Valley famously (and, in my humble opinion, deservedly) defeated Citizen Kane for the Best Picture prize, isn't the most spectacular year in Best Original Song, I'm afraid.

Five of the nine nominated tracks fail to leave much of an impression at all. For 1940, I rather shockingly opted to give the Frances Langford-performed "Who Am I" my support over "When You Wish Upon a Star." Langford is back in '41, this time with "Out of the Silence" from the supremely obscure, '80s-teen-sex-comedy-sounding All-American Co-Ed. But while Langford's vocal is just as glorious on this track, the song completely lacks the lyrical strength of Jule Styne's "Who Am I." Two more tracks, "Blues in the Night" and "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye," are soulfully performed, by William Gillespie and the Four Tunes respectively, but short and fleeting. "Be Honest with Me" is a mildly charming little ditty from Gene Autry but again, at a minute and a half, it comes and goes without really leaving a dent. "Dolores" is like microwaved Johnny Mathis.

The winning song, "The Last Time I Saw Paris," composed by Jerome Kern and written by Oscar Hammerstein II, is the track that famously inspired the Academy to alter its rules in Best Original Song and only allow songs specifically written for their motion picture to be eligible for consideration - Kern, who didn't bother to attend this year's ceremony, on account of not believing he'd win, basically protested the victory, as the song wasn't written for Lady Be Good or performer Ann Sothern specifically. The thing is, despite Sothern's fine vocal, "Paris" really isn't one of Hammerstein's better works, at least in my humble opinion. Given its release in the WWII era, it's understandable how and why it prevailed, but I don't think it has the same weight looking back on it today.

For me, the three best nominees here are quite clearly "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Baby Mine" and "Chattanooga Choo Choo."

The Dumbo and Sun Valley Serenade tunes are both unforgettable because of the ways they're incorporated in the respective pictures. The "Baby Mine" scene is downright devastating, almost certainly the most heartbreaking thing ever portrayed in a Disney picture. And "Chattanooga Choo Choo," performed by the irresistible Dorothy Dandridge, is showcased in a dance number that's an absolute ball to watch. The thing is, though, these are songs that don't play nearly as well in strictly audio form - you've got to have the visual to boot, or else the effect just isn't there. Frankly, I'd probably skip "Baby Mine" in an audio compilation of Disney songs, because the music itself isn't all that compelling - it just happens to be featured in such a beautiful scene.

This isn't the case with "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," a joyful, timeless number, performed masterfully here by the Andrews Sisters and covered time and time again over the half century and more to follow, most notably by Bette Midler. You can't help but sing along, even if the tune is technically a little on the slight side.

The Oscar-winners ranked (thus far)...

  1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  3. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  4. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  5. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  6. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  7. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  8. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)

1940 Best Original Song - Pinocchio, Bing, Fred, Mickey and Judy, Oh My!

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WON: "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio

SHOULD'VE WON: "Who Am I," Hit Parade of 1941

My jaw is just as sunken to the ground as yours'. Before I comment on why I have sided with the decidedly uber-obscure "Who Am I" over the legendary "When You Wish Upon a Star," let's just take a moment to stare in wonder at the star-studded nature of this line-up - you have not just one of the all-time great Disney tracks, but also tunes performed by the A-list likes of Fred Astaire ("Love of My Life"), Bing Crosby ("Rhythm on the River"), Betty Grable & Don Ameche ("Down Argentine Way") and the charming-as-ever duo of Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney ("Our Love Affair"). Doesn't mean their songs are especially noteworthy - in fact, in most of the cases, they're not very memorable at all - but still, damn, talk about a stacked category. Imagine if these tunes were performed live back in the day!

With that said, this category is a bit of a mixed bag, in spite of the star wattage. The weakest links are the Grable-Ameche duet, a bouncy but awfully hokey ode to, according to the song, just about the dandiest country on earth, Argentina; "It's a Blue World," a very short number competently performed by Tony Martin in the forgettable Rita Hayworth musical Music in My Heart; and, surprisingly, the Astaire and Crosby tracks, which are decidedly second or even third-tier in their respective discographies (Astaire has famously declared Second Chorus his all-time worst picture and, judging by this generic nomination, it's not hard to see why). "Waltzing in the Clouds," another Deanna Durbin number, is a slight step up from these, nicely performed but still not much to write home about.

From there, we have two solid numbers - the Garland/Rooney duet ("Our Love Affair") and "I'd Know You Anywhere" from the Boris Karloff/Bela Lugosi comedy (!!!) You'll Find Out. Stripped of their performers, neither of these songs is especially noteworthy. Garland and Ginny Simms (on the second track, sounding dazzling, just like Margaret Whiting) sell the songs so perfectly, though, that it's tough not to get sucked in, even if the tracks are lyrically just OK.

Ultimately, this comes down to the Pinocchio and Hit Parade of 1941 songs for me. And boy, it's a toughie. "When You Wish Upon a Star" is such a dreamy, charming piece, a perfect opener for its film. But it's still never really been one of my personal favorite Disney songs. It's iconic as hell, but also a bit on the fleeting side and it isn't as lyrically moving as say, "Part of Your World" or "Beauty and the Beast." Nonetheless, I was fully prepared that I'd crown it an easy winner here. That is, until listening to the heartrending "Who Am I," a piece gloriously - and I mean gloriously - performed by Frances Langford, in a scene that recalls Singin' in the Rain and features the lushest of orchestrations. Talk about a forgotten track, and what a shame that is.

I certainly can't fault the Academy for going with "When You Wish Upon a Star," but, when I hang my hat up in having reviewed all of these Best Original Song categories, I have no doubt "Who Am I" will stand out as one of my greatest discoveries.

The Oscar-winners ranked (thus far)...

  1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  3. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  4. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  5. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  6. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  7. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)

1939 Best Original Song - That Glorious, Untouchable Rainbow

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WON AND SHOULD'VE WON: "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz

Between the years of 1938 and 1945, on seven occasions, the Academy nominated 10 or more entries in the Best Original Song category. The one year in that batch the Academy opted not to do - and instead rather strangely recognize just four tracks - was 1939.

What a damn shame that was, considering you could practically fill an entire category with just classics from The Wizard of Oz - not only the timeless, sumptuous "Over the Rainbow," unforgettably performed by Judy Garland (and later the likes of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Harry Nilsson and more), but also "We're Off to See the Wizard," "If I Only Had a Brain," "The Merry Old Land of Oz" and heck, even "Ding Dong, the Witch Is Dead."

Instead, inexplicably, the Academy nominated three supremely lackluster songs from other pictures - two truly grating tracks, "Faithful/Forever" from Paramount's first-ever animated feature Gulliver's Travels and "Wishing (Will Make It So)," which has to be the absolute worst part of the classic Love Affair. The final nominee, "I Poured My Heart into a Song," is a rather middling Irving Berlin effort, performed not-so-memorably by Tyrone Power in the not-so-memorable Berlin musical Second Fiddle.

Its competition aside, "Over the Rainbow" really is one of the all-time great movie songs - the American Film Institute understandably ranked it number one on their "100 Years...100 Songs" list - so even if the Academy screwed up by not nominating any other Oz classics and instead recognized garbage, at least they got the winner right.

The Oscar-winners ranked (thus far)...

  1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  3. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  4. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  5. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  6. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)

1938 Best Original Song - Oscar Memories

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WON AND SHOULD'VE WON: "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938

'38 marks the first of seven occasions in Oscar history when 10 or more tunes were nominated in Best Original Song. (Why, exactly, they opted to nominate just four songs the next year, in '39, only to return to 10 in '40, seems a mystery.) Somehow, however, in spite of the plethora of work recognized this year, there isn't a whole lot to write home about among the Academy's selections.

Two of the nominated songs - the dreary, Roy Rogers-performed "Dust" and fleeting, Don Ameche-sung "Now It Can Be Told" - are probably best left forgotten. Another two - the aptly titled "Merrily We Live" and "The Cowboy and the Lady" - are kind of fun in a TV sitcom theme song kind of way...you bop your ahead along until the 90 seconds are over and then raise your eyebrow in disbelief that this stuff somehow garnered an Oscar nom.

A few of the pieces recognized are nicely performed, but not especially memorable - I'm looking at "Always and Always" from the Joan Crawford starrer Mannequin; "A Mist over the Moon," an early and rather overlong Oscar Hammerstein effort; and "My Own," admirably belted out by That Certain Age leading lady Deanna Durbin.

For me, this ultimately comes down to the three remaining nominees - the Louis Armstrong-performed "Jeepers Creepers," Fred Astaire crooning another Oscar nominated track with "Change Partners" and the winner, the classic Bob Hope-Shirley Ross duet "Thanks for the Memory."

Depending on the performer, "Jeepers Creepers" can be a headache-inducing jingle. Armstrong just happens to sell it perfectly. Astaire's "Change Partners" is warm, lovely and charming, albeit not quite in the same league as say, "The Way You Look Tonight." Ultimately, I side with the delightful "Thanks for the Memory," as I think it quite clearly has best-stood the test of time, of these 10 nominees. While "Change Partners" comes close and you can't go wrong with that Armstrong vocal, I think "Thanks for the Memory" is really the only truly timeless and iconic track to be found here.

The Oscar-winners ranked (thus far)...

  1. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  2. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  3. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  4. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  5. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)

1937 Best Original Song - Searching for Snow White

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WON: "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding

SHOULD'VE WON: "Remember Me," Mr. Dodd Takes the Air

In listening to the 1937 Oscar nominees for Best Original Song, the immediate takeaway is "wow, this evidently was not an especially noteworthy year in movie music." Then, however, you realize '37 was the release year of one of the all-time great Disney classics, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, meaning the Academy inexplicably opted to snub the likes of "Someday My Prince Will Come," "Whistle While You Work" and "Heigh-Ho," among others. Oh well. This, of course, will hardly be the first time I complain about the lack of love for songs that so obviously should have been recognized.

There isn't really a dud among the Academy's five selections this year. There is not, however, anything to much write home about either. This year is notable for being the one occasion on which the great George Gershwin (posthumously) received an Oscar nomination, but I wouldn't consider "They Can't Take That Away from Me" among his best work, despite Fred Astaire's fine, charming delivery. "That Old Feeling" is also a nice standard, covered by the likes of Doris Day and Judy Garland to Rod Stewart and Frank Sinatra, but it too is a bit tough to get enthusiastic about in the way you fall so head-over-heels for the likes of "Cheek to Cheek" and "The Way You Look Tonight." "Whispers in the Dark" and the winner, the Bing Crosby-performed "Sweet Leilani," are also nice and not much more. (Who knows, maybe everyone in the Academy wanted to get the heck out of Hollywood and move to Hawaii.)

Ultimately, my favorite here isn't the Gershwin track or the Oscar winner, but rather "Remember Me," from the extremely obscure Mr. Deeds-inspired Mr. Dodd Takes the Air. I can't speak to the quality of the picture - I've never seen it, though the few notices I've dug up online don't hold a lot of promise - but the strong vocal performance of Kenny Baker, coupled with its sweet, nostalgic lyrics (lots of talk about falling in love in cottages on hills), leave more of an impression on me than its competition.

The Oscar-winners ranked (thus far):

  1. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  2. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  3. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  4. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)