Today
the temperature felt almost balmy. Jack un-corked the front door and opened the
shades in the living room, letting in streams of wonderful sunlight. Then he
lit a fire in the fireplace so that Ina could enjoy the room while she wrote her Christmas cards.
Ina
and Jack frequently listened to the radio in the evenings – first the news and weather,
then other programming that they deemed worthwhile. Now another new tune had
caught Ina’s attention – “Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland.” There wasn't much snow at Gilbert right now but the frost on the trees in the morning was truly beautiful, making Ina's world a "winter wonderland."
Here are links to
some of the earliest renditions of "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland" so that you can listen as Ina might have.
This is the first recorded version, according to Wikipedia -- by Richard Himber.
Here's the early Guy Lombardo version with that distinctive Lombardo sound.
And Hallie says this one is her favorite -- Ted Weems.
[The links were provided by Hallie, Ina's great-granddaughter.]
5 comments:
1934 seems to be the year of classics. Those songs probably helped keep people's minds off the tough times and kept their toes tapping.
It's interesting what came out in 1934, and I think it's correct that it had to do with lifting spirits in hard times. I just don't know if it was a conscious effort to do that on the part of the industry or if it was because of the demand. The movie, Babes in Toyland, also came out in 1934. I've never seen it,which I suppose might be just as well.
It's definitely hard to choose a favorite. I like them all pretty well.
Well, a little Guy Lombardo goes a long way with me. His sound was distinctive and he never changed it. I suppose he had a following from that era. But I was pleasantly surprised by the other arrangements.
I enjoyed the snappy rhythms and could visualize people of that era enjoying dancing to the music.
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