Around The World In 80 Days

Not too long after composing the music for this brilliant 1956 film starring David Niven, Shirley MacLaine, and Cantinflas, Victor Young passed away at the age of 56 on November 11, 1956. He did, however, leave behind a legacy of musical classics that will endure forever.

In addition to the title tune, which became a Billboard Pop Top 100 single for Decca that summer [his last], going to # 13 [the flip was a vocal version by Bing Crosby with Young's backing and which also charted at # 25], he composed such gems as A Ghost Of A Chance, Stella By Starlight, and My Foolish Heart, among others, and also put seven other tunes onto the charts from 1950 to 1955.

There are several Victor Young CDs available, but none among them, as far as I can tell [some listings do not show contents], contain his hits, other than the one in this album.

A concert violinist by profession, he had been a band leader/ conductor for a number of radio personalities, among them Al Jolson, and in June 1950 secured his first hit single with an instrumental version of La Vie En Rose [# 27], one of seven charted versions that year although well back of the # 9 vocal by Tony Martin, under the billing Victor Young & His SInging Strings.

Two months later, under the billing Victor Young And His Orchestra And Chorus And Don Cherry, their rendition of Mona Lisa went to # 7, one of seven charted versions of that song from the film Captain Carey, U.S.A., and second only to the Nat "King" Cole # 1. The flipside, The Third Man Theme from the classic Orson Welles film, had six charted versions itself. including the Young/Cherry collaboration, but this time they had to settle for a # 22, well back of the hit versions by Anton Karas and Guy Lombardo [both # 1].

There were also eight hit versions of his next offering, My Heart Cries For You, an adaptation of the 18th Century French melody Chanson de Marie Antoinette. Only this time his version, with vocals by Louanne Hogan, Joe Graydon and a chorus, finished in eighth place at # 29 in March 1951, well back of those by Guy Mitchell [# 2], Dinah Shore [# 3], and Vic Damone [# 4].

Two years would pass before his next hit, Ruby, from the film Ruby Gentry and once more his instrumental brought up the rear at # 20, behind those of Richard Hayman [# 3] and Les Baxter [# 7]. Following another full year's drought, he returned to the charts in 1954 with The High And The Mighty from the John Wayne film, finishing second [# 6] to Les Baxter's version [# 4], with the haunting whistling of Muzzy Marcellino.

His next entry, coming in 1955, was still another multi-recorded tune, Autumn Leaves, which, with piano solo by Ray Turner, finished well back [as did all the others] of the Roger Williams # 1. Then came Around The World In 80 Days, with the original Decca soundtrack LP 79046 going on to become a best-seller.

It's great to see it preserved in this MCA CD release, but what we need now is a compilation of his hit singles for posterity.

What things i cuold tell about this music and this film???

One of the greatest films of the cinema history. In front of the art, I'm on my knees...

I have loved this score since I was a child. I'm 56 now. I was fortunate enough to find an original Decca LP in STEREO of this soundtrack. I found it decades ago in a bargain bin. It's the original on the Decca label. Apart from the score itself which is brilliant, the quality of the original recording was tranferred beautifully to vinyl - a nice hefty piece of vinyl. In the waning days of vinyl LP's, the record companies got very cheap by using inferior grade vinyl and not much of it. Records could actually bend. Not this one. It's sturdy and rigid. I suspect this adds to the quality of the sound reproduction. It has a quality that you just don't hear nowadays despite today's technology. Definitely one of the finest soundtrack LP's ever produced.