Ginger Sings

Photoplay Magazine     published June 1939 (not date picture was taken)

There are a few recordings of Miss Ginger Rogers singing on archive.org and in the public domain.  They are from 78 rpm records and the sound is fairly good.

• "Hello Ginger!" the complete album originally recorded in 1965 has been digitized and added to archive.org.  I don't know if the original was a 78 rpm but it sounds good all the same.   

http://archive.org/details/Hello_Ginger_201307

• "Suddenly It's Spring"  the song was cut from the movie Lady in the Dark but apparently it was released on a record  

http://archive.org/details/OutakesFromClassicHollywoodMusicals
Look for "GINGER ROGERS SUDDENLY IT'S SPRING" in the middle of the group or go to...
http://ia601501.us.archive.org/12/items/OutakesFromClassicHollywoodMusicals/GingerRogersSuddenlyItsSpring.mp3

Also on the page is the orchestral and chorus performance of "Swing Trot" from Barkleys of Broadway.  Look for "MGM STUDIO ORCH SWING TROT (COMPLETE)" near the bottom of the list or...
http://ia701501.us.archive.org/12/items/OutakesFromClassicHollywoodMusicals/MgmStudioOrchSwingTrotcomplete.mp3

• "Isn't it a Lovely Day (to Be Caught in the Rain)"  with Al Jolson in introduction  

The items on the page are described as rare air checks put on record.  The song featuring Ginger Rogers sounds like it is from the radio show Shell Chateau with Al Jolson from September 28, 1935.  You can check it out here:
http://archive.org/details/AliceFayeAndOtherGreatStarsFromTheGoldenAgeOfHollywood 
(look for "Ginger Rogers Isn't It A Lovly Day") and compare it to the version pointed to on this blog page about the show:  http://thegingerrogersresouce.blogspot.com/2012/09/shell-chateau.html
and see what you think (go to 41:25 in the show for the song in question).

This same recording can be heard again in a compilation show from October 17, 1956 called Recollections at 30.  Ginger can be heard at the 10:32 minute mark.
http://archive.org/details/RecollectAt30

• "Let Yourself Go" (1936) with Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra

http://archive.org/details/LetYourselfGo1936

• "Cheek to Cheek" (1935)  Ginger's version and NOT from the movie Top Hat 
• "Out for No Good" listed as 1935
• "We're in the Money" from Gold Diggers of 1933
• "The Continental" with Erik Rhodes from The Gay Divorcee (1934)

http://archive.org/details/GingerRogers-01-04

• "Pick Yourself Up"  from Swing Time (1936) including sound of the dance
• "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" from Shall We Dance (1937) the music continues where the dance would have been in the movie but it is only instrumental with no skates
• "The Continental" with Erik Rhodes from The Gay Divorcee (1934)

http://archive.org/details/FredAstaire-31-33

• "A Fine Romance" duet with Fred Astaire from movie Swing Time (1936)
• "Music Makes Me (Do The Things I Never Should Do)" from movie Flying Down to Rio

"Isn't This a Lovely Day" (1935) from movie Top Hat is listed as being with Ginger but she can only be heard dancing.
http://archive.org/details/FredAstaire-21-30


The soundtrack from the movies Swing Time (1936) and The Gay Divorcee (1934).  The items featuring Ginger Rogers singing are:  (updated Dec 1, 2012)

• "A Fine Romance" duet with Fred Astaire
• Swing Time (1936) finale duet with Fred Astaire, Helen Broderick, Victor Young and Georges Metaxa
• "Pick Yourself Up" duet with Fred Astaire with extended music and dancing sounds
• "The Continental" with Erick Rhodes and ensemble plus some words from Fred Astaire; includes closing credits music

The songs that Fred Astaire sang in those movies are also on the same page including:  "Never Gonna Dance", "Bojangles of Harlem", "The Way You Look Tonight", "A Needle in a Haystack", and "Night and Day" plus the song "Let's Knockaknees" and the music for "Waltz in Swingtime", dancing sounds included, with introduction dialogue by Fred Astaire and Georges Metaxa.
http://archive.org/details/Swingtime1936AndTheGayDivorcee1934



The soundtrack from Shall We Dance (1937) with music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin.  Ginger sings: (updated Dec 1, 2012)

• "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" duet with Fred Astaire, with some of the skating sounds from the dance
• "They All Laughed" just one chorus from the movie

The songs that Fred Astaire sang in this movie are also on the same page including: "I've Got Beginners Luck", "Slap That Bass" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me"
http://archive.org/details/ShallWeDance1937FredAstaireAndGingerRogers



The soundtrack from Top Hat (1935) and The Gay Divorcee (1934) only has 2 songs by Ginger:  (updated Dec 1, 2012)

• "The Continental" with Erick Rhodes and ensemble plus some words from Fred Astaire; includes closing credits music
• "The Piccolino" with music from dance and dancing sounds and the music from the finale dance

The songs that Fred Astaire sang in those movies are also on the same page including: "A Needle in a Haystack", "Night and Day", "Cheek to Cheek", "Isn't It a Lovely Day to Get Caught in the Rain", "No Strings" and "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails".
http://archive.org/details/TopHat1935AndTheGayDivorcee1934



Two songs from two different movies where Ginger appeared with Fred Astaire.  Or maybe Fred appeared with Ginger.  Either way:

• "The Yam" from Carefree, this is a different version from the movie
• "My One and Only Highland Fling" duet with Fred Astaire from Barkleys of Broadway, this sounds like it is from the movie

http://archive.org/details/01TheYam

• "I'll String Along With You"  (1934)

This recording is right out of the movie Twenty Million Sweethearts, it is the duet that Ginger sings with Dick Powell
http://archive.org/details/DickPowellGingerRogers-IllStringAlongWithYou
a different edit of the same duet:
http://archive.org/details/ATreasuryOfWarnerBrosClassicMovieSoundtracksVolumeOne

• "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking" (1933)

This song is from the movie Sitting Pretty of the big finale and right out of the movie with that last note of Ginger's cut off and everything!
http://archive.org/details/JackHaleyGingerRogers-DidYouEverSeeADreamWalking1933

• "You're Such a Comfort To Me" (1933)

An ensemble piece from the movie Sitting Pretty.  Ginger starts it off and the other cast members, Jack Oakey, Thelma Todd and Jack Haley, get their time with it as well.
http://archive.org/details/JackHaleyGingerRogers-YoureSuchAComfortToMe1933

Bit of a stretch here... A few records of music and dialogue from Warner Bros movies has Ginger Rogers singing "We're in the Money" and "I'll String Along With You" (with Dick Powell).  You have to plow through a lot of other stuff but if you are looking for just Ginger, maybe the following will help: (updated Dec 1, 2012)

• Warners 1926 - 1949 S1 01:  an abbreviated "We're In the Money" from Gold Diggers of 1933  just from 14:46-15:17 and "I'll String Along With You" with Dick Powell from Twenty Million Sweethearts at 19:00 - 21:00 (20:19 Ginger joins in)
• Warners Hooray for Hollywood S2: at the top is "We're In the Money" from Gold Diggers of 1933 (a longer version but no Pig Latin); "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" is on the record too but no Ginger. 

http://archive.org/details/MovieSoundracks-DialogueAndMusicalsExcerptsFrom1926-1949

Another version of "We're in the Money" with the movie introduction music but still no Pig Latin:

• Warners We're In the Money

http://archive.org/details/ATreasuryOfWarnerBrosClassicMovieSoundtracksVolumeOne
Note: The item with George Raft's introduction on this page cuts Ginger out of the song completely



Sorry, no singing:

• Robert E. Lee from the movie The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle.  This is just the  music when Ginger dances with Fred Astaire in their first dance together of the movie.  You can hear some dancing sounds if you listen for them. 

http://archive.org/details/SoundtracksFromHollywoodMusicalsVolumeTwo
this one plays the tune:
http://ia601502.us.archive.org/28/items/SoundtracksFromHollywoodMusicalsVolumeTwo/RobertE.LeeFromTheStoryOfIreneAndVernonCastle1939.mp3



Last, this item comes up on a search of Ginger Rogers on archive.org but it is only her talented feet that were recorded from the movie Roberta.  With one sung line by Fred Astaire and a few sounds from Ginger cut off at the end, I would barely consider it a Ginger Rogers item.
http://archive.org/details/FredAstaireAndGingerRogers-SmokeGetsInYourEyes

Photoplay magazine image at top of page available at:
http://archive.org/stream/photoplay53chic#page/38/mode/2up