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April 23, 2008
Waring movies premiere in Libraries
University Park, PA—Two movies from Fred Waring's America Collection will premiere on Saturday, June 7, 2008, at 9:30 a.m., in Foster Auditorium, 101 Pattee Library. Varsity Show and The Alma Martyr are free to public, but seating is limited.
Warner Brothers' Varsity Show, nominated for an Academy Award for best dance dir
ection in 1937, stars Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians as themselves, along with a supporting cast that includes Dick Powell, Ted Healy, and Rosemary and Priscilla Lane. With music and lyrics by Johnny Mercer and Richard Whiting, the dynamic selection of songs in this lively musical includes "Old King Cole," sung by Johnnie Davis; "We're Working Our Way Through College," sung by Dick Powell; "I'm Dependable," sung by Priscilla Lane and Fred Waring and written by Tom Waring and Don Raye; "Love Is on the Air Tonight," sung by Buck and Bubbles; among others. The highlight of Varsity Show is a memorable college finale, orchestrated by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians and choreographed by Busby Berkeley.
The Alma Martyr, a 1932 Vitaphone film short, features Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians, performing some of their favorite collegiate-themed songs. A highlight of this amusing short is a dance number featuring Fred Waring's second wife, the beautiful Evalyn Nair. (right: Waring and Nair in a scene from The Alma Martyr.)
Fred Waring's America is part of Penn State's Special Collections Library and is located in 313 Pattee Library, west. The historical memorabilia reflects Waring's nearly 70-year career as a bandleader, choral conductor, glee club pioneer, music educator, golf tournament host and entrepreneur. Fred Waring's America is online at www.libraries.psu.edu/waring.
For information, contact Eileen Akin at 814-863-2911.