Ginger Rogers in a 1934 tryout for "Alice".
This a 1949 sound recording, adapted by George Wells with songs by Lewis Carroll and Frank Luther and music by Victor Young. Produced in NYC on Decca, 3 x 78 rpm discs, cat numbers 966, 967 and 968. The labels are printed "Children Stories with two Violins, Piano and Clarinet accompaniment."
The tunes might be the same as the Ginger Rogers production (above right), being written by the same team.
Frank Luther was a professionally trained pianist who played in several country music bands in his home state of Kansas before moving to New York in 1928. He gradually began to move away from country music, preferring to write and perform childrens music.
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This AIW version was produced specifically for release as a sound recording. Initially on a set of three 78rpm records on the Decca  label, catalogue number 5040, in 1944, it was re-released in 1950 in 7" 45 rpm format and as a 10" LP.
The cover art was by Walt Disney, and almost seems to be a preliminary sketch for a scene in the
1951 animated movie. In fact Walt Disney was considering an 'Alice' movie in 1944, with famous hoofer, Ginger Rogers, as the unlikely choice for playing the lead.
 Disney had just achieved considerable success with "Song Of The South", a film which featured part live action and part animation, with a great emphasis on the character and personality of the animated animals. He envisaged Alice In Wonderland in the same way, with a "live" Alice interacting with animated characters.
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"Ginger Rogers as Alice, and a candid photograph of herself with director George Wells and conductor Victor Young, which was taken during the recording session of the famous fantasy tale, ALICE IN WONDERLAND." |
It wasn't to be. Disney changed his mind and he shelved the idea until he finally made the fully animated 1951 version we all know today. However, the concept sketches and song ideas remained, and this recording was the 'waste not want not' result.
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Singers:
Ginger Rogers
Lou Merrill
Bee Benaderet
Arthur Q. Bryan
Joe Kearns
Ferdy Munier
Martha Wentworth
Music:
Frank Luther
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Randy Greif - Alice In Wonderland Parts 1 to 5 (Staalplaat) 1990-92
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Randy Greif is a musician whose work you either love or hate. He uses electronic sounds combined with real sounds which have been looped, distorted, reversed and whatever else takes his fancy. This adaptation of Alice's Adventures is six hours of the most dark and disturbing soundscapes you will ever hear.
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Lewis Carroll's text is spoken by actors, but much altered and chopped up to provide a rhythmic backing to the music. These compositions are teeming with minute details and complexity.
The Alice CD's were originally released one at a time over a three year period, now the Soleilmoon label has re-released them in a 5-CD box set, complete with new artwork and a set of trading cards featuring Greif's surreal treatments of the Tenniel illustrations.
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This UK production first appeared in 1958 as a "spoken word" record set. Initially released on Decca's 'Argo' label as a two-LP set in stereo, catalogue number ZTA 501-2, it was also available on the London label, number X5545 in mono. A double CD limited re-release in stereo by 'Classic Books' appeared in 1995 (right).
