12 November 2024
(Until 12 November)Joanie O’Brien sang with Harry James and Elvis – Phantom Dancer
Greg Poppleton Swing Radio Show
Joan O’Brien was a singer, movie and TV actor in the 1950s-60s who sang with Harry James and Bob Crosby and co-starred with Elvis Presley and Cary Grant. She’s your Phantom Dancer feature artist this week.
The Phantom Dancer is your weekly non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.
LISTEN to this week’s Phantom Dancer mix (online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 12 November) and weeks of Phantom Dancer mixes online at, at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/
SINGER
Joan Marie O’Brien became a professional singer while still in high school on the Los Angeles country TV show, Hometown Jamboree, in 1951.
In 1954, she became a regular on The Bob Crosby Show and stayed until shortly before the show’s cancellation in 1958.
Lawrence Welk hired O’Brien as a one-week replacement for his champagne music singer Alice Lon in July 1959. O’Brien had come to Welk’s attention years earlier as a singer on Bob Crosby’s show.
In 1960, she sang as soloist for composer Buddy Bregman at the Moulin Rouge night club in Los Angeles.
O’Brien sang with the Harry James band in 1968.
ACTOR
Joanie O’Brien co-starred with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis in the 1959 film Operation Petticoat.
O’Brien acted in several episodes on the TV western Bat Masterson. The episode S2E01 “To the Manner Born” (1959) had her singing as up-and-coming opera soprano, Dora Miller.
O’Brien was cast as survivor Susanna Dickinson in John Wayne’s 1960 epic feature film retelling of battle of The Alamo.
In 1961 O’Brien again co-starred with John Wayne as his love interest in The Comancheros.
She played Elvis Presley’s girlfriend in the 1963 film It Happened at the World’s Fair.
Her most frequent acting performances were in television during the 1960s. She made two guest appearances on Perry Mason. In 1960 she played Betty Roberts in “The Case of the Singing Skirt”, and in 1965 she played Jill Fenwick in “The Case of the Lover’s Gamble”.
In 1964 O’Brien guest starred in an episode of The Man From UNCLE. Series star Robert Vaughn subsequently cast her as Ophelia in Hamlet at the Pasadena Playhouse.
After retiring in 1969 due to a stormy personal life, she settled down and successfully raised two children while running a management firm for the Hilton Hotel chain.
12 November PLAY LIST
Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINE Community Radio Network Show CRN #682 | ||
107.3 2SER Tuesday 12 November 2024 | ||
Set 1 | Duke Ellington Orchestra | |
Take the A-Train + The Lady of the Lavender Mist | Duke Ellington Orchestra | Meadowbrook Gardens Culver City Ca KHJ Mutual-Don Lee Los Angeles Sep 1947 |
Hi Ya Sue | Duke Ellington Orchestra | Meadowbrook Gardens Culver City Ca KHJ Mutual-Don Lee Los Angeles Sep 1947 |
How Blue the Night | Duke Ellington Orchestra | Meadowbrook Gardens Culver City Ca KHJ Mutual-Don Lee Los Angeles Sep 1947 |
I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So + Close | Duke Ellington Orchestra | Meadowbrook Gardens Culver City Ca KHJ Mutual-Don Lee Los Angeles Sep 1947 |
Set 2 | Freddy Nagel | |
Theme + You Do | Freddy Nagel Orchestra (voc) Dick Baldwin | Empire Room Palmer House WLS ABC Chicago 21 Sep 1947 |
Margie | Freddy Nagel Orchestra | Empire Room Palmer House WLS ABC Chicago 21 Sep 1947 |
Neat You | Freddy Nagel Orchestra (voc) Jane Easton | Empire Room Palmer House WLS ABC Chicago 21 Sep 1947 |
You’re the Sunshine of My Heart + September Song + Theme | Freddy Nagel Orchestra (voc) Dick Baldwin & Band | Empire Room Palmer House WLS ABC Chicago 21 Sep 1947 |
Set 3 | Joanie O’Brien | |
Theme + Cryin’ in the Chapel | Joanie O’Brien (voc) Bob Crosby Orchestra | ‘Bob Crosby Show’ KNXT CBS TV LA 30 Nov 1953 |
You, You, You | Joanie O’Brien and Bob Crosby (voc) Bob Crosby Orchestra | ‘Bob Crosby Show’ KNXT CBS TV LA 2 May 1955 |
Something’s Gotta Give | Joanie O’Brien and Alan Copeland (voc) Bob Crosby Orchestra | ‘Bob Crosby Show’ KNXT CBS TV LA 2 May 1955 |
Happy is a Boy Named Me + Close | Joanie O’Brien and Rod McKuen | ‘Shower of Stars’ KNXT CBS TV LA 30 Nov 1953 |
Set 4 | Fletcher Henderson | |
Christopher Columbus (theme) + Stompin’ at the Savoy | Fletcher Henderson Orchestra | ‘One Night Stand’ Casa Manana Culver City Ca AFRS re-broadcast 1945 |
Let’s Rock | Fletcher Henderson Orchestra | ‘One Night Stand’ Casa Manana Culver City Ca AFRS re-broadcast 1945 |
Caldonia | Fletcher Henderson Orchestra (voc) | ‘One Night Stand’ Casa Manana Culver City Ca AFRS re-broadcast 1945 |
I Found a New Baby | Fletcher Henderson Orchestra | ‘One Night Stand’ Casa Manana Culver City Ca AFRS re-broadcast 1945 |
Set 5 | Hit of the Week | |
Pardon Me Pretty Baby | Sam Lanin Orchestra (voc) Paul Small | Hit of the Week Record Aug 1931 |
I Found a Million Dollar Baby | Don Vorhees Orchestra | Hit of the Week Record 10 Sep 1931 |
Home | Rudy Vallee Connecticut Yankees (voc) Rudy Vallee | Hit of the Week Record Jan 1932 |
I’m Keeping Company | Hit of the Week Orchestra (voc) Scrappy Lambert | Hit of the Week Record Aug 1931 |
Set 6 | Artie Shaw | |
Nightmare (theme) + Deep in a Dream | Artie Shaw Orchestra (voc) Helen Forrest | Blue Room Hotel Lincoln WEAF NBC Red NYC 2 Dec 1938 |
Softly as in a Morning Sunrise | Artie Shaw Orchestra | Blue Room Hotel Lincoln WEAF NBC Red NYC 2 Dec 1938 |
One Foot in the Groove | Artie Shaw Orchestra | Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WEAF NBC Red NYC 19 Oct 1939 |
St Louis Blues _+ Nightmare (theme) | Artie Shaw Orchestra | Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WEAF NBC Red NYC 19 Oct 1939 |
Set 7 | Jimmy Dorsey | |
Contrasts (theme) + Shine on Harvest Moon | Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra | Radio Transcription 1939 |
That’s a’Plenty | Jimmy Dorsey Dorseyland Band | Radio Transcription 1950 |
Imagination | Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (voc) Bob Eberly | Radio Transcription 1939 |
Basin Street Blues | Jimmy Dorsey Dorseyland Band | Radio Transcription 1950 |
Set 8 | Charlie Parker | |
Scrapple from the Apple | Charlie Parker Quintet | ‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NYC 15 Jan 1949 |
BeBop | Charlie Parker Quintet | ‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NYC 15 Jan 1949 |
Hot House | Charlie Parker Quintet | ‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NYC 15 Jan 1949 |