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Right here on the Civic Media Radio Network, I'm your host, Lou Vergani.
Welcome aboard.
For here, it'll midnight central time.
And there's a whole bunch of programs behind us since we began here in 2023.
You can find those on Civic Media.
Celebrating the birthday of Tony Bennett.
70 years in front of the microphone.
20 Grammy
We see thanks to Bob Hope who discovered Tony back in 49.
In fact, it was Bob who named him.
His real name, Anthony de Benedetto.
The music of the star.
Music of the Star.
No Greater Star.
It's one of the recording microphones that was towing.
The emotion picture came out that people have forgotten.
Start Claude at Colbert, music by Johnny Greene, later of MGM.
But people never forget the
song.
I see the horizon The great unknown My heart has an ache It's as heavy as stone
them?
waterfront in search of my love and I'm covered by a starry sky
forgetting.
Do you remember?
Will you return?
I cover the waterfront.
I'm watching the
For the one I love must soon come back.
patiently waiting, hoping and longing.
Oh, how I yearn.
Where are you honey?
Are you forgetting?
Don't you remember?
Will you return?
I cover the water from
watching the sea for the one I love must soon come back
Central Park.
Anything but green.
tops of buildings reappeared then suddenly I saw you come my
way and I knew that this would be
Tops
of building
Then it suddenly
you appeared.
But the...
was working too fast, or so it seemed.
Nothing's accomplished by this, nothing that makes sense.
Let me tell you about my mind.
It seems to turn in circles that get tighter and tighter as my thoughts swing upward and inward as I reach into what might as well be upward as downward as I think in
Endless chain reactions that tighten up tighter and tighter until I want them.
But I mustn't do that.
Loosen up.
Take it easy.
Just relax.
Have to up your calm.
Even though I know it's a lie.
You've been gone, I haven't shed a tear.
I'll never cry my love, though every day seems like a hundred years.
forecast today.
to help me too.
Because of rain,
we stayed indoors and watched it pour.
That's how I found the one that I adore.
We stole a kiss until the cloudy day gave way to sky
Tony?
a question to which I recently got a no on this program.
Have you within the last month or so occupied the presidential suite at a Middle Western hotel?
No.
One down and nine to go, Mr. Sir.
That's a great question.
You keep asking that question for the rest of the year.
Are you a star in a...
Motion picture that either is running in one of the biggest Broadway theaters or is about to open there.
No.
Two down and eight to go, Miss Francis.
Are you a performer in the theater?
No.
Three down and seven to go, Mr. Anchor.
Are you a singer?
Yes.
Miss Gilgallon?
Hmm.
Ah, do you play...
of supper clubs and night clubs?
Yes.
Mr. Serve?
Have you got a gloriously beautiful wife who is also a performer?
No.
Four down... Four down and six to go, Miss Francis.
Are you at the present time appearing in a club or a hotel in New York?
No.
Five down and five to go, Mr. Anchor?
It's in the past six months.
Were you on the popular record charts?
Were
you
on the record charts?
Yes.
Miss Kilgallen?
Were you at the San Gennaro Festival this year?
No.
Six down and four to go, Mr.
Sepp?
Have you got a record at the present time in the top 15?
No.
Seven down and three to go,
Miss Francis?
Do you appear on television as a singer regularly?
No.
Ain't doubted two to go, Mr. Anchor.
I know who it is.
Say it.
Is it Alan Sherman?
No.
That's lying
doubted one to go, Miss Kilgallon.
Do you have a beautiful wife who is not a performer?
Yes.
I'd dare you to answer that one any other way.
Mr.
Serp?
Do you also double as a comedian?
No.
That's 10 down and no more to go, and you all left your
heart.
Wait a minute, huh?
Where?
It's 10 down and no more to go.
You got stuck.
You left your hearts in where?
San Francisco, Tony Bennett.
Tony
Bennett.
We had a lot of tricky things done, and one of our tricks worked, because actually Tony is going to open in the Copa Gabbana on Thursday night of this week, so we could say with perfect honesty that he was not in a club right now, you see.
All
right, now why weren't you at the San Gennaro Festival?
I wish I was.
But I would remember, I don't know if you will remember this, but Mrs. Daly and I were in San Francisco.
It must have been, what, three Christmases or four Christmases ago?
That's right, a family hotel.
When you were doing, you did, I left my heart in San Francisco.
That was before I recorded
the song.
Before you recorded it?
I know, because we went that night and came out humming the tune, and then about six months later you recorded it, and it just took off like a bird.
That's right.
Well, you took off the panel, too, so that's fine.
Thanks very much, Tony.
Nice to have you with us.
Nice to have
you to talk with you about it.
The evening settles down And somewhere in the distance There's a familiar sound A voice that crossed the decades A voice we came to know Still singing to our hearts tonight Wherever dreamers go Happy hundredth birthday Tony A hundred years of song A hundred years
memories and melodies that live on from the streets of New York City to the stars above the town you taught the world to sing with love and you never
that wouldn't stay you made the lonely beautiful you made the blue sky shine and every song you gave us became a friend of mine happy hundredth birthday Tony a hundred years of song a hundred years of memories and melodies that
Just before the dawn So raise a glass to Tony To all the years gone by To every little moment That made the whole world sigh And somewhere in that quiet place Where old songs never end We'll hear that gentle voice again Our singer
The songs, the smile, the memories The warmth upon your face And as long as there are dreamers Your melodies will be A little piece of heaven
of Paris seems somehow sadly gay the glory that was Rome is of another day well I was terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan I'm going home to my city
It calls to me
In San Francisco
November 22nd, to be exact.
The music of the star.
Frank always said Tony was the ultimate singer-singer.
The music of the stars.
This is The Bad and the Beautiful by David Raxson.
Tony Bennett was a dedicated painter.
Actually, his interest in art began as a child.
He painted every day,
The old master painter from the faraway hills painted the violets and the daffodils.
He put the purple in the twilight haze.
Then did a rainbow for the rainy days.
Dreamed up the murals on the blue summer skies.
Painted the devil in MacDarland's eyes.
Captured the dreamer with a thousand thrills.
The old master painter from the far away hills.
Then came his masterpiece and when he was through, he smiled out from heaven and he gave me you.
a beautiful job on that wonderful day the old master painter from the
for the rainy days dreamed of the murals on the blue summer skies painted the devil in the darlin's eyes captured a dreamer with a thousand thrills the old master painter from the faraway hills then came his masterpiece and when he was through he smiled out from heaven and he gave me you what a beautiful job on that wonderful day the old
Phil Harris.
Soft
It's just about time for August to come hot, footin' it by.
You can bet that I'm twelve times as happy as gals with only one man a year.
And now is the
The time for August to put my heart in high gear And he can do it, who you ought to see him With that baby I'm here, your worries are over
It won't be cold enough for winter For a long, long while I belong to the man of the month glow And this July was only so, so But now that it's time
When the kids were playing cops and robbers, I was buying lollipops.
I was dreaming
This
was not just
a childhood romance.
Now the dreams respond for fun as schoolmates.
Was not just a childhood romance Now the dreams respond for fun as roommates
great singers in the world I think Frank Sinatra once said about Tony he is the greatest singer in the world and he was a guest speaking at the Tonight Show as we were tonight was a guest of mine on the very first show we did October 1, 1962 out of New York and he's gonna be in Denver for 10 days at the turn of the Century Club starting this Thursday and then he opens in Las Vegas at the desert in for two weeks starting the 15th of May.
What can I say?
Mr. Tony Bennett
The national news cycle never stops, but it can be hard to find news about your local community.
Civic Media is dedicated to providing quality local and state news coverage across Wisconsin.
With the Civic Media app, you can get notifications about local stories that matter to you and your community.
Find the free Civic Media app in your phone's app store and choose notifications from the menu to tell us what kind of news you want to hear about.
You're listening to Civic Media.
You can tune into any of our live shows on any radio station across the state with the Civic Media app.
Find us in your phone's app store and listen anytime,
anywhere.
Music
Let that harmony rain Up to heaven and sing Sing, you sinner Just wave your arms all about Let the Lord hear you shout For that music right out Sing, you sinner Whenever there's music The devil kicks He don't allow music By that river sticks Your wicked and your depraved
And you've all misbehaved.
If you wanna be safe, sing you sinners.
I have a message for you.
A very sad message by my subject for this evening will be Little Bo Peep.
It says here, Little Bo Peep, who was a little girl, has lost her sheep and doesn't know where to find her.
Now that's reasonable, isn't it?
It's reasonable to assume.
If little Bo Peep had lost her shame, it's only natural that she wouldn't know where to find.
That basically is reasonable, but leave them alone.
Now that overwhelms me.
Completely overwhelms me.
The man said she lost her sheep.
turns right around and boldly states she doesn't know where to find
them
and then has the stupid audacity to say
Sing you sinners, stop everything Let that harmony ring Up to heaven and sing Sing you sinners Just let that music ring
Yeah.
The Devil
Kicks.
We set our night shirts and put on our prayers.
We turned off the bed and crawled into the light.
And all because you kissed us.
Good night.
Gosh, Valors, that ain't nothing.
Williams, hear what happened to me.
I powdered my hair and pinned up my nose.
I hung up to the bath and I turned on my clothes.
I put out the clock and I wound the cat up tight.
And all because you kissed me.
Good night.
And you know what happened there?
What do you?
I ran up the shade and I pulled down the stairs I curled up the rug and I vacuumed my hers I just couldn't tell my left from my right And all because you kissed me
our teeth and brushed our guitars.
We smoked our breakfast and ate some big cigars.
We got our uncle loaded and shook hands with our gun.
And all because you kissed
us,
honey boy.
I was so slap-hop happy I couldn't sing them blues.
We got sold and earned mixed up.
We even put on our shoes.
Put on the stars.
I said my night shirt.
Thank you.
Put on your prayers.
It was the evening of the night, and the sun was shining bright.
And
all
because
we
kissed.
Good night.
Hey, June, how about another kiss?
Kiss for me.
Yeah, how about one for me, too, June?
Now you wait a minute, Homer.
It's my turn.
Now, Jethro, you had enough.
Oh,
here now.
Wait a minute, fillers.
Close your eyes.
Pucker up.
I'll kiss some more.
You need a shave.
What do you mean I need a shave?
You just kissed Jethro.
Well, good
night.
The
my pajamas and put on my prayers turned off the bed and crawled into the light and all because you kissed me good night next morning I woke and scrambled my shoes shined up an egg then I toasted the news I buttered my tie and took another
what happened the night before last time.
Now we'd like to tell you what happened last-
I couldn't tell my left foot from...
Doris was quite an actress and it's a mystery to me why she never won an Academy Award, ever.
One of her finest roles, I think, Midnight Lace, but you've got to see an unknown picture called Julie.
That's the title.
The music of the stars.
Tony Bennett did an excursion into acting.
With the 1968 picture of the Oscar, I think he's just stuck to singing.
Here's Tony from a Broadway tune.
This is from Pickwick.
The year 1964.
And we'd sing of the joy every morning would bring.
If I rule the world, every man would be as free as a bird.
take my word we would treasure each day that occurred my world would be a beautiful place where we would weave such wonderful
that no man could end.
The spirit of 45 alive, celebrating the victory.
Tony Bennett, when he was 15, he watched friends and relatives drafted into the service.
He turned 18 that summer, 1944, and then he got his own draft notice.
In November, 44, he went to the army, was sent there, actually.
Fort Dix, New Jersey.
It was an infantry rifleman, Fort Robinson, Arkansas.
He was ordered to France.
It was a replacement for units that suffered heavy casualties.
Geek Company, 7th Army, 63rd Infantry Division.
You recall being awakened by...
None other than General George Patton himself.
He remembered Patton's words.
He said, now listen up, forget your mothers and everything else you've ever known.
You're going up to the line, which is a terrifying place.
Some of those guys had never even fired a weapon.
See, the idea they had was that the more experienced soldiers would help, well, be instructors for the replacements.
It turned out there was no time for
that.
foxholes.
His first night, he was almost killed, shrapnel, from a German 88.
The rules for the front line, he learned them quickly, don't move.
He said, I still think it's a joke.
They make horror movies.
Things like Monsters, Godzilla, and Dracula.
And then they make adventure movies.
And I use the word quote in adventure.
He said war, more horrifying than anything when they could dream up.
Well, he marched into Germany March 45, Tony.
He fought house by house.
When he was finally pulled off that line, he... One with a thousand other GIs to see Bob Hope at a USO show.
And at that moment, he said, I realized the greatest gift I could ever give anyone is to give a laugh for a song.
Tony liberated a concentration camp near the town of Landsberg, about 30 miles south of the Dachau camp.
The camp was still being defended by the Germans, but Tony and his regiment, they fought hard to liberate them.
Was it like in the concentration camps?
I'll leave that to you, but Tony liberated.
He said, just let me say I'll never forget those faces.
The music of the stars.
Tony Bennett's 100th birthday this week.
The Four Lads.
Over and over I whisper your name.
Let me make a full confession.
You are my magnificent obsession Day in and day out It's always the same There is love beyond expression
you
Obsession Obsession
You know what I didn't know about you?
What is it?
You were a war hero, weren't you, in World War II?
Yes.
You were.
And you saw horrible things in World War II.
I don't think people know about it.
I couldn't stand it.
Did it make you a pacifist?
Are you an anti-war guy?
I
am.
I really dislike war.
See, to me, life is a gift.
And you should enjoy it.
I mean, it's a great gift.
To be alive is the best thing that could ever happen.
How old were you when you went to
war?
17, 18.
Did you enlist?
No.
They drafted you.
Right.
And so you're a young guy.
Had you started singing at that point?
Were you having dreams of being a singer?
Ever since I was a little baby.
So when you were this young boy and you wanted to sing, this war, going into the army, interrupted your life and interrupted this passion of yours?
Well, I
didn't look at it like that.
You know, I just...
Everybody had to go to war.
It was just one of those things.
It was the most horrible war.
It was the what Studs Turcle in Chicago called it the good war
Yeah,
because it had it happen,
right?
Was
it there was nobody stop Hitler the Japanese were
worse worse war philosophy in the world was created there.
Were you scared?
Yeah, and and and so Germans were frightened.
We were frightened
Nobody wanted to kill anybody who were on the line right there, but the weapons were so strong That it overcame us and everybody else
you were in the army.
Yeah the corporal
and I
had my voice I had my stripes sliced from a bigot Captain in the army.
I
think I know what you're referring to when you were in the army Yes, you had a friend in the army who was black right and your sergeant hated this
He hated a white
man.
There was a captain.
Captain, hated that you were friendly with a black guy.
Right.
And he told you, knock it off.
We were just waiting for enough points to come home at the end of the war.
Right.
How long were you in the army?
Just a couple of years.
It was toward the end of the war.
So this
guy, you were kind of...
The best
friend.
Best friend.
He was the greatest guy.
I touch the place where you stood And the house remembers your cheeks The kettle cold on the stove Two cups waiting, one gone dim I hear your laugh in the hall Soft as the shape of a hymn If time could fold its hands And bring you
You said.
buddy rich for you folks at home who might listen to this record eventually I would like to say that this is a very special night for me and they've been a couple of special nights because this record is being recorded and around about well as I look at my watch now it is a quarter after five in Las Vegas it is
still swinging.
Everything is happening.
And in the audience tonight is predominantly performers who have been nice enough to come into the Sands Hotel's Copa Room after their shows.
And this is the kind of way that we can communicate with one another.
And it makes it much easier for that communication if you have Buddy Rich at the drums, a marvelous band.
So for the next 10 or 12 sides, just relax, sit down, and swing with us, if you will.
Because it's fun for me, and I hope it will be fun for those of you who listen.
Any noises that come from the audience, or any of the people, or any side noises you might hear, know that they are not can.
They are live.
That's
Complete entertainer and I don't think anyone would disagree that he's in a class by himself He's gonna be starring this Wednesday night at 8 30 here on NBC in a pilot film called poor devil Sammy Davis, Jr
Now, that's a nice outfit.
You like that?
Yeah.
That's crazy.
My
wife and I today, I said, the last time I was on the show, I wore the tuxedo.
And I said, I think I'll just wear some gear tonight for John.
So she picked this out for me.
That's crazy.
You know, every time I
introduce you, I do it sincerely, you know.
I don't know if you ever hear the introduction or not, but have you ever been to some place where somebody's given you such an overblown introduction or blown the whole thing that you come out and you don't know how to follow it or the whole thing is a follow-up?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, because I think that in trying to be very nice to say a lot of things that no human being alive could live up to You know, and I know what the cat's trying to say, but he keeps saying just say and Sammy or whatever it is, you know, because Know what it can live up to all that and certainly, you know, it's very nice.
I'm not gonna lie It's very nice when someone says ladies and gentlemen.
Here's the greatest entertainment.
There is no greatest man I'm here.
I'm trying to do my thing and that's all
They know greatest nothing, because there's a cat working in Cleveland in a garage that can cut us all.
Right now.
Right this
minute.
If he just wanted to be in show business, he'd outdo every... Now, what about the Bogart thing?
What about... Oh,
yes.
Oh, yes.
Oh, yes.
Because, first
of all... You almost cleaned it up one night with you and Shacky Green and I. We all were doing it one night.
Now, first of all,
I gotta tell you something that I'm a little upset with, and that is the fact that George Burns...
did bow jangles.
Right.
The ladies danced.
Right.
And prior to all of that, he says, Bogart, where does it say any place in a trade paper that Johnny Carson does Bogart?
Now, I want to see you do it.
Well, we did.
No, no,
no, no.
I don't mean with Shecky and I here.
Please do Bogart for me.
Please.
Okay, one small performer not to be coming back I Can't go into it like you I have to
mentally
I have to mentally get psyched up.
I'm a
I'm a method type of strawberries You
can do that anytime
you come out you go right into it, but I have to you know I have to get it in here.
I want to take you to think about about about a month
No, because to me see when you do it particularly like a bow guard that's so that's so groovy and so close to your tonal quality You should be able to do it just like that and if you think about it
Then you're gonna blow it.
See if you give too much concentration.
Just give the strawberries a lot.
Just give me the strawberries a lot.
I won't come to it again.
Okay.
You see what happens?
You see what happens?
It just, it doesn't come while you... Well, you're laughing, you see, and I can't do it because I get...
Well, see,
the only thing that I don't understand about it is that if you're gonna really do Bogart, you just...
you suddenly get
the,
uh... well, the... the attitude entirely changes and the,
uh... the
whole situation.
The whole thing is kind of done right... right like, you know... No, you're right.
You
think about it a lot.
He dangles and he dance for you.
He ain't one how to choose.
So hair and raggy shirt and baggy pants.
The old soft shoe.
He jumps so.
Mr. Bojangles.
Mr. Bojangles.
Mr. Bojangles.
He said to me, Bojangles, then he danced to lick.
I'll cross the cell.
Grabbed his pants, a better stance, and he jumped so high.
He clicked his heel.
Mr. Bojangles Mr. Bojangles Mr. Bo-
He shook his head.
I tried
to run this
ship
properly, but they fought me at every turn.
They were all against me.
I'll take the broken tow line to fuck.
to circulate wild stories.
I was to blame for Mr. Merrick's poor seamanship and incompetence, but I had the strawberries.
I asked for the strawberries.
They laughed at me, but I proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, and with geometric logic and deduction, that the duplicate key to the water in my box did exist, and I had to produce that key if they hadn't pulled the cane out of action.
Mr. Merrick was the perfect officer, but not...
Oh, that's great.
just spending my time out of a job not earning a dime a fella steps up and he said I suppose you're a wrong fighter from the looks of your clothes you figures me right I'm a good one I claim do you happen to have any bad ones to tame said he's got one a bad one to buck
For throwing good riders, he's had lots of blood.
I get all head up and I ask what he pays To ride this old nag for a couple of days.
He offered me ten and I said I'm your man.
A bronc never lived that I couldn't fend.
He said get your saddle, I'll give you a chance.
In his buckboard, we hop, and he drives to the rest.
I stayed until morning and right after chug.
I stepped out to see if this outlaw can bug.
Down in the horse corral, standing alone, is an old Caviar, a strawberry rone.
His legs are all spab and he's got pigeon toes.
Little pig eyes and a big Roman nose.
Little pin ears that touch at the tip.
A big 44 brand was on his left hip.
You neck and all with a long lower jaw.
I could see with one eye he's a regular outlaw.
The national news cycle never stops but it can be hard to find news about your local community.
Civic Media is dedicated to providing quality local and state news coverage across Wisconsin.
With the Civic Media app you can get notifications about local stories that matter to you and your community.
Find the free Civic Media app in your phone's app store and choose notifications from the menu to tell us what kind of news you want to hear about.
You're listening to Civic Media.
You can tune into any of our live shows on any radio station across the state with the Civic Media app.
Find us in your phone's app store and listen anytime, anywhere.
I
to the sky.
But till that morning, there's nothing can harm you.
Yeah, sweetie.
Yeah, my baby.
Stay.
And some local artists as well.
Interestingly enough, Lionel Hampton grew up in Sturdivant.
There's no sign there.
What a history.
Accompanied Louis Armstrong on a bunch of recordings.
So how do you wind up in Sturdivant?
Holy Rosary Academy in Sturdivant.
Gone now.
There was a nun there.
His parents were living in Chicago.
They sent him to Sturdivant.
And this nun, Sister Petra, recognized the kid's talent.
to keep practicing.
He always credited her with his career.
Had his own development foundation, he built homes in Harlem with the help of Governor Rockefeller.
passed on in August of 2002, August 31st to be example.
He was 94 at the time, buried in the Bronx.
I would tell it from Milwaukee.
This is Mitchell Ayers, the orchestra, fashions in music.
This theme song, you go to my head, recorded 18 months before we entered the war.
Did a lot of work with Perry Como, he was the orchestra leader.
Michelaires born on Christmas Eve 1910 in Milwaukee.
The music of the stars, Civic Media Radio
Network.
like the bubbles in a glass of champagne.
You go to my head like a sip of sparkling burgundy brew.
And I find the very
like the kicker in a julep or two the thrill of the thought that you might give a thought to my plea cast the spell
That it never can be Go to my head With a smile that makes my temperature rise Like a summer
Intoxicate my soul With your eyes Though I'm certain That this heart of mine Has it a ghost of a child?
At this heart of mine As at a ghost of a child
I'd give a thought to my plea, cast a spell over me.
Still I say
myself, get a hold
yourself.
And I find you spinning round in my brain Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne You go to my head Like a sip of sparkling burgundy brew And I find the very
mention of you like the kicker in a julep or two the thrill of the thought that you might give a thought to my plea cast a spell over me still I say to myself
With a smile that makes my temperature rise Like a summer with a thousand Julys You intoxicate my soul with your eyes Though I'm certain that this heart of mine
Hasn't a ghost of a chance in this crazy
certain that this heart of mine has been a ghost of a child.
birthday.
The evening settles down And somewhere in the distance There's a familiar sound A voice that crossed the decades A voice we came to know Still singing to our hearts tonight Wherever dreamers go Happy hundredth birthday Tony A hundred years of song A hundred years of
And melodies that live on From the streets of New York City To the stars above the town You taught the world to sing with love
dreams that wouldn't stay you made the lonely beautiful you made the blue sky shine and every song you gave us became a friend of mine happy hundred birthday Tony a hundred years of song a hundred years of memories and melodies that live
Just before the dawn So raise a glass to Tony To all the years gone by To every little moment That made the whole world sigh And somewhere in that quiet place Where old songs never end We'll hear that gentle voice again Our singer
and our friends.
The songs, the smile, the memories The warmth upon your face And as long as there are dreamers Your melodies will be A little piece of heaven For all eternity
Keep a song from fading too fast How do you lose yourself to someone and never lose your
changing why should it be the same and tell me how year after year you're sure your heart will fall apart it's time you hear
the best of friends.
If we can try with every day to make it better as it grows, then a luck than I suppose.
The music, the music.
One must be right for me It's dream of all the dreams When there's a dream for every star And there are so many stars, so many
so many songs which one is mine one must be right for me it's song of all the songs when there's a song for every star and there are oh so many stars so many
So many eyes So many hearts So many smiles Which one to choose?
Which way to go?
How can I tell?
Of all the songs When there's a song For every star Which one to choose Which way to go How can I tell How will I know Out of all So many stars
So many stars, so many stars, so many stars, so many stars, so many stars, so many stars, so
Alan and Marilyn Bergman wrote that.
They usually work with Michelle LeGrand.
There, they put that together themselves.
You can't afford to lose people.
Marilyn Bergman.
Say, SNL, Saturday Night Live, did a... did a funny thing with Alec Baldwin as Tony Bennett.
I thought I'd play a little bit of that for you.
Let's see, we're ever ready?
We do?
Ladies and gentlemen, Tony
Bennett.
Hello, everybody.
Hello.
You know, I've sung for kings and queens and one thing's for sure.
I love things that are great.
I love things that are great.
Things are fantastic, guess what?
I'll also paint just a hobby, nothing drastic.
Because I dig everything except the things I don't.
And I'll try anything except the things I say I want, but once.
really terrific.
We got a whole bunch of great, great stuff.
Later on, we're going to be mellowing out to the sounds of Tweet, one of the great gals singing out there today.
And I'm just so tickled about my first guest.
She's a real classic and she's also a new bride.
Please welcome the super gal, Liza Minnelli.
with Casey Affleck, but I heard it was a great, great
time.
Oh, it was.
It was a pimp.
I felt like Cinderella that still isn't even midnight.
I just wanted to congratulate your hubby here, too.
I wanted to congratulate Mr. David Guest.
Yeah?
You nabbed yourself a great girl here, David.
David?
We were supposed to have a very special guest today, Mr. Bob Dylan.
But it turns out there was one heck of a mix-up with the car service that was picking him up, according to this manifesto here in my pocket.
They were supposed to pick up Bob Dylan on the Upper East Side, and instead they picked up a Mr. Robert Dillion on 96th and Riverside.
Don't get me wrong, he's a nice fellow, works in the locksmith trade.
It's not the legend we'd ordered up.
I found her last minute fillin', though, and this cat is, he's a trip man.
This entertainer and impressionist has been shadowing my gigs for many, many years.
He'll be openin' for Lance Burton, Thanksgiving weekend at Mohegan's Son.
Please welcome a great, great guy from Astoria Queens, Mr. Anthony Benedetto.
wear the heck out of a suit, don't you know?
These are my fancy duds.
I wore these for Bob Dylan, but I'm just as happy you dig them, too.
They're great.
They're really great.
They're great threads.
Great threads.
I just want you all to know what a class I am.
You got a great nose job.
In the late 70s, I caught his show in Atlantic City, and I was surprised to find out he was copying my act.
Word for word, and song for
was more of a tribute to you.
Anyway, I enjoyed the heck out of his performance, and then I sued the Bejesus out of him and took him for everything.
he was such a first-rate human being that we were able to bury the hatchet and make lemons out of, make lemonade out of lemons.
So tell him what you did, Anthony.
I stayed in bed for two months.
No, after
that.
Well, I slept in the Grand Central Station.
after
I retooled my act so it was more of a comedy parody, you know, Tony, you know, which is 100%
legal.
This guy does the send-up of my stuff to Will.
Huff and puff and blow your house down.
This is a doozy, folks.
My name is Phony Bennett.
Tell the folks some of those nuggets that you're singing right now.
Well, let's see.
Don't get around much anymore.
You know, someone stole my car.
Great, great, sir.
You can't take that away from me.
It's under three ounces.
My biggest hit.
I left my heart in Sam Clans
That one is two halves of a hoot.
Isn't it crazy?
We look alike, sound alike, even dress alike.
I usually get my suits at Breone.
How about you, Anthony?
Men's warehouse.
Anthony, hold that thought about men's warehouse.
I got to mention our sponsors.
Lamasilt tablets for nail fungus.
Hey, Anthony, hold that for me, would you?
Right there.
Thanks.
You're a pal.
You know, nail fungus is no parade down men's...
I once dated a lady who was 99% gorgeous, then I took a shoe shopping.
The toenails looked like a lined up row of barbecued Fritos.
There isn't a pair of clippers out there that could tame those
Lamasill says, hey, nail fungus, don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split
concert outside the Vatican with Pavarotti and you two.
What are you cooking?
I'm gonna
have some Budweiser at my friend's house, Ed's house.
Oh.
Parallel lives, I'm telling you.
I'm glad you could be here.
It's been a great, great, great, great week all around.
What would the elections and the huge voter turnout?
This is such a great country.
What do you say?
I think we owe our fellow Americans a song.
How do you... How
That's
Let's go, baby.
Delicious, guys.
are so much better known and understood than the Who.
The United States of America was born in 1776, but it was conceived 169 years before that.
The earliest settlers had watered the new world with much sweat.
They had built substantial holdings for themselves, for their families, and when the time came to separate themselves from a tyranny and ocean away, at best it meant starting all over again after the ravages of war.
Researching what you're about to hear gave a whole new dimension to my reverence for our nation's first citizens.
All others of the world's revolutions before and since were initiated by men who had nothing to lose.
Nothing to lose.
Our founders had everything to lose and nothing to gain except one thing.
Americans, I'm Paul Harvey.
You remember the cherry tree fiction, a long time after you have forgotten the more earth-shaking history-making episodes in the life of George Washington.
You have misplaced in your memory the details of Ben Franklin's statesmanship, but you remember his flying a kite.
Joyce Kilmer was a great military hero, but the only thing you personally recall about him is his poetic tribute to trees.
Maybe of this current decade that which will be remembered best will not be its wars and its moon rockets or its crumbling Frontiers or the giants who lived and died maybe all that'll survive to linger in the day-by-day vocabulary of generations yet unborn may be the The songs of a Memphis minstrel or the reincarnation of electric automobiles But for any eve of the 4th of July
I, Paul Harvey, do herewith bequeath unto you something to remember.
You may not be able to quote one line from the Declaration of Independence at this moment.
Henceforth, you'll always be able to quote at least one line.
It's in the last paragraph where you will recall when I remind you, it says, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.
In the Pennsylvania State House that's now called Independence Hall in Philadelphia,
The best men from each of the colonies sat down together.
This was a very fortunate hour in our nation's history.
One of those rare occasions in the lives of men when we had greatness to spare.
These were men of means.
Well educated, 24 were lawyers and jurists.
Nine were farmers, owners of large plantations.
On June 11, a committee sat down to draw up a Declaration of Independence.
We were going to tell the British Fatherland, no more rule my red coats.
Below the dam, the ruthless foreign rule.
The stream
of
freedom was running shallow and muddy.
And we were going to light a fuse to dynamite that
dam.
back after news on the national broadcasting coverage.
You're listening to Civic Media.
You can tune into any of our live shows on any radio station across the state with the Civic Media app.
Find us in your phone's app store and listen
for Mr. Antonio Di Benedetto, the kid from New York.
Who made it big with Bob Hope giving him that name, Tony Bennett?
During a USO tour, some local talent, Joni Denman, coming up.
Remember Johnny Stanley?
No, you don't know.
He was the guy who played that high-strung preacher.
Well, he sang normal, too, sometime.
Well, kind of.
Well, here, listen.
There's an election day coming up, primaries in all land.
The music of the stars.
And Johnny Stanley.
washed away.
You still must do your duty, come what may.
Learn to float or buy a boat, but go and vote.
Get out and vote.
Get out and vote.
Get out and vote.
Get out and vote.
A flood is no excuse to lose your vote.
If the water's got you down and you think you're apt to drown before you do, wait till you get out and vote.
Get out and vote.
This is a raucous carcass.
musical interlude featuring that silver cornet and prom bone.
We have Jimmy Sheldon and his electoral college band.
and go and vote.
Get out and vote.
Get out and vote.
Get out and vote.
A wedding's no excuse to lose your vote.
With your honeymoon and view, you've a thirst for pitch and woo, but duty first.
Forget your thirst.
Get out and vote.
Get out and vote.
Yes, sir.
Oh, Mrs. O'Malley, there's a rally in the valley tonight.
And so, with the assistance of Jay Sheldon,
We'll
end
our little scene.
Let's add to the flames, James.
I hear you say, your car has broken down.
The Lord Vader will provide us with the location of the Rebel Fortress by the time this station is operational.
We will then crush the rebellion with one swift stroke.
Here
Milwaukee.
Star.
No waltzes by brother Strauss Seaman mixer in every house Vote for me, I'm the guy Who can get you some shoo-fly pie At the racetrack I can give you the winning golds Parle-vous entre nous That's French A little of boots for two Two boots If you dig me and I'll dig you so like
Okay, I'll
go through the motions, but no more stuffy banquets, no more handing out cigars, no more kissing babies.
From now on, it's you and me.
I accept the nomination.
The rest of the story.
The Constitution of the United States of America did not just happen.
This is the rest of the story.
As the guns of the revolution fell silent and the smoke cleared, what remained was a lukewarm alliance of 13 states.
inadequately governed by a document called the Articles of Confederation.
So divergent were the interests of the states, so unstable was our western frontier that many doubted our ability to keep on keeping on.
We had beaten the British, but could we survive ourselves?
In 1786, state representatives met in Annapolis, Maryland to discuss the difficulties of interstate commerce.
Nothing much was agreed upon except that another meeting would be necessary and so in the autumn of that year the states were invited to send delegates to Philadelphia to take into consideration the situation of the United States.
It was this congregation which Thomas Jefferson, then United States minister to France, which he would refer to as an assembly of demigods, compliment intended.
The history books would call it simply the United States Constitutional Convention for it was there in them that our Constitution was born or was it really?
For although James Madison is widely recognized as the father of the Constitution and he was in fact its principal architect it must be remembered that he was a student of world governments and he was admittedly influenced by other systems of social order he was a copycat
You see, until we came along, there was once upon a time a one-of-a-kind republic on this planet, a Confederacy of Democratic sovereign states, which voluntarily had delegated certain broad prerogatives of sovereignty to a federal government.
And those prerogatives were defined and limited by a constitution.
And Ben Franklin studied it and thought that was a good idea.
He was particularly impressed by their document.
He admired those who had created it.
He once wrote, in effect, that if they could do so...
so could we.
Franklin had been studying their form of government for decades.
They had a three chambered parliament, which now bears striking resemblance to our Senate and House and Supreme Court.
Among the modern concepts of democratic rule established by this other republic, the one that we ultimately were to copy, were wide representative elections, senatorial
plurality, absence of hereditary sovereigns, and of course the basic freedoms, notably unilateral, freedom of religion.
Thomas Jefferson was another admirer of that system, of that equitable, ingenious constitution.
Many scholars have suggested that this other republic was the intellectual progenitor of the United States of America.
Well,
It certainly is obvious that our Constitution is patterned after theirs, however inadvertently, for they had demonstrated in advance that this kind of freedom with responsibility was the best way to ensure orderly rule and the remarkably similar republic to which I refer predated hours by 300 years.
It was the League of Iroquois Nations.
That's right.
It was the Indians who taught us about freedom.
Now you know the rest of the
story.
while standing guard wrote this melody for me I walk my post in a military manner just for you sweetheart walk my post in a military
Then Truman announced the official surrender.
This is a solemn but glorious hour.
I wish that Franklin D. Roosevelt had lived to see this day.
General Eisenhower informs me that the forces of Germany have surrendered to the United Nations.
The flags of freedom fly all over Europe.
For this victory, we join in offering our thanks to the Providence which has guided and sustained us through the dark
days of adversity and into light.
Much remains to be done.
The victory won in the West must now be won in the East.
The whole world must be cleansed of the evil from which half the world has been freed.
United, the peace-loving nations have demonstrated in the West
that their arms are stronger by far than the might of dictators or the tyranny of military cliques that once called us soft and weak.
The power of our peoples to defend themselves against all enemies will be proved in the Pacific War as it was proved in
years.
Bring us to a tune that seems to be catching on in this neck of the woods.
It all started when Mel Power whipped up, my guys come back.
When I was in the ETO, I heard a musical program a lot of you fellas are familiar with, Duffelbag.
Its theme was written by one Sergeant Mel Powell of our beloved Glenn Miller's outfit.
Well recently, Mel got together with another Sergeant, a guy named Ray McKinley, that drummer man, and together they put the lyrics to that theme.
Here's the result, a number you're gonna hear a lot of, my guys come
I'm far away.
I still can hear them say, thumbs up.
For when the dawn comes up, there'll be blue birds over, the white cliffs of Doe.
Just you wait and see.
There'll be love and laughter and peace ever after.
Tomorrow, when the world is free.
see The shepherd will tend his sheep The valley will bloom again And Jimmy will go to sleep In his own
DeHavilland.
was full-fledged.
Look, General and Mrs. Custer, they certainly were batten happy on it.
You're happy and happy here, haven't you, Lily?
Don't I look happy?
Well, let's see what else.
Oh, my orders.
Put them in that drawer over there.
What's this?
My life with General Custer.
Oh, darling, that's my diary.
I
didn't know you kept one.
It's just a record of our life here together.
It wouldn't interest you.
Just silly things that seem important to a woman.
Tomorrow, my husband leaves.
And I cannot help but feel that my last happy days are ending.
A premonition of disaster such as I have never known is weighing me down.
I try to shut it into my heart, but it's almost unbearable.
I pray, God, I may not ask to walk on
alone.
You know, I probably wrote that or something like it every time you went away, even for a day's journey.
You know how foolish women are.
Every parting has its own fears and anxieties.
Of course.
I often feel like that myself.
But it... it has its bright side too.
The more sadness and parting, the more joy in the reunion.
Boots and saddles.
This
place holds so many memories for me.
I used to come here all the time when I was little.
The reason I came here was because of my father.
The reason I love language is because of my father.
My father was an actor, and we all know that actors speak louder than words.
For those of you who don't, haven't been around me before, my dad was a movie star in the 40s.
I call him a BB++++ movie star.
His name was David Bruce.
And he used to bring me here back when it was the pilgrimage, every Easter.
And he would wear this beautiful navy blue suit.
And I would wear this big pink petticoat dress with Mary Jane's gloves and a matching hat.
And I thought it was the cream.
And I love my daddy very much, so this is my love song for my
father.
It's my daddy, the actor, about to die with his boots on.
He's the man standing up there beside Errol Flynn.
He got third or fourth billing at the end of each picture.
Well, that don't mean much.
He would say with a grin, but he'd hold my hand tight.
As he pointed his name out Only four or five names Down below Errol Flynn Now famed is fleeting And stars they keep falling And staying right up there That's the business of art And luck kisses some And she passes by others
Disappointment and bourbon are hard on the heart.
Now the women and beers and the years with old arrow, they took their toll and took me from his side.
He kissed me goodbye at the old union station.
The last time I saw her.
The last time I cried.
Now I'm sitting alone in a house in recedar, watching.
It's a sad, funny feeling Now I'm older than him So, you daddies and daughters Your sons and new mothers Remember, life's over Before it begins So long
And stand close together, as close as my dad did to old
Erol Flea.
August.
The little boy
stars.
The kettle cold on the
stove, two cups waiting, one gaundan I hear your laugh in the hall, soft as the shape of a hymn If time could fold its hands, and bring you back
who might listen to this record eventually.
I
would like to say
that this is a very special night for me.
And they've been a couple of special nights because this record is being recorded at around about, well as I look at my watch now, it is a quarter after five.
In Las Vegas, it is still swinging.
Everything is happening.
And in the audience tonight is predominantly performers who have been nice enough to come into the Sands Hotel's Copa Room after their shows.
And this is the kind of way that we can communicate with one another.
And it makes it much easier for that communication if you have Buddy Rich at the drums, a marvelous band.
So for the next 10 or 12 sides, just relax, sit down, and swing with us, if you will.
Because it's fun for me, and I hope it will be fun for those of you who listen.
Any noises that come from the audience, or any of the people, or any side noises you might hear, know that they are not can.
They are live.
Go, George!
That's bloody rich.
my eyes away but it
the present great hit, Oklahoma, as a man who has the gentle touch of beauty.
He seems to get it in the lyric.
And when you add Sigmund Romberg, why, you really have something.
Mr. Romberg, who uses his heart for a palette and his genius for a brush.
You have the kind of beauty that takes you in the throat.
And to sing their song is to let beauty live its wonderful moment.
So let's have that moment.
And Oscar Hammerstein and Sigmund Romberg's.
lover come back to me the sky was blue and high above the moon was new and so was love this eager heart of mine was seen
it's day that day is past you've gone away this aching heart of mine
Night is cold.
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You're listening to Civic Media.
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anywhere.
It's
free, you know.
At the dreams you're alive If you're beaten conceal it There's no pity for you For
world cannot feel it
Just keep to yourself
yourself this funny world can turn right around and forget you
it's always sure to roll
This funny world can turn right around and forget you.
It's always sure to roll right along when you're through.
If you are broke, you shouldn't mind
It's all a joke for you, a find.
This funny world is making fun of
you.
SSD, capable of holding the entire collection of the New York Public Library, is something you won't find at Best Buy or any electronics retailer.
We drifted apart.
Does your memory stray to a bright summer day when I kissed you and called
you?
Wise
men say Only fools rush in But I can't help falling
not like Elvis.
I'll keep at it.
Hold on.
No, that's not working.
up.
Do the chairs in your holler seem empty and bare?
Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?
Is your heart filled with pain?
Shall I come back again?
Tell me, dear, are you lonesome?
I wonder if you're lonesome tonight.
You know someone said the world's a stage.
And each must play a part.
Fate had me play a lover with you as my sweetheart.
Act one was where we met.
I loved you at first glance.
You read your line so cleverly and never missed a cue.
Then came act two.
And you seemed to change.
You acted strange.
Why?
I've never known.
Then came the day you went away and left me all alone.
If you lied when you said you loved me, I had no cause to doubt you.
For I'd rather go on hearing your lies than go on living without you.
The stage is bare, and I'm standing there in the pot of a broken clown.
And if you won't come back to me, then they can bring the curtain down.
Is your heart...
Shall I convert?
Serve your right.
I'm so happy you let me at last.
I can still hear you roar.
Make the best.
Darling, I thought I'd never get out of that sack.
Should you fly back again, mark your room and come in.
Darling, that's why you're lonesome tonight.
Short spear once said, all the world's a stage.
It ain't much of a line, but if it's
It's good enough for us.
Act one.
You took me home to meet your folks, and I can still hear your father whispering.
Son,
that gal's
gross.
I'd not need straying-headed buck-tooth.
All you said was...
Oh, Paul, you don't have to whisper.
She's deaf, too.
Act two.
Our engagement lasted 10 years, because I wouldn't marry you when you was drunk.
Yeah, and I wouldn't marry you when I was sober.
Act three.
Only romantic things...
you ever said to me was that I creeped into your heart and I creeped into your brain, creeped into your mind.
Now all I ever said was that you was the biggest creep I'd ever seen.
Back for?
We finally settled down to our little honeymoon cottage and every Friday night our friends and neighbors come over to watch the fights.
Yeah, we didn't even have a TV set but we had a fight every Friday.
One night I'd like your eyes, broke your nose and knocked your teeth out and you got chicken and called the cops.
You told them not to...
I can't believe a word I said,
because I was a punch drunk.
We are seen around New York In the finest stay-up late cafes I am on the town
Just a fellow and a girl We have had a little world And our feet have left the ground a bit We played around a bit That's the way it stands For we are strictly good time Charlies Who like to drink
and dance around and maybe kick romance around and that's the way it stands all in fun this thing is all
How can it go?
Some cocktails, some orchids, a short...
So the dope's all safe That I'm
They say is true.
Tony Bennett would have turned 100 today.
Few singers had careers that spanned as much American musical life as he did.
Someday, when I'm
awfully low,
When the world is cold
I will feel a glow just thinking of you And the way you look tonight
From the era of the rat pack through the final years of his life Bennett remained one of the great interpreters of the American songbook
recording with everyone from Count Basie and Bill Evans to Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga.
His own career had its ups and downs, but in the 1990s, encouraged by his son and manager Danny Bennett, it entered an extraordinary new chapter.
MTV Unplugged introduced him to a younger audience and a series of later collaborations with contemporary singers extended his reach well into the 21st
century.
But
in 1992, just before that resurgence began,
Bennett sat down with WBGO's Michael Bourne for Singers Unlimited.
Listening back today, what you hear as an artist still deeply engaged with the music he had devoted his life to and the writers whose work he returned to night after night.
Cold Porter songs or Harold Allen songs or Irving Berlin or Duke Ellington.
If you're a singer or a musician, you're just floating on this wonderful music, this crafty, more than crafty, I call it artistic.
the lyrics of Johnny Mercer or Yip Haber or Ira Gershwin.
He really got something going for you.
Jazz is really, I mean, you know it, I know it, and a lot of people with ears know it, that it's just the best music that's ever come out of the United States.
And this'll be a tradition.
The older societies in the world know that they're only left with whatever they contribute to the world.
All these wonderful songs that really
Hang you up because they tell stories and they're so well written.
If you're a musician, an American musician, these songs just stay in you.
They become part of your blood and your mind and your heart.
Here's That Rainy Day is really a national anthem for many, many great
musicians.
You know, obviously all about people being together.
It kept everybody in touch with romance
without feeling there's no music.
Tony Bennett spent more than 70 years singing these songs all over the world.
Listening back to this conversation, it's easy to hear where his true heart belonged.
No matter where he may have left it along the way.
You can hear Bennett's full 1992 conversation with Michael Bourne from the WBGO archives at
WBGO.org.
A voice that crossed the decades A voice we came to know Still singing to our hearts tonight Wherever dreamers go Happy hundredth birthday Tony A hundred years of song A hundred years of memories And melodies that live on From the streets of New York City
To the stars above the town You taught the world to sing with love And you never let us down You sang of lost tomorrows Of love that came our way Of moonlight on the rooftops And dreams that wouldn't stay
And every song you gave us became a friend of mine.
Happy 100th birthday, Tony, 100 years of song, 100 years of memories, and melodies that live on.
And though the years keep turning, your music lingers on like a warm and golden memory.
And a little voice again Our singer
100 years of grace The songs, the smile, the memories The warmth upon your face And as long as there are dreamers Your melodies will be A little piece of heaven For all eternity
Don't
into her eyes but remember
Sorry the green
She's
I could arrange it Or would I care to change it?
Not
me
This is
Michelle LeGrand wrote this.
From fading to fast How do you lose yourself to someone?
And of all
things to say and since we know we're always changing why should it be the same and tell me how
You're sure your heart will fall apart.
It's time you...
Best of
lovers, be the best of friends.
If we can try, with every day, to make it better as it grows.
With any luck, then I suppose.
The music.
The music
He's performed for 11 presidents.
World War II veteran.
Fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
participated in the liberation of a concentration camp marched to support civil rights for all United Nations named Tony a citizen of the world one of their foremost ambassadors
Tony Bennett, you achieved the great American dream, but never forgot his own roots.
Nobody has ever recorded for so long in popular American music.
And at such a high level of excellence,
And the last 10 years of his life, he sold 10 million records.
Born on August 3rd, 1926, his dad died when he was 10.
His mom raised him and his older brother and sister.
It's the music of the stars.
No greater star than Tony Bennett.
lights are soft on Broadway the evening settles down and somewhere in the distance there's a familiar sound a voice that crossed the decades a voice we came to know still singing to our hearts tonight wherever dream
Go Happy 100th birthday Tony a hundred years of song a hundred years of memories and Melodies that live on From the streets of New York City to the stars above the town
You taught the world to sing with love And you never let us down You sang of lost tomorrows of love that came our way Of moonlight on the rooftops And dreams that wouldn't stay
And every song you gave us became a friend of mine Happy 100th birthday, Tony A hundred years of song A hundred years of memories And melodies that live on And though the years keep turning
like a warm and golden memory just before the dawn so raise a glass to Tony to all the years gone by to every little moment that may
you touched
piece of.
September
again.
September.
I'm Lou Vergoni, your host, and you, you're the best audience anywhere.
You get it.
Tony, as a kid, he was waiting on tables and sang while he did that, signed up for the Army during World War II, sang with some military bands.
Finally, at a nightclub,
1946.
He sat in with Trombona's at the old Shangri-La in Astoria, New York.
One time Bob Holt saw him working with Pearl Bailey in the village, Greenwich Village, New York.
Tony
Came back to meet me in the dressing room said come on kid You're gonna come to the paramount sing with me But I you got to change that name.
What's your name Joe Barry?
Yeah, that's my stage name.
No, no What's your real name?
My name is Anthony Dominic Benedetto Well, we'll call you Tony Bennett and that's how that happened
This was burning with sadness and yearning.
I don't know why I turned my eyes away.
places.
The National News Cycle never stops, but it can be hard to find news about your local community.
Civic Media is dedicated to providing quality local and state news coverage across Wisconsin.
With the Civic Media app, you can get notifications about local stories that matter to you and your community.
Find the free Civic Media app in your phone's app store and choose notifications from the menu to tell us what kind of news you want to hear about.