“Sweet Leilani” from “Waikiki Wedding” (1937)ħ.The role of music in classic film & television has always been considerable. “Lullaby of Broadway” from “Gold Diggers of 1935” (1935)Ħ. “Thanks for the Memory” from “The Big Broadcast of 1938” (1938)ĥ. “When You Wish Upon a Star” from “Pinocchio” (1940)Ĥ. “The Way You Look Tonight” from “Swing Time” (1936)ģ. “Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz” (1939)Ģ. Choosing between the two is hardly the easiest of decisions but there’s no denying the timelessness of “When You Wish Upon a Star.”ġ. Talk about a forgotten track, and what a shame that is. “Who Am I” is a piece gloriously performed by Frances Langford and features the lushest of orchestrations. “When You Wish Upon a Star” is such a dreamy, charming piece, a perfect opener for its film. Ultimately, this comes down to the “Pinocchio” and “Hit Parade of 1941” songs.
#Wish upon a star movie simon free#
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions Garland and Ginny Simms (on the second track, sounding dazzling) sell the songs so perfectly, though, that it’s tough not to get sucked in, even if the tracks are lyrically just decent. “Waltzing in the Clouds,” sung by Deanna Durbin, is a slight step up from these, nicely performed but still not much to write home about.įrom there, there are two solid numbers – the Garland-Rooney duet (“Our Love Affair”) and “I’d Know You Anywhere” from the Boris Karloff-Bela Lugosi comedy “You’ll Find Out.” Stripped of their performers, neither of these songs is especially great. Astaire famously declared “Second Chorus” his all-time worst picture and, judging by this nomination, it’s not hard to see why. The weakest links are the Grable-Ameche duet, a bouncy but hokey ode to, according to the song, just about the dandiest country on earth, Argentina “It’s a Blue World,” a very short number competently performed by Tony Martin in the forgettable Rita Hayworth musical “Music in My Heart” and, surprisingly, the Astaire and Crosby tracks, which are decidedly second or even third-tier in their respective discographies. With that said, the songs are a mixed bag, in spite of the star wattage. This desn’t mean their songs are especially note-worthy – in fact, in most of the cases, they’re not very memorable at all – but still, talk about a stacked category.ĭISCUSS All of this year’s Oscar contenders with Hollywood insiders in our notorious forums You have not just one of the all-time great Disney tracks – the first Disney song to ever grace the category – but also tunes performed by the legendary likes of Fred Astaire (“Love of My Life”) Bing Crosby (“Only Forever”) Betty Grable and Don Ameche (“Down Argentine Way”) and the charming-as-ever duo of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney (“Our Love Affair”). Let’s take a moment to stare in wonder at the star-studded nature of this line-up. Won and should’ve won: “When You Wish Upon a Star” from “Pinocchio”