IRENE "GRANNY" RYAN - "No Time At All" (1972)

[dav1237]

Her voice has a wonderful tone.

[bhelin7]

Irene Ryan is my great aunt :) No joke :)

[scotnick59]

i think she's SENSATIONAL!

[MrZeldasmagic]

This is an awesome sound track. What a talent she was. God bless her.

[nealadams70]

its not so odd that Ryan would wind up on Motown..Berry Gordy wanted to REALLY be part of the Hollywood scene , so the label had actively signed tv and film stars , big name and otherwise , as soon as they could afford it...Paul Petersen (Donna Reed show), Sammy Davis Jr.,Barbara McNair, Dihann Carroll,Leslie Uggams ,and others spent some time recording for the label-!

[MrTrashcan1]

@nealadams70 Yes, but except for Paul Petersen (who was hardly big-time Hollywood), the rest are black. Furthermore, by the time Irene Ryan was signed onto Motown, she was no longer in Hollywood; she was doing Broadway theater, specifically Pippin. I'm convinced it had to do with the fact that the character, Pippin, was black.

[nealadams70]

@MrTrashcan1 Regardless of whether they were 'BIG TIME' or not , Gordy recorded these performers on his various hitsville labels.Gordy signed them BECAUSE of their connections to Hollywood, as did a lot of other labels ('GOLDEN THROATS anyone). If you watch this video again, there is a MOTOWN ad for Ryan, and it references "Granny"..... not the Pippin granny , but the Clampett granny. Stop nitpicking.Whats race have to do with it anyway? Hitsville was colorblind...

[brotone1]

@MrTrashcan1 Pippin was not black. The part was originated by John Rubenstein. The only black actor with a major role in the original cast was Ben Vereen. The original Broadway production was partly financed by Motown Records, which also issued the original cast recording. That cast included Irene Ryan. That they would re-record this song as a single is no surprise - it's great!

[necktieguy1]

What a great song. I loved Irene Ryan in this show. Thanks for this post. Don't ever take it away.

[aeichler]

Ryan did the 45 pop single for Motown, which is different from the cast album. MCA screwed up when they reissued the "Pippin" CD and didn't include it a bonus track.

[MrTrashcan1]

@aeichler I think it was probably more like that they just didn't care.

[SuperFallingleaves]

you should hear Granny singing time (to believe in each other) it is great. I just love the music from the stage play.

[JubalCalif]

Heavens to Murgatroid! THANKS for posting! I only heard this song by the late great Ms Ryan once before...the mid-70's - when I was a teen & a senior in high school. I used to listen to a syndicated radio show back then that was sponsored by Social Security & which played all types of songs. I heard this catchy tune from the Pippin score one night & I will never forget how good it made me feel! What a gifted performer she was! Thank you again...you've MADE my weekend! :)

[jlunger]

Irene Ryan was so wonderful, and underrated. Thanks for posting!

[LadyCastus]

*scratching my head about Motown*

[christheone8773]

@LadyCastus The production that this tune was from, "Pippin", was a Motown production - the tunes, "Corner of the Sky" by the Jackson 5 and "I Guess I'll Miss The Man" by the Supremes are from this production as well-

[RockinEd]

Motown also signed Pat Boone around the same time--so someone had to go--bye bye Four Tops and Gladys Knight pity!!

[christheone8773]

@RockinEd the REAL reason for the exodus of Gladys Knight and the Pips and the Four Tops was because, when Motown moved their main operation to Los Angeles and grew bigger, recording stars such as those were beginning to be lost in the shuffle - its just as well, because when those two groups left Motown, they were bigger than ever!

[RockinEd]

@christheone8773 Yeah and a lot of crap came into Motown--remember Jud Strunk ?????--The Biggest Parakeets in Town???

[christheone8773]

@RockinEd HE must have been on one of Motown's subsidiary country labels - when the Motown operation moved to Los Angeles in the early 70s, they ventured out into other forms of music-

[namvet12]

Mr. Trashcan, you now have posted two of my favorite youtube videos of all time: this one and Ronnie Dyson's One Man Band. Thanks again for both.

[MrTrashcan1]

@namvet12 You have good taste in music. :-) And thank YOU for your service to our country. Now knowing the truth about Viet Nam that was hidden from us for 30 years, I appreciate it all that much more. You're a year younger than me--I think the draft was gone by the time we were of age--did you enlist?

[lucygooh]

Wow, what a great feeling to step back in time for these few moments!

I miss the days of granny but feel so thankful I got to grow up experiencing her.....so many younger people out there have no idea what they are missing...

This was a time when America felt safe....thanks for sharing!!

[wheelie99999]

Thank you for posting this. Through her role as Granny, Irene has brought countless joy into the lives of so many people. I think she was just a wonderful amazing person.

[seamusberen]

Just got done with some surgery, feeling a little sorry for myself, and came across the late great Irene Ryan with a song I've forgotten from the musical Pippin. Thanks so much for posting this, and reminding us all of how great she was, and how important it is never to take life so seriously that smiles diminish and laughter disappears. Feeling better already.

[MrTrashcan1]

@seamusberen Glad to hear that,  Seamus. Hope you have a speedy recovery!

[frankho99]

@seamusberen I am wishing you a speedy recovery too! you know Granny died the next year from a brain tumor. Shemarried twice had no livingelatives when she died., was successful in vaudeveille, radio. TV, movies and Broadway. A giant.

[Handiman544]

I had no idea she could sing so well. Dang! I do miss the good ones.

[swissmiss150]

I saw Irene Ryan see this on Broadway and feel very lucky to have had the experience.

[hrothgleas]

Irene Ryan - a delightful performer, very much under-appreciated nowadays.

Nothing wrong with Granny Clampett, but she was so much more...

[walnutgodwin]

I had heard that she died after a performance, WHAT A WAY TO GO!!! Irene Ryan was FANTASTIC!!!!

[TheMrBlinx]

Fascinating. I love seeing them when they were young and out of character. Thanks for that.

[JROnstage]

this version is incredible -different from the Broadway Cast Album release. Where's it from?!?!?!??!

[MrTrashcan1]

@JROnstage I agree. It's a 45 single. This is what I heard played on WIOQ in Philly in 1972. At the time I was not big into musicals. I didn't discover that the original music was from Pippin until I was listening to someone's album maybe 20 years later.

[JROnstage]

@MrTrashcan1 Thank you SO MUCH for posting this and responding, solving the mystery! An amazing find! Best to you, J.R. Stuart

[tallpaul521]

@weightfeather1 I love Miss Ryan. I grew up on the Beverly Hillbillies and loved her in PIPPIN, but the drink joke is from the writer Dorothy Parker. Her little ditty was,

"I love a martini, two at the most.

After three I'm under the table.

After four I'm under the host.

[Livingallalone]

I guess there is no video of her performing this.......:(

[jaybuddah]

WOW Motown could make money off of any one (LOL)

[prymalkitty]

Motown put out the soundtrack from the Broadway musical "Pippin". Where this song is from. She played Pippin's Grandmother. She belted it out,.... 8 shows a week. (Note the LP cover just before the ad.)

[elc1960]

To christheone: everyone forgets Duke Jupiter; they also recorded briefly for Motown in the '80s. BTW - until I saw this video I never knew Irene Ryan cut a record for Motown!

[saskwatcher]

Well Irene Ryan truly was a gem, really loved by all she worked with. Max Baer says everyone called her Queenie and not for a negative reason. Seeing her onstage in Pippin must have brought mayhem to the theatre. How fitting that the she really almost did died onstage-got sick with a stroke, was out for a few days, then died. Now that's the definition of a trouper.

[BillinMich57]

Nice.  Irene Ryan was a sweet lady. Part of me regrets that she died doing Pippin and part of me thinks that it was the way she wanted to go. Rest in peace, dear Irene.

[navywrslr]

What a great talent she was and in a way still is,38 years after her leaving us she can still bring smiles to your face,true immortality.

[ted11711]

What magic. I saw the original B'way HAiR and PIPPIN. Forever grateful. Music IS the Magic!

[christheone8773]

Irene Ryan was one of the few white artists to record for Motown - others included Soupy Sales, R. Dean Taylor, Chris Clark, Bruce Willis, Rare Earth, and The Underdogs-

[visogientertainment]

Irene Ryan was a beautiful lady wasn't she? So many layers in a tiny woman...wow.

[sas71]

God bless you; you feisty little woman.

[GHHPoobah]

Great memories of this show and although Ben got the well-deserved headlines, Irene had this show stopper that brought down the house every time I saw it. Thanks for a wonderful look back at a talentented actress from a wonderful show.

[christheone8773]

This tune was issued as Motown 1221 in February of 1973, and in MY opinion, it should have charted on the Billboard Hot 100-

[CapricornDavo]

The Pippin original cast album was released on Motown.

[boricuapcs]

So glad to see this vid back on Youtube!

[CapricornDavo]

Irene was a real talent!

[SMD1964]

Irene Ryan was not the first choice to play "Granny" Daisy Moses - it was Bea Benaderet (Kate in "Petticoat Junction" and the voice of Betty Rubble in "The Flintstones"). But when Miss Ryan turned up for the reading, with her hair pulled back in a tight bun, as "as feisty as all get-out", she "blew them away", with BB being re-cast as Cousin Pearl Bodine.

Thank you, producers - great vision, great decision!

[mikeaustin1]

Great tune and singer (Irene had a LONG stage career before BH). Schwartz (the songwriter) of course is known for "Godspell" and this great tune fits right in with his style. Good post! Didn't know Motown partially financed the first run of 'Pippin'!

[lucycow]

Bravo Bravo BRAVO ! Yes indeed. This wonderful lady came through the fires of Vaudeville as a stage performer and by God she kept the fires a' burnin' until the end. Thank you MrTrashcan1 for sharing this true Gem of Irene's talent for all of us to enjoy again. No question about it - Irene was an amazing woman on stage, screen and behind the scenes with all of the Scholarships that she herself funded for future talent. She gave with her heart AND checkbook.

John in Phoenix (AKA-Lucycow)

[Barclay1987]

Nice!

[newrochellephoenix]

The lady was an ultimate trooper .

[patdekat]

Thanks for posting... awesome lady and song.

[Rollin558]

What a gem! Thanks for this post.

[JubalCalif]

Who knew Granny knew how to belt it out with the best of 'em! Way to go, Irene! It's sad that she died soon appearing on Broadway in "Pippin". The late great Irene Ryan was a true original talent! May this wonderful lady rest in peace. And many thanks for posting this! Cheers! :)

[MrTrashcan1]

Thank you for you nice comment.

[AlbieGray]

I LOVE this song! It is a good song, and it's a surprising hit for the one and only Granny! LOVE it!

[MissOddstar]

Thank you so much for this video. It makes me very happy! :D