Casper Reardon, harpist, unreleased studio recording, 1937

Recorded on disk, this selection by Casper Reardon is a previously unreleased, segment from a Hollywood studio recording session. Two songs, Ain't Misbehavin' (Fats Waller, Harvey Brooks, Andy Razaf) and St. Louis Blues (W.C. Handy) are heard in the released print of this feature film, starring Alice Faye, George Murphy, Ken Murray, Andy Devine and Oswald (Tony Labriola). The first song, Junk Man (by Joseph Meyer and Frank Loesser) was cut from the released print, but the audio survives on this playback disk dated October 9, 1937. Stills have been inserted into this video clip where film footage does not survive. The film, directed by David Butler, was released December 26, 1937. The voice of the conductor, Charles Previn (the cousin of André Previns father) is heard counting off the selection.
Note: The condition of this film is below acceptability. It is posted here in the interest of history and rarity. When a better print comes along, we shall celebrate. Although Casper Reardon's harp is heard in some movies (notably dubbing for Harpo Marx in Go West), he is only seen in one feature, and here it is. You can find details about him on Internet Movie Database.

In the 1930s and early 1940s Casper Reardon (1907-1941) was the most sought-after harpist in popular music. A classically trained son of vaudeville artists, he studied with legendary Carlos Salzedo at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. Reardon gained stature in the 1920s when he became first harpist of the Cinncinati Orchestra under Fritz Reiner for five years, and head of the harp department at the Cincinnati Conservatory. Some of his pupils persuaded him to explore jazz music, and he quickly fell in love with the music of W.C. Handy, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and many more. Jazz on the harp was a previously undeveloped field, but his skill at rendering percussive harp landed him a job on WLW radio in Cincinnati until he moved to New York City in 1931. In Manhattan he became busy with radio broadcasts, phonograph recording, vaudeville and cabarets. At first his name did not appear on records (even though he was the star of the 1934 Jack Teagarden record of Junk Man). By 1936 his name appeared on the connoisseur label of Liberty Music Shop, and later the Schirmer label. He was widely known as the swing harpist. One evening in March 1941 Reardon was late for a date with composer Dana Suesse to attend the New York opening of Crazy With The Heat, a show in which he appeared in Boston. He complained about feeling lousy, and stopped for a quick brandy to settle his stomach. A few days later he was taken to the hospital for an exploratory operation and it was discovered that both kidneys were seriously damaged, a condition unusual for someone who seldom drank alcohol. Four or five days later he died on March 8, 1941. He was 33 years old. A funeral was held March 11. On December 19 a memorial program was broadcast on WQXR, featuring a composition composed by Suesse and orchestrated by Robert Russell Bennett. The work was titled "Coronach, a Gaelic word for "A crying together."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• swing
• jazz
• classical
• pop
• movie
• session

[zzindorf]

youtube.com/watch?v=Bm_-Omk_bl­0

[doveharp]

@doveharp I listened again and do not know what I was talking about. Sorry.

[radiotubes]

@doveharp piano?

[Tropicaliak]

I like the differentiation between jazz and "serious music" in the bio.

[zzindorf]

It is all harp, one harp and one magnificent man.

[doveharp]

From 1:42 on the recording has some overly loud and poor sounding accompanyment. I can't even tell what instrument it is.

[stareychinska]

so cool!