Fascinating Rhythm (1945 - NBC Radio) Music from Fibber McGee & Molly | Billy Mills Orchestra

George Gershwin's "Fascinating Rhythm" from the 1926 Gershwin musical, "Lady Be Good" performed by Billy Mills and the Orchestra. This would be the last season of the 'big' orchestra - and some new players (and arrangements) would be changed in the 1946 season. The harpist is always the first to go...

A digitally enhanced and restored NBC Orthacoustic Electrical Transcription disc of the musical portion of the "Fibber McGee and Molly Show" as heard on the live OTR broadcast. Billy Mills was the "maestro" - or musical director of the show - and his 18 to 22-piece radio studio orchestra was populated with musical radio stars like Buddy Cole on piano, Perry Botkin on guitar, Phil Stephens on bass, and soloists like Andy Secrest on trumpet and Abram Lincoln on trombone - as well as NBC staff musicians.

Hear these vintage and rare big band swing arrangements as performed live during the 'musical interlude' of the show - never intended to be heard again - with a high-fidelity quality than originally heard on AM radio over 65 years ago. Billy Mills was orchestra leader for the show from 1938 to 1953, at which point NBC dropped the live orchestra and cut the show to 15 minutes due to viewer competition with television.

At their peak, this top-rated Old Time Radio show, "Fibber McGee and Molly", would have had over 35 million listeners on a typical Tuesday night broadcast (at 9:30p ET) - until television came along, decimating the radio network audiences.

Видео Fascinating Rhythm (1945 - NBC Radio) Music from Fibber McGee & Molly | Billy Mills Orchestra канала MUSICOM PRODUCTIONS