Music from "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" - 1930s Quiz | Music

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "They Can't Take That Away from Me" and "Love Is Here to Stay" are wonderful 1930s' songs by which musical writing team?

Answer: George and Ira Gershwin

Composer George Gershwin and his lyricist brother Ira began collaborating in 1924. After a string of mostly successful Broadway shows, they went to Hollywood in 1936. Their first commission there was to write a score for the movie "Shall We Dance" which included "They Can't Take That Away from Me" as sung by Fred Astaire. "Love Is Here to Stay" was written for the 1938 movie "Goldwyn Follies".

It became more popular when sung by Gene Kelly in "An American in Paris" (1951).

2. "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" was written and recorded by Louis Prima in 1936 including lyrics. It is unusual because, despite the title, the biggest hit was an instrumental version by whose big band?

Answer: Benny Goodman's

Benny Goodman and His Orchestra recorded their version of "Sing, Sing, Sing" in 1937. It features Goodman on the clarinet, Gene Krupa on drums and Harry James on trumpet. The extended recording lasts over eight minutes and includes several solos which originated as spontaneous improvisations.

3. This song was written by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach for the Broadway musical "Roberta" in 1933. It didn't become a number one hit until the 1958 version done by the Platters. Which song is this?

Answer: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Paul Whiteman had the first hit recording of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" in 1934. Irene Dunn sang it in the 1936 film adaptation of "Roberta." The Platters formed in 1952 and were one of the most successful vocal groups of the '50s and '60s with 40 charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" was one of their four number one hits.

4. "The Way You Look Tonight" from the movie "Swing Time," written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Who sang the song in the movie?

Answer: Fred Astaire

In "Swing Time," Fred Astaire sings the song to Ginger Rogers. The song was also recorded in 1936 by Guy Lombardo, Teddy Wilson featuring Billie Holiday and Bing Crosby singing with his wife Dixie Lee as a duet. The Letterman had their first hit with the song in 1961. Frank Sinatra recorded it in 1964.

5. Paul Whiteman had the first US hit recording of this song in 1933. It wouldn't be make-believe if I told you it became a pop/jazz standard in the 1940s due to recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Benny Goodman.

Answer: It's Only a Paper Moon

"It's Only a Paper Moon" was written in 1932 with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Yip Harburg and Billy Rose. It was originally titled "If You Believed in Me" which is the line repeated at the end of each verse. The song was featured in the 1973 film "Paper Moon" and was the theme song for the 1974 TV show of the same name.

6. The best known version of "Good Morning" is from the 1952 film "Singin' in the Rain" with Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor. However, the song was originally performed in the 1939 film "Babes in Arms" by which pair of entertainers?

Answer: Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney

In the 2004 survey by the American Film Institute "100 Years...100 Songs," Good Morning" was ranked number 72. Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney were paired together for a string of movies which became known as "backyard musicals" beginning in 1937. They teamed up in lead roles for the first time in "Babes in Arms."

In "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," the song is delightfully played as Midge (Mrs. Maisel) wakes up pool-side in Miami with a group performing synchronized swimming.

7. "'Tain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)" was originally recorded in 1939 by both Jimmy Lunceford and Ella Fitzgerald. It was revived in 1982 by Fun Boy Three with Bananarama.

Answer: True

The song was written by jazz musicians Melvin "Sy" Oliver and James "Trummy" Young. Fun Boy Three with Bananarama did a pop/ska version slightly altering the title to "It Ain't What You Do..." It was a hit in the UK reaching number four on the UK Singles Chart.

In "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," the song is used in both season three and season one for similar scenes in which Midge (Mrs. Maisel) and her husband respectively enter the Maisel and Roth garment factory. These are interesting single-shot scenes starting from the street, going in between racks of clothes and winding through the factory floor.

8. The delightful songs "Isn't This a Lovely Day" and "Cheek to Cheek" were sung by Fred Astaire in the movie "Top Hat" in 1935. Who composed these songs?

Answer: Irving Berlin

"Top Hat" was the first of several original scores for movie musicals written by Berlin. "Follow the Fleet" (1936) and "Carefree" (1938) were also Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire movies for which he composed the music.

9. The original version of "Big Noise from Winnetka" was written and performed by bass player Bob Haggart and drummer Ray Bauduc in 1938. What was unusual about the melody in their version of the song, since neither was apparently much of a singer?

Answer: It was whistled

Haggart and Bauduc were members of The Bobcats which was part of the Bob Crosby Orchestra. In addition to Haggart whistling the melody, another unusual feature of the performance is that towards the end of the drum solo, Bauduc starts drumming on the strings of the bass while Haggart performs the left-hand fingering creating a unique percussive bass solo. The song has been used in several film soundtracks including "Raging Bull" and "Cannery Row".

In "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," the song is used very effectively as Midge (Mrs. Maisel) hustles doing numerous radio commercials.

10. This Glenn Miller music composition had several revisions and lyrics until he finally recorded it in 1939 as an instrumental. It was a top ten Billboard hit that year and became his signature tune. Which song is this?

Answer: Moonlight Serenade

The evolution of "Moonlight Serenade" began in 1935 with a version called "Now I Lay Me Down to Weep" which had lyrics. It went through two revisions with different lyrics. By 1938, Miller was performing it as just an instrumental and without a definitive title. Nevertheless, it started being recognized as his signature tune.

The recording became an immediate sensation reaching number three on the Billboard chart. Miller's version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1991.

Source: Author andshar

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Music from "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" - 1930s Quiz

You don't need to have watched "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" to enjoy this quiz. The questions will be about popular songs that were used in the show. Hopefully, some of you will be inspired to watch this wonderful series.

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>