Johnny Mercer, part 2: selected standards 1936 to 1939

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See also:

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1936

I’m An Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande (Johnny Mercer)
Goody-Goody (m. Matt Malneck, w. Johnny Mercer)

1937

Hooray For Hollywood (m. Richard Whiting, w. Johnny Mercer)
Have You Got Any Castles, Baby? (m. Richard Whiting, w. Johnny Mercer)

1938
Jeepers Creepers (m. Harry Warren, w. Johnny Mercer)
You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby (m. Harry Warren,w. Johnny Mercer)

1939

And the Angels Sing (m. Ziggy Elman, w. Johnny Mercer)
The Rumba Jumps (m. Hoagy Carmichael, w. Johnny Mercer)
Day In, Day Out (m. Rube Bloom, w. Johnny Mercer)

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1936

I’m An Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande (Johnny Mercer) — The song was written for the American Western musical film Rhythm on the Range (1936), which starred Bing Crosby and Frances Farmer.

(below) performed by Bing Crosby, Leonid Kinskey, Martha Raye, Bob Burns, and Louis Prima, accompanied by The Sons of the Pioneers, in Rhythm on the Range (1936)

Bing Crosby with Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra — recorded on 17 July 1936 in Los Angeles, California; issued as the single Decca 871, b/w I Can’t Escape From You (m. Richard A. Whiting, w. Leo Robin), another song from Rhythm on the Range

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Goody-Goody (m. Matt Malneck, w. Johnny Mercer)

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra, vocal: Helen Ward — 1936

Teddy Stauffer and his Original Teddies — 1936

Peggy Lee — date unknown

Frankie Lyman — 1958, live

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1937

Hooray For Hollywood (m. Richard Whiting, w. Johnny Mercer) was introduced in the film Hollywood Hotel (1937). In a Busby Berkeley production the vocals are shared by Johnnie Davis and Frances Langford, various other cast members, and a studio chorus. Music by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra who are shown arriving at the hotel, with a police escort, while playing the opening bars, each band member standing in his own chauffeured miniature vehicle.

See also the following related Songbook pages:

The song begins at about 1:13 in the following clip:

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Have You Got Any Castles, Baby? (m. Richard Whiting, w. Johnny Mercer) – Tommy Dorsey, Dolly Dawn, and Gus Arnheim all had hits with their recordings of the song. But I’ve yet to find any of those.

Joan Brooks with Jolly Coburn and his Orchestra, 1937

Sorry, I’m unable to identify the artist (fairly recent I think)

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Too Marvelous for Words (m. Richard A. Whiting, w. Johnny Mercer)

See the separate feature page:

Too Marvelous For Words

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Bob White (m. Bernard Hanighen, w. Johnny Mercer)

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra, vocal: Martha Tilton — the provider indicates this is a transcription of a live broadcast from the Madhattan Room, October 1937

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1938

Jeepers Creepers (m. Harry Warren, w. Johnny Mercer) was written for the film for the movie Going Places. Louis Armstrong sings and plays the song on trumpet during the film. Recordings by Armstrong, Al Donohue, and Larry Clinton were hits in 1938 and 1939.

Louis Armstrong in Going Places (1938)

Paul Whiteman and his Swing Wing & The Modernaires – 1938