Long Ago (and Far Away)

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Long Ago (and Far Away) – m. Jerome Kern, w. Ira Gershwin — The song was introduced by Rita Hayworth (voice dubbed by Martha Mear) and Gene Kelly, in the 1944 film Cover Girl.

1944 hit recordings include those by:

Helen Forrest and Dick Haymes with Camarata’s Orchestra
Bing Crosby
Jo Stafford with Paul Weston and his Orchestra
Perry Como
Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians
Three Suns

Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly in Cover Girl (1944) – Hayworth’s singing voice is dubbed by Martha Mears

Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra — recorded on 17 February 1944; issued in 1944 on the 78 rpm single Decca 18608, as the B-side of “Amor”

Perry Como with unidentified mixed chorus — recorded on 8 February 1944 at RCA Victor Studio 2, New York City; issued as the B-side of I Love You (Cole Porter), catalog #20-1569

Jo Stafford with Paul Weston and his Orchestra – 1944

Glenn Miller and the AAF band, vocal: Johnny Desmond, recorded in 1944 at Abbey Road Studios, London UK

Judy Garland – date unknown, radio broadcast from c.1944

The Judy Garland Database lists five performances on radio in broadcasts for servicemen during the years 1944-45 as follows:

The Bakers of America Salute to the Armed Forces, aired June 4, 1944
Everything for the Boys, aired June 11, 1944
The Chase and Sanborn Hour, aired June 25, 1944
Command Performance #129, aired 1945
Command Performance #?, aired December 25, 1945

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Frank Sinatra – 9 February 1944

According to a commenter in a forum at the sinatrafamily.com this recording is originally from the

Vimms Vitamins show, The Frank Sinatra Program (CBS) of February 9, 1944, which was issued on a V-Disc, including a brief spoken introduction for V-Disc by FS. (Previously released in The V-Discs box set.) Arranged and conducted by Axel Stordahl.

The Sinatra sessionography at Blue-eyes.com lists no other recordings of the song.

On the V-Disc Sinatra introduces the song as follows:

Gentlemen of the Armed Forces, this is the Hoodlum from Hoboken. I’d like to sing a tune for you. My name’s Sinatra, and I hope you’s like it, hey.

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Richard Tauber — with orchestra conducted by Henry Geehl, recorded (says the provider) on 12 December 1944; released on the Parlophone Odeon Series label as catalog #RO 20535, b/w Love, Here is My Heart (m. Lao Silesu, w. Adrian Ross)

Mario Lanza – recorded at Radio Recorders Studio in Hollywood, CA, on 13 July 1951; broadcast on the 29 July 1951 episode of The Mario Lanza Show, a radio program sponsored by Coca-Cola

Chet Baker Quartet — recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, CA, on 7 March 1955; released on the 1955 album Chet Baker Sings and Plays, Pacific Jazz PJ-1202

track personnel:
Chet Baker – trumpet, vocals
Russ Freeman – piano
Carson Smith – bass
Bob Neel – drums

The Hi-Lo’s — from the 1955* LP Under Glass

The Teddy Bears: Phil Spector, Marshall Leib, lead singer Annette Kleinbard

The Teddy Bears – 1959

Oscar Peterson Trio — from the album Oscar Peterson Plays the Jerome Kern Songbook, released in 1959 on the Verve label; recorded 14 July – 9 August 1959; produced by Norman Granz

Oscar Peterson – piano, Ray Brown – double bass, Ed Thigpen – drums