1948 Best Original Song - Doris Day's Delightful Debut

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WON: "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface

SHOULD'VE WON: "It's Magic," Romance on the High Seas

What a supreme pleasure it is listening to the legendary Doris Day, in her film debut in Michael Curtiz's underrated musical Romance on the High Seas, singing "It's Magic," yet another beautiful composition from the Jule Styne-Sammy Cahn team. The song and its scene are glorious Technicolor magic. It simply had to be inevitable at the time that Day was about to become an incredible big screen star.

Alas, "It's Magic," while indeed a tremendous breakthrough for Day, did not win Best Original Song in 1948. Instead, the prize went to "Buttons and Bows," an amusing but awfully slight Bob Hope tune from his comedy western The Paleface, which has largely gone forgotten and for understandable reason - it's just not that terribly funny, particularly in comparison with the rest of his filmography. It's a bit of a curious win, especially considering the competition.

Another nominee, "This Is the Moment," is really terrific too - a lush, romantic duet for Betty Grable and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. "For Every Man, There's a Woman" is nicely performed by Tony Martin in Universal Studios' flop musical Casbah, but too short to leave much of an impact. "The Woody Woodpecker Song" is the clear weak link here, essentially just a recycling of the classic Woody Woodpecker laugh, complimented by some cheesy lyrics and vocals that leave the final product sounding like bad sitcom theme song.

The Oscar-winners ranked (thus far)...

  1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  3. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  4. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  5. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  6. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  7. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  8. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  9. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  10. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  11. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  12. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  13. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  14. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  15. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)

1947 Best Original Song - The Oscar Win Disney Won't Speak Of

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WON: "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South

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SHOULD'VE WON: "Pass That Peace Pipe," Good News

Much like the rest of the 1947 Oscars - the year when the dry and heavy-handed Gentleman's Agreement topped the brilliant likes of Crossfire and Great Expectations, and Ronald Colman and Loretta Young topped superior competition for Best Actor and Actress - Best Original Song this year is a bit of an eyebrow-raiser.

That is, of course, because the prize in '47 was taken home by Song of the South, the Disney picture deemed so racist, insensitive and just downright wrong that it has never seen the light of day on DVD or even VHS domestically. I must admit, I have viewed the film previously online and it's a mixed bag to say the least - the animation is pretty terrific and James Baskett is a real delight as the iconic Uncle Remus, but the children in the picture are insufferably obnoxious and the film's happy-go-lucky depiction of the deep south during Reconstruction is stunningly reprehensible (and, on another note, what a shame to see the great Hattie McDaniel slumming it here).

With that said, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is a breezy, enjoyable number...when it's Baskett singing. Once it turns over to the kiddos, it's a headache-inducer and proof the song needs the right vocalist to be pulled off.

Beyond the winner, "A Gal in Calico" is a pleasant swing number but not terribly memorable in any way. "You Do" is nicely staged in the Betty Grable musical Mother Wore Tights, and Dan Dailey gives a nice, energetic performance, but I don't think it's a tune that stands so well on its own terms, beyond the choreography. And Betty Hutton is warm and moving as she sings "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" in The Perils of Pauline, but the song is just too short to leave much of an impact.

My favorite of this bunch would have to be "Pass That Peace Pipe" from the woefully underrated MGM musical Good News. The tune's performer, Joan McCracken, isn't the most naturally gifted vocalist, but her performance is so committed, enthusiastic and fun that technical vocal prowess here doesn't much matter. She's a delight, the song is a lot of fun and the choreography in its scene is quite terrific.

I'm not as offended by "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"'s Oscar victory as I am by Song of the South itself, but "Pass That Peace Pipe" (and perhaps one or two of the other nominees) is clearly superior.

The Oscar-winners ranked (thus far)...

  1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  3. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  4. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  5. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  6. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  7. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  8. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  9. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  10. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  11. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  12. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  13. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  14. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)

1946 Best Original Song - A Jolly Train Ride with Judy

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WON AND SHOULD'VE WON: "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls

1946 marks one of my favorite years at the Oscars - not only did The Best Years of Our Lives (one of my all-time favorite films) take home the Best Picture trophy, but I also adore fellow Best Picture nominees Henry V, It's a Wonderful Life and The Razor's Edge (as for The Yearling, it's fine, albeit not quite in the same league). This year also sports a really dynamite and underrated Best Actress line-up, with winner Olivia de Havilland, the brilliant Celia Johnson, Jennifer Jones, Rosalind Russell and Jane Wyman all operating right around the tops of their games.

'46 Original Song, however, is a pretty obscure and all-around merely decent crew of songs. There's not really a rotten apple in the bunch, but there's also nothing to get terribly head-over-heels about.

Bing Crosby's "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song" is listenable enough, but hardly in the same tier as the likes of "White Christmas" or "Pennies from Heaven." "All Through the Day," from Otto Preminger's musical Centennial Summer, is pleasantly performed by James Melton but not a particularly interesting tune itself.

Getting a bit warmer, "Ole Buttermilk Sky" if a fun, toe-tapping piece of fluff, performed completely convincingly by Hoagy Carmichael. And Betty Grable delivers a stunning vocal turn on "I Can't Begin to Tell You," even though the song itself kind of sounds like a microwaved "You'll Never Know" wannabe.

Ultimately, I think the Academy got this one right - the delightful "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" is the strongest in a rather modest bunch. It's hardly among the best Judy Garland songs (though her performance of the tune on The Judy Garland Show is pretty damn fantastic, and more effective than the movie track), but it is a plenty enjoyable sing-a-long that's really just as satisfying as "The Trolley Song."

The Oscar-winners ranked (thus far)...

  1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  3. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  4. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  5. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  6. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  7. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  8. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  9. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  10. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  11. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  12. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  13. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)

1945 Best Original Song - Vera-Ellen Steals the Show

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WON: "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair

SHOULD'VE WON: "So in Love," Wonder Man

At last, we have arrived at 1945, the final year (to date, at least) in which the Academy nominated 10 or more entries in the Best Original Song category. In fact, they went out with something of a bang, recognizing a hefty 14 songs. Ultimately, I'm afraid to say, there isn't enough strong material at play here to even fill up a solid category of five.

Let's get the most lackluster nominees out of the way first: "More and More" marks yet another rather bombastic Deanna Durbin song recognized by the Academy; "Love Letters" is just as melodramatic and ludicrous as the Jennifer Jones-Joseph Cotton yarn it hails from (though it was admittedly a decent hit back in the day and later used quite effectively in David Lynch's Blue Velvet); "I'll Buy That Dream" sounds and is staged like a gratingly cheerful TV commercial; and "Linda," clocking in at about one minute in length, is just inexplicable as an Oscar nominee in every regard.

Then there are the nicely performed, but mostly forgettable numbers: "I Fall in Love Too Easily," charmingly delivered by Frank Sinatra but not one of the more memorable moments from the delightful Anchors Aweigh; Bing Crosby doing fine, serviceable deliveries of "Aren't You Glad You're You" and "Accentuate the Positive"; and then Martha Mears (dubbing for Rita Hayworth) and Dinah Shore in lovely form on the undistinguished "Anywhere" and "Some Sunday Morning," respectively.

I can't knock the win for "It Might As Well Be Spring" too much - I do adore State Fair, Jeanne Crain sounds terrific and I'm certainly glad Rodgers and Hammerstein were able to pick up an Oscar in their tremendous careers. I'm just not sure it's really a standout moment from the film or even one of the best Rodgers and Hammerstein pieces.

Contrast that with "So in Love," a truly dynamite number from a not-so-dynamite film, that nonetheless lifts its picture to high heavens, even if it's only for about six and a half minutes. The song itself is terrific and it's staged just marvelously on screen, beautifully choreographed and performed exquisitely by Vera-Ellen, who really doesn't get enough recognition these days. "So in Love" is perhaps the most purely fun song I've come across thus far in Best Original Song.

The Oscar-winners ranked (thus far)...

  1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  3. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  4. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  5. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  6. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  7. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  8. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  9. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  10. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  11. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  12. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)

1944 Best Original Song - That Time Bing Hijacked Judy's Trolley

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WINNER: "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way

SHOULD'VE WON: "Long Ago (and Far Away)," Cover Girl

In spite of my awarding of him for "Love in Bloom" in the very first line-up in 1934 (which, let's face it, was because the category was supremely anemic), this look back at Best Original Song seems to be reaffirming my general lack of love for Bing Crosby.

I do like a number, if not most of Crosby's nominated work throughout these '30s and '40s line-ups, but there's just not a whole lot of enthusiasm there for me. It's material I find myself more admiring than being head-over-heels for. And when it comes to his winning "Swinging on a Star" from Going My Way (for which he won what should've been Charles Boyer's Best Actor Oscar), I can't help but just feel stumped. I think it's underwhelming, borderline-grating tune. For what it's worth, most do seem to like it - it ranked a decent #37 on AFI's "100 Years...100 Songs" list. So perhaps I'm just missing something.

The winning song aside, I like '44 Best Original Song for the most part. There are few forgettable entries, though they aren't bad like, say, "Saludos Amigos" - the Dinah Shore-performed "I'll Walk Alone" and "Now I Know," for instance, are admirably performed, digestible tunes, but come and leave without leaving a notable dent. Same with the Jackie Moran-performed "Too Much in Love" - listenable and nothing more. "I'm Making Believe" was later a great standard for others, but barely leaves a blip in just over a minute of Sweet and Lowdown. As for "Remember Me to Carolina," it's a bit tough - well, honestly, almost impossible - to sit through Benny Fields' blackface performance. I have not seen Minstrel Man and the clip of this song doesn't exactly inspire me to seek it out. But I also can't deny Fields has an awfully rich vocal.

The other four nominees lift this category considerably.

Tito Guizar's vocal performance of "Rio de Janeiro" is a real stunner - not sure the song itself is much to write home about, but his delivery is memorable for sure and it's the kind of find that will inspire me to seek out other work of his'. Likewise, I love-love-love Judy Garland on "The Trolley Song" - she sells it and turns it into an iconic movie moment. But I can't imagine anyone else being able to so successfully pull this fluff (and kind of repetitive fluff at that) off.

I actually most love the remaining two nominees. Higher and Higher marked Frank Sinatra's film debut and "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night" finds Ol' Blue Eyes in atypically and refreshingly vulnerable form. It's a sweet, tender tune on its own terms and his convincing delivery makes it all the more impressive.

But ultimately, it's Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth/Martha Mears (dubbing) on "Long Ago (and Far Away)" that most sweeps me off my feet. The song is simply pure Technicolor romance and a real charmer. It also quite reminds me of "Long Before I Knew You," from Bells Are Ringing (my all-time favorite musical), which certainly doesn't hurt. I could listen to this on repeat for hours.

The Oscar-winners ranked (thus far)...

  1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  3. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  4. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  5. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  6. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  7. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  8. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  9. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  10. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  11. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)