Pioneers–Bing, Lennie et al Million Dollar Baby

We do not have as much “backstory” related to the next song, “I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a Five and Ten cents Store).” Here is the way Wikipedia described the song:

“I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a Five and Ten Cent Store)”
Song by Fanny Brice
Published 1931, 1926 (lyrics with different music)
Composer(s) Harry Warren
Lyricist(s) Mort Dixon, Billy Rose

“The music was written by Harry Warren, the lyrics by Mort Dixon and Billy Rose. The song was published in 1931, though the same lyric with different music had been published five years earlier. It was introduced in the Broadway musical Billy Rose’s Crazy Quilt, which opened in May, 1931, where it was sung by Fanny Brice.

“Many versions of the song were recorded in 1931. The biggest hit was by Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians, with a vocal by Clare Hanlon, released by Victor Records as catalog number 22707. The next-most-popular version was by Bing Crosby, recorded on June 12, 1931 and released by Brunswick Records as catalog number 6128.”

Woolworth’s started out as chain of stores dedicated to selling products to Americans that didn’t cost more than 5 or 10 cents. Woolworth’s still had a store near me in 1981 when I moved to Pennsylvania. It soon closed as K-mart undercut Woolworth; then Walmart did the same thing to K-mart. Today, Amazon is the crown prince of retail.

As a friend of mine would say, “and so it goes.”

We think we should point out one more thing; the idea of Bing buying a lot of china just to be near his new-found love was repeated in the great 1941 (prior to attack on Pearl Harbor) George Stevens’ movie, Penny Serenade with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne.

Let’s listen to Bing.