Artist: Paul Whiteman Orch.
Author: L. Wolfe Gilbert/Mabel Wayne
Label: Victor
Year: 1928
Vocal by Austin Young. In 1927 Hollywood released silent film Ramona starring Dolores Del Rio. That was the year of the first talkies, so to counter competition this song was composed for strict promotional reasons. The film is long forgotten, unlike the song.
Covers:
Annette Hanshaw [with Frank Ferrera Trio]
Dolores Del Rio [the star in (silent) film Ramona]
Gene Austin [n°1 US]
Saint Granier [French version]
Duo Hofmann [as (Marietje) De Maaier Van De Overwegen]
Blue Diamonds [n°1 NL]
By the time it was a hit, there was this rumour the melody was French. Composer Vincent-Joseph Landeroin (1880-1953) recognised the menuet from his own Symphonie en ut mineur (written and deposed in 1906) in Ramona's melody line. He almost thanked the performer re-using his old tune, when he discovered his name wasn't even mentioned on Ramona's sheet music! He then confronted the readers of music magazine La Chanson with both compositions back to back, asking their conclusion which was unanimous. Still, legal action was discouraged, because Mrs. Wayne, coauthor of Ramona, had never been in France, nor had Landeroin's Symphnie en ut mineur ever been performed in America, an argument still standing in the late 1920s. So the Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique (SACEM) did not receive any official complaint. Landeroin however persisted that "on n'à pas maquillé le thème en prolongeant les temps forts de la première version (ménuet symphonique en ut mineur) et la carrure classique du ménuet devient boiteuse dans Ramona, c'est là toute la différence". Check it out.
If you noticed blunt omissions, mis-interpretations or even out-and-out errors,
please let me know:
Arnold Rypens
Rozenlaan 65
B-2840 Reet (Rumst)