A few weeks ago, on my Labor Day Special, I posted an audio of Paul Robeson, but reserved the right to revisit him, since there was no video with the song I posted. So, that’s what I’m doing tonight.
According to the liner notes of my set of Show Boat CDs (the John McGlinn reconstruction):
Of all places, Show Boat was born in a hotel room in New London, Connecticut on Wednesday, August 20, 1924, around midnight. Edna Ferber had just witnessed the dismally unsuccessful pre-Broadway debut of her new play, Old Man Minick, in New London’s ancient Lyceum Theatre.
So, there’s a local connection to this great American musical. Robeson was not the first to sing Old Man River, but it appears that he made the song his own. This version is, unfortunately, marred by a voice over pointing out the obvious:
What a voice the man had.
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