Wow is right when i read this.Please note that Mr. Gleason was a "music lover" and a weekend conductor of sorts,meaning he used his considerable influences to create musical recordings and sponsor them with his name.They were among the most immensely popular recordings of the 1950's and still can be seen daily at every Goodwill and last chance record destination.A testament to their popularity and sales.There was nary a HiFi in the 50's or 60's that did not have one of his "For Lovers" nearby ready for a highball and a little romantic escapade.
Gleason's adoration for Jazz,specifically the hard swinging,no holds barred Dixieland of the Eddie Condon mob,led him to use the Trumpet and Cornet of the great Bobby Hackett on many of his "mood" music orchestral recordings.Hackett possessed the perfect articulation of the glowing,sensual horn.It was the sound of a mink stole rubbing against a pair of nylons and hung like a golden fog against the lush orchestrations.
Hackett himself was a great Jazz improvisor and it was his 1940 Commodore recording of "Embraceable you" that put him in the pantheon of quintessential Jazz ballad players.He had a long,rewarding career and the Gleason chapter was only a part,but a big one financially.He owned a HiFi /electronics store on Long Island and even made superb location recordings on his performances on early reel tape recorders.
Gleason was legendary amongst musicians for throwing parties,paying well and his "train trips" were often recalled.He loved to hire a train car and party across the country with the music going full blast at his whim and offending a never ending stock of top shelf liquor.
This particular scenario was recreated in the 1986 Gary Marshall film "Nothing in common" with a young Tom Hanks,playing his son.It was the "great one's" last film suffering with two kinds of cancer and a bad ticker.A testament to a life led larger than life itself.
