Harry James, Helen Forrest--1958 Big Record Live TV Show, Complete Segment 

I met Helen when she was in Omaha for a concert in the late 80s. She canceled the show claiming she was too sick but I had breakfast with her that morning. She showed me the ring Harry gave her and sang a song to me in her hotel room. I was a young singer in Omaha at the time. What a great memory of the best singer of all time!

Helen is my absolute favorite from the era. She had such a strong and clear voice, it just cut straight through the orchestra.

I saw Helen in concert many times. As she got older she kept the strength, tone and distinctive qualities of her voice and style. She was a lovely lady, very ebullient and happy to be still entertaining. She had a rough childhood and a miserable mother but she had the last laugh.

underappreciated era in American music.

Her voice was so beautiful! I'm a huge fan. She is my favorite of the big band singers.

Helen was so Beautiful and Harry was and still is The Greatest.

Harry and Helen sound even better, to my ears, than in the 40s. Both had charisma, talent and on screen presence to spare. This is a treat. So often we don't realize what we have until it's long gone and we are left with shadows, memories and an occasional chance to step back and enjoy when good music was popular.

What a treat. If anything, both HJ and HF had become even stronger performers than they'd been in the 1940s. Thanks for sharing.

Whether it was 1958-1972, at times when Helen sang she looked as young as she did in 1938. Love that voice! Harry James was greater than great, but I've got so many favorite big band trumpeters, I can't place one as my all time favorite.

I am blessed to have met all three of these incredible greats ; Harry James, Helen Forrest and The Singin' Rage, Miss Patti Page ! All at different times in California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey .

Harry James & Helen Forrest two of the Best!

Helen Forrest was unique in dynamics and expression. First time I saw her singing and can see how expressive she was in her face. She and Helen Ward, whom set up the style for the years to come are my favorites from the swing era.

What a great treat it is to see this big band in the late 50's!

man, what a sweet voice

This is real music, loved it. Love Big Band

I’m in my late seventies now,Boy what a different era that was back then ,Then what we are facing now in covid-19 2020 ...Helen was wonderful, They did such romantic songs back then like “I know why and so do you” ...” At last “

GREAT Band and Harry is amazing as usual!

there is nothing better then the big bands! I wish they continue today so that everyone what they sounded like! god bless you big bands

Harry James: King of trumpets!

This is unbelievable what music, what a voice, beautiful! Thanks for posting!

Wow...it seems ever more incredible that the world threw away quality music like this, almost overnight. Stunning.

The Legendary Harry James and My Favorite Female Big Band Singer Helen Forrest!

Hello there, What a thrilling Memory! Listening to you Both, Helen Forrest and Harry James. Thanks everso for sharing. Love you too

Wow! In addition to Helen Forrest having a terrific singing voice, she is quite the good looking and might I add, curvaceous figured lady!!! Thanks for sharing!

MAGIC SUBLIME MAJESTY YEAH WHAT A BAND YOU MADE ME LOVE U HARRY JAMES HELEN FORREST BETTY GRABLE AMEN 😂❤😊

Totally love this clip. A bygone era.

such sweet music to my very heart and soul! it has always stumped me how Helen could perform with Harry after leaving her for Betty Grable...talk about having your nose rubbed in it!! in any case so goes passion and romantic endeavors. two of my favorite performers of their time!!

In the 1950s, orchestras and singers like these performed regularly on week-night TV. Some, like Patti Page, had their own TV shows. Now reflect on what you see on TV these days and consider the opportunity that was squandered as TV turned itself, gradually, into "the vast wasteland" that Newton Minow derided. Sadly, this was the last gasp for the great bands; by 1960, they were largely relegated to playing concerts on college campuses. But for a couple of decades, they set a musical standard that succeeding generations have yet to match.

The best!!! God helen was insanely gorgeous

Dick, my favorite Male Singer of "yesteryear(Haymes)" Helen Forrest , one of my favorite female singers......I long for all those wonderful 40's music even though i was only 9....

Wonderful to see these great stars on film, thank you so much.

it doesn't get any better!

Trumpet section was Nick Buono, Ollie Mitchell and Bob Rolfe. Trombones are Ray Sims, Bob Edmonson, and Ernie Tack. Saxes are Sam Firmature, Bob Poland, Herb Lorden and Willie Smith, and Ernie Tack. Rhythm section is Russ Phillips bass, Jack Perciful on piano, Jackie Mills drums, and Dennis Budimir on guitar.

I want to sing with a band like this one! I love these magic melodies🎤

this is rare

Excellent !

Helen battled with her weight many times during her career but note how gorgeously slim she is here.

I found her and I am so happy. nough said.

Harry James best all time trumpet player.. and Helen best voice of the era.

WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! From a mad keen 74yo Ausssie fan.

Helen Forrest was terrific.

What a band, what a great voice. They called her "one take Helen" ?

Harry James..You are the best!

Mr. Alan Eichler, Absolutely wonderful. Thanks for posting. from Minas Gerais,Brazil.

When l was young l used to dance. To the haŕry James music

Now I see where Eydie Gorme got all those great songs in the early 1960s Lps with Steve Lawrence.Now I know about Helen Forrest and the great Harry James.

Big bands had real musicians.

I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD WHEN THIS WAS RECORDED...;)

I think I want to hear more like this.

Blues for Sale

god ..... what great music!

that was tight! Brilliant!

WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 From a mad keen 76yo Aussie fan.

Que agradable transportarse a un salón junto al carismático y virtuoso Harry James en compañía de la bella y cautivadora voz de Helen Forrest...esto es una de las cosas que valoro de Internet, nos permite viajar en el tiempo y estar junto a los artistas de cuyo talento hubiera querido disfrutar en vivo.

A prsar del tiempo transcurrido es una musica maravillosa que te transporta en el tiempo y te hace soñar.

king of trunpet and big band jazz

Lovely! ❤❤❤

heaven

Thank you so much Alan!!

MISS SINGING!!!

From Argentina, thank you very much friend.Still it remains one of my prdilectas bands. Hellen what more can add ?.

I would have loved for her to sing "Stardust"... She was born in 1919 so she was about age 39 here; she died in 1999 about aged 80.

I do believe my Dad played with him in the 40's

Graciasss

Very nice.

Brilliant, TY for the upload! :-)

Helen is simply the best

Boy do I miss the Big Band era.

Obviously before Buddy Rich joined the band. Who's the drummer, he was laying it down very, very nicely?

HARRY JAMES !!!! THE ABSOLUTE BEST !!!!! 🎺

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!

There are 8 people in this universe who need music education. Because they don't know greatness when they hear it.

James and Forrest - what a fantastic combination. Bands like this were surely the epitome of the American music movement: original and daring. The non-white influence of the jazz/soul developed so well that it became an idion in its own right. Without doubt, Harry James was a far more accomplished trumpeter than L Armstrong - unquestionably so.

king harry j

2020 Noviembre ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🎶🎺🎶🎷🎶❤️🤩👌🏻

She had to have been singing TO Harry on this one. She had to have thick skin to have delt with the heartache of Harry choosing Grable over her.

I think Harry James was heavily influenced by Count Basie's sound by this point.

Helen Forrest was the penultimate female big band vocalist. She never sang anything bad! The opening instrumental by Harry James and his Orchestra (title?) really swings. By this point James was heavily influenced by Count Basie. But dig how this band really swings! Today's big bands just don't have that innate ability to swing like these guys who came out of the 30s and 40s did. One thing I've noticed with today's big bands is many don't use a rhythm guitar player. Big mistake. Check out what having a guitar adds to this performance.

Alan, Have you ever run across the Big Record Show from Nov 13, 1957 starring Harry James?

Johnny hartman

@Alan, you've been posting a lot of clips lately. Any chance of full eps of something like this and Stage Show with the Dorsey Bros? I think that's where some of your other clips have been coming from. :)

But now we have rap music and twerking. Progress!

Conga❗️❗️🎶🎼🤗

Who’s the fine drummer?

Who replaced Helen when she left Harry? I know do you all!!

Alan, Harry James appeared in two episodes of The Big Record. Chuck

Also was hard to hear about the back story on Dick van Dyke. She was pissed that the program she thought would be about 3 comedy writers went into a new direction and Mary was the hot property.. She resented her and they had a distant relationship. They tried to blame it on her. Rose has to be the boss.

Why no clarinet player ? Surely he could replace one of the trumpets or saxophones or trombones with a clarinet .

Young man with a horn

There was a sound that both Forrest and the band had in the early 1940s that made hits. It had a sound of youth. ...a girl singing to her old boyfriend. They lost that sound in this later performance. This later style of remnant big bands is why they were never again popular.

I am the contrarian here, and I never cared for Helen Forrest. Her voice was shrill, and her physical movements while singing were almost robotic. Kitty Kallen, Janet Blair, Ella Fitzgerald, and others were far better. **We are 'taught' to view Helen Forrest as the voice of the Big Band era, rather than her being taken on her own merit.

what are shelby and chad everett doing in this segment??? Marriage not a love story ..a shameful sham...Geffner u are nutzo

Harry was drunk that night... cannot put 16 notes toghether! just sayin...

In the 1950s, orchestras and singers like these performed regularly on week-night TV. Some, like Patti Page, had their own TV shows. Now reflect on what you see on TV these days and consider the opportunity that was squandered as TV turned itself, gradually, into "the vast wasteland" that Newton Minow derided. Sadly, this was the last gasp for the great bands; by 1960, they were largely relegated to playing concerts on college campuses. But for a couple of decades, they set a musical standard that succeeding generations have yet to match.