Mary Martin - A Centenary Tribute: Her 26 Finest

Retrospective pays a centenary tribute to one of Broadway’s all-time great musical comedy artistes, Mary Martin (1913-1990), star of the original South Pacific and The Sound Of Music. From her 1938 debut she joined the immortals of the musical stage by starring in Cole Porter’s Leave It To Me and singing My Heart Belongs To Daddy – thereafter her theme song. Her 1976 autobiography was called My Heart Belongs.

Retrospective’s My Heart Belongs To Daddy follows her stage and screen career with 26 memorable renderings of (mostly) musical comedy classics. Her film successes included Rhythm On The River (Ain’t It A Shame About Mame?) and Birth Of The Blues (The Waiter And The Porter And The Upstairs Maid), but her biggest triumph came on stage with the 1949 show South Pacific – her four biggest numbers are featured here (I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair). Ten years later she did it again as the original Maria in The Sound Of Music. Her biggest chart hit was the wartime weepie I’ll Walk Alone.

Mary Martin is joined by Bing Crosby for three tracks (Lily Of Laguna . . .), and by her son for what should be Retrospective’s anthem: Get Out Those Old Records. The son’s name? Larry Hagman of Dallas fame.