New Book from FTD The Making of Viva Las Vegas

[kevanbudd]

Five demo songs offered, but rejected for the movie were -

1. The duck, the cat and me - Tepper and Bennett (poor song)
2. That's how you look to me - Rick Ward and Sid Feller (duet - decent song)
3. Please be mine tonight - Bernie Wayne and Marvin Moore (average ballad)
4. The Vega - Joy Byers (listed previously in this thread)(decent song)
5. The Vega dance of chance - Tepper and Bennett - (a pretty weak song)

`That's how you look to me` is a duet comedy song, along the lines of `The lady loves me`.

Kevan Budd.

[Mister Moon]

Another rejected demo version is: Beat the bongo. We know the song with different lyrics as Do the Vega.

colonel snow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XA42RVPjdA

Nice find colonel snow, shame it's incomplete.

And almost inaudible.

"Beat The Bongo" is a much cooler title than "Do The Vega", which never made much sense to me.

Anybody has the whole track in better sound quality ?

[John]

Five demo songs offered, but rejected for the movie were -

1. The duck, the cat and me - Tepper and Bennett (poor song)
2. That's how you look to me - Rick Ward and Sid Feller (duet - good)
3. Please be mine tonight - Bernie Wayne and Marvin Moore (average ballad)
4. The Vega - Joy Byers (listed previously in this thread)(decent song)
5. The Vega dance of chance - Tepper and Bennett - (a pretty weak song)

`That's how you look to me` is a duet comedy song, along the lines of `The lady loves me`.

Kevan Budd.

I would think The duck, the cat and me is not that serious either.

[John]

Another rejected demo version is: Beat the bongo. We know the song with different lyrics as Do the Vega.

colonel snow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XA42RVPjdA

Nice find colonel snow, shame it's incomplete.

And almost inaudible.

"Beat The Bongo" is a much cooler title than "Do The Vega", which never made much sense to me.

Anybody has the whole track in better sound quality ?

I've searched, but nothing so far.

[kevanbudd]

Five demo songs offered, but rejected for the movie were -

1. The duck, the cat and me - Tepper and Bennett (poor song)
2. That's how you look to me - Rick Ward and Sid Feller (duet - good)
3. Please be mine tonight - Bernie Wayne and Marvin Moore (average ballad)
4. The Vega - Joy Byers (listed previously in this thread)(decent song)
5. The Vega dance of chance - Tepper and Bennett - (a pretty weak song)

`That's how you look to me` is a duet comedy song, along the lines of `The lady loves me`.

Kevan Budd.

I would think The duck, the cat and me is not that serious either.

The Duck is sad, the cat is sad and he is sad, complete with crying Duck and Cat noises.

But It lacks charm or humour.

Kevan Budd.

[Mister Moon]

Another rejected demo version is: Beat the bongo. We know the song with different lyrics as Do the Vega.

colonel snow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XA42RVPjdA

Nice find colonel snow, shame it's incomplete.

And almost inaudible.

"Beat The Bongo" is a much cooler title than "Do The Vega", which never made much sense to me.

Anybody has the whole track in better sound quality ?

I've searched, but nothing so far.

It's got that "siesta" / "fiesta" rhyme that had also been used for the "Fun In Acapulco" title song, but omitted from the final "Do The Vega", if I'm not mistaken.

[John]

Five demo songs offered, but rejected for the movie were -

1. The duck, the cat and me - Tepper and Bennett (poor song)
2. That's how you look to me - Rick Ward and Sid Feller (duet - good)
3. Please be mine tonight - Bernie Wayne and Marvin Moore (average ballad)
4. The Vega - Joy Byers (listed previously in this thread)(decent song)
5. The Vega dance of chance - Tepper and Bennett - (a pretty weak song)

`That's how you look to me` is a duet comedy song, along the lines of `The lady loves me`.

Kevan Budd.

I would think The duck, the cat and me is not that serious either.

The Duck is sad, the cat is sad and he is sad, complete with crying Duck and Cat noises.

But It lacks charm or humour.

Kevan Budd.

Sounds like a winner. Have you heard it, Kevan?

[colonel snow]

Five demo songs offered, but rejected for the movie were -

1. The duck, the cat and me - Tepper and Bennett (poor song)
2. That's how you look to me - Rick Ward and Sid Feller (duet - decent song)
3. Please be mine tonight - Bernie Wayne and Marvin Moore (average ballad)
4. The Vega - Joy Byers (listed previously in this thread)(decent song)
5. The Vega dance of chance - Tepper and Bennett - (a pretty weak song)

`That's how you look to me` is a duet comedy song, along the lines of `The lady loves me`.

Kevan Budd.

Thanks Kevan for this additional information.


colonel snow

[colonel snow]

The (demo) songs written by Sid Tepper & Roy Bennett are not registered at ASCAP and /or catalog of copyright entries.

colonel snow

[picturefan]

Five demo songs offered, but rejected for the movie were -

1. The duck, the cat and me - Tepper and Bennett (poor song)
2. That's how you look to me - Rick Ward and Sid Feller (duet - good)
3. Please be mine tonight - Bernie Wayne and Marvin Moore (average ballad)
4. The Vega - Joy Byers (listed previously in this thread)(decent song)
5. The Vega dance of chance - Tepper and Bennett - (a pretty weak song)

`That's how you look to me` is a duet comedy song, along the lines of `The lady loves me`.

Kevan Budd.

I would think The duck, the cat and me is not that serious either.

The Duck is sad, the cat is sad and he is sad, complete with crying Duck and Cat noises.

q

You joke, right?

Cat noises on a demo?

[colonel snow]

Deleted - information available elsewhere

colonel snow

[kevanbudd]

Five demo songs offered, but rejected for the movie were -

1. The duck, the cat and me - Tepper and Bennett (poor song)
2. That's how you look to me - Rick Ward and Sid Feller (duet - good)
3. Please be mine tonight - Bernie Wayne and Marvin Moore (average ballad)
4. The Vega - Joy Byers (listed previously in this thread)(decent song)
5. The Vega dance of chance - Tepper and Bennett - (a pretty weak song)

`That's how you look to me` is a duet comedy song, along the lines of `The lady loves me`.

Kevan Budd.

I would think The duck, the cat and me is not that serious either.

The Duck is sad, the cat is sad and he is sad, complete with crying Duck and Cat noises.

q

You joke, right?

Cat noises on a demo?

Not actual ducks and cats, think - Old Macdonald!

Quack, quack, meow, meow, plus extra bonus - boo hoo, boo hoo!

Kevan Budd.

[kevanbudd]

Another song titled `Viva las Vegas` was submitted and rejected, songwriter unknown but most likely Giant/Baum/Kaye, with a Frank Sinatra style to it. They wrote `The city's awake` in this style with the same demo singer, which became `City by night`(Double trouble) with a slight lyric rewrite - mostly just the title change. I don't know if `The City's awake` was first submitted for `Viva las Vegas` or only submitted for `Double trouble` But It would certainly fit with the Las Vegas theme.

1. Viva las Vegas (alt song) - possibly Giant/Baum/Kaye.

Possibly?
2. The city's awake (rewrote and released as `City by night`) - Giant/Baum/Kaye.

Kevan Budd.

[Mike C]

Another song titled `Viva las Vegas` was submitted and rejected, songwriter unknown but most likely Giant/Baum/Kaye, with a Frank Sinatra style to it. They wrote `The city's awake` in this style with the same demo singer, which became `City by night`(Double trouble) with a lyric rewrite. I don't know if `The City's awake` was first submitted for `Viva las Vegas` or only submitted for `Double trouble`, It would certainly fit with the Las Vegas theme.

1. Viva las Vegas (alt song) - possibly Giant/Baum/Kaye.

Possibly?
2. The city's awake (later rewrote as `City by night`) - Giant/Baum/Kaye.

Kevan Budd.

Interesting stuff, Kevan. Just goes to show how much of a struggle it was for the Hill & Range writers to come up with new songs for each new picture in the mid-60s.

[colonel snow]

Thanks Kevan for this interesting information.


colonel snow