In Or Out, and Don’t Slam That Door!

Reflections on today’s song made me realize that I have featured just three female acts in 47 posts: Patti Page, the Pixies Three, and Connie Landers. Here’s number four, and they have one thing in common: their 45s all had black labels with silver writing. Boy, that’s some connection.

There’s a stronger connection between Patti Page and today’s vocalist, Gloria Wood. The single, “Close the Door Gently” (Diamond 3005) exhibits some of the playful lyrical style that wove through Page’s career. The song is a fast waltz, not unlike some Page hits, but avoiding the tone of such morose tunes as “Tennessee Waltz” and “Mama from the Train.”

“Close the Door Gently” is, in fact, one of the cheeriest-sounding breakup songs I know. Three-year-old caithiseach played this song a lot; it has to be close to the Top Ten in all-time caithiseach plays. I liked the clear, sweet vocals, the whimsical orchestral arrangement, and the message.

How many times did you get told to close the door, stay in or out, we’re not heating/cooling the outdoors, and were you raised in a barn? (Actually, I knew one guy who was raised in a barn, but he doesn’t figure in this blog.) If you heard these clichés as often as I did, the song will click for you as it did for me.

As has so often happened this year, I have learned that Gloria Wood was not a complete obscurity despite the lack of success her single had on this small label. Gloria (1919-1994) got her start in the 1940s when she joined her older sister, Donna Wood, as a singer for Horace Heidt and His Orchestra. Donna sang on a #1 Heidt hit from 1941, “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire.” Donna died of an apparent heart ailment in 1947 at age 29, leaving Gloria to develop her career without the support of her sister.

Gloria doesn’t seem to have charted any hits with Heidt’s outfit, but by 1947, Gloria was singing with Kay Kyser. In June of 1948, she sang the vocals on a huge #1 hit, “Woody Woodpecker.” She sang some successful duets with Harry Babbitt as well, as part of her Kyser experience.

Gloria had a four-octave vocal range, which worked against her when it came to singing opportunities. She sang thousands of commercials, including Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Rice-A-Roni, and she voiced Minnie Mouse. She sang in the 1948 short animated film Wet Blanket Policy, which launched the Woody Woodpecker theme. In 1953 she recorded “Hey! Bellboy!” for Capitol, and you can hear that one here:



Her range is evident here; other recordings show her matching a trumpet as it climbs higher and higher, and “Close the Door Gently” includes a number of key changes that Gloria handles without breaking a sweat.

More on Gloria in a moment, but I want to mention details of the song. Written by Maxine Bamford and Dorothy Wright. Their collaboration figures as one of the few all-female writing credits on my 45s. Wright co-wrote “Cinco Robles,” a 1957 hit for Russell Arms and also for Les Paul & Mary Ford. Bamford wrote a few more tunes, but nothing as notable as “Cinco Robles.”

The recording itself was orchestrated by Ivan Scott, with “bum-bum-bum” backing vocals by the Four Jewels. Pete Lofthouse created the whimsical arrangement. Lofthouse logged ten years as a trombonist for Lawrence Welk’s orchestra, and Scott backed a number of underrepresented vocalists. The Four Jewels seem to have sung with the amazing Billy Stewart on a couple of his sides around 1962, but I can’t find a lot of work that features them.

I should note that the other side of “Close the Door Gently,” “Wear a Smile,” is designated as Diamond 3005-A, while today’s tune is 3005-X. Not one to respect musical conventions when I was a three-year-old DJ, I never played “Wear a Smile.” If I pull out my turntable and give it a spin this year, I’ll let you know what’s going on with it. It turns out that Billy May arranged that side, so it may have some redeeming qualities.

Now, back to you, Gloria. I would be remiss if I did not report that Gloria and her sister, Donna, have been spied post-mortem by a ghost hunter named Leslie Siegel. You can find details on that matter via your favorite search engine.

Despite the possibility that Gloria is haunting Hollywood, I have always found that the song lifts my spirits. I hope it does the same for you. Coming Wednesday is a song that was a huge hit, sung by an enormously successful music legend. This artist became part of my musical heritage early on, and he’s probably part of yours. See you Wednesday!

Gloria Wood, Close the Door Gently