New England Entertainment Digest
September 2003
The Envelope, Please: The First 25 Years

CAMBRIDGE, MA: Cambridge resident Bobbi Carrey and Arlington resident Will McMillan present a new show, “The Envelope, Please,”on Thursday, October 16 at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education as part of the Thursday morning lecture series - with Cambridge resident Henry Schniewind at the piano.
Their program features Oscar winning songs (plus some nominees that deserved to win) from 1934-1959. “The Academy Awards are not only a part of America’s history; they are also a mirror of the times,” says Bobbi Carrey. Due to the rising popularity of talking pictures, a new category was added in 1934 - Best Song From a Motion Picture. Since then Oscar winners and nominees for best song have captured the emotional pulse of America.
“We started out looking at songs from the entire seven decades of music,” explains Will McMillan, “but we soon realized - because there were so many great songs - that we were going to have a really hard time narrowing down our choices. Luckily Bobbi had a brainstorm and we decided to focus on the first 25 years-what some have called ‘The Golden Age of Hollywood.’”
The list of best song winners and nominees during these years includes most of the leading songwriters of the 20th century, from Irving Berlin, Sammy Cahn, and the Gershwins to Harold Arlen, Harry Warren, Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer. Not surprisingly, the roster of winners includes some of the most timeless love songs ever written, including “Cheek to Cheek,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” and “True Love.” Many reflect a universal quest for happiness as in “You'd be So Nice To Come Home To” and “Accentuate the Positive.” Others capture the yearning for a simpler, more innocent time, including “Thanks for the Memory” and “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening.”
Bobbi Carrey and Will McMillan perform all over New England. You are welcome to visit their web sites: www.bobbicarrey.com and www.willmcmillan.com..