with Ivan Scott and the Four Jewels
(Lawson, Blue River Music BMI)
A Pete Lofthouse arrangement
Diamond 3001
1956
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THE KANSAS CITY STAR. SUNDAY. MAY 25. 1958.
Gloria’s Voice(s) All Over TV, but She’s Never Seen By Hal Humphrey.
HOLLYWOOD.—“! want to be seen on TV. Everywhere I go I have to be explained, and it makes me very unhappy.” This complaint comes from a 5-foot-2 bouncy blonde by the name of Gloria Wood who possesses more voices than the late Lon Chaney had disguises. On the “Disneyland” show Gloria Wood. She is “Tinker Bell” in the peanut butter commercial. It’s Gloria’s high-pitched voice which emanates from the smoking penguin. In the course of one day’s work her 4-octave range voice will be dubbed for Julie London’s on a radio cigarette commercial, the little cartoon characters in a TV beer commercial and i train whistle for a railroad plug. A few weeks ago Gloria stood in the wings of an N.B.C. studio here and sang the high notes for Betty Hutton who was doing a blues number. On a “live” show this made for some tricky timing on both Gloria and Betty’s parts. Years ago when Bing Crosby recorded “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” he had Gloria play the piping voice of Rudolph. She was on his radio show eight years. When Gloria opens up her mailbox in the mornings it is overflowing with what are called residual checks. Each time any of the nearly 2000 TV-radio commercials she has made is played again, she gets paid for the repeat performance. This lush monetary balm only partly soothes Gloria’s wounded ego. She would be willing to share a hefty chunk of it with anyone who would hire the whole Wood body, instead of just the voice. All Too Frustrating. “It’s all too frustrating.” says Gloria. “What good does it do to be Minnie Mouse’s voice—which I was—if ] body knows it’s mine?” There was a time when Gloria was hired “in person. After graduation from high school in Arlington, Mass., she got a job singing at a Boston radio station. In 1941 she became the vocalist for the Clyde Lucas band, then playing at Roseland in New York. After another stint with Horace Heidt, Gloria joined Kay Kyser’s band and did the vocalizing for such Kyser recording hits as the “Woody Woodpecker Song.” It was her vocal gymnastics on this novelty number which brought her to the attention of the genuises who turn out singing and cartoon commercials for radio and TV. Gloria thought it was fun at first. Suddenly her voice was in such great demand that she couldn’t find time for anything else. Advertising agencies both here and in New York would rearraange their schedeules and wait patiently for “that Wood girl.” On one occasion the producer of a wax commercial needed voices for a little girl, her brother and a mother. Hej^ had Gloria for the little girl,: but didn’t like those he had auditioned for the boy and mother. Gloria wound up do ing the boy’s voice, but the! producer was afraid that if he let her be the mother he would be lynched by the other performers auditioning. Made a Recording. In 1956 Gloria found time to make a record of her own. It was jazz song called “Hey, Bellboy!” and with the sexy overtones Gloria gave the lyrics, it was well on its way to hitdom. “Then the roof caved in,” Gloria says. “The networks banned it. There was really nothing wrong with the song, just a few dirty minds reading something into it that wasn’t there.” She has a new album (“Wood by the Fire”) coming out soon, and hopes it will get her launched as a personality. Meanwhile, Gloria will go on bearing her cross—making commercials, dubbing voices for big stars and shoveling the checks out of the mailbox
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Gloria Wood
A partial discography
1941 Elite ?
Clyde Lucas Band
no details
194? — Mastertone GW-2/3
Gloria Wood with The Bachelors :
Rhumba at the Matzo Ball
In Brazil It's The Nuts
1946 — 4 Star 1059
Tommy Todd And The 4-Star Orch, vocal Gloria Wood
Queen For A Day
Out Of A Dream
1946 — 4 Star 1076
Ted Fio Rito And His Orchestra (Vocal by Gloria Wood)
East Of The Sun Side
other side vocal by Adriana (Snow Whote) Caselotti and Pinto Colvig
1946 — 4 Star 1077
Ted Fio Rito And His Orchestra (Vocal by Gloria Wood) :
Now That's You're Gone
other side vocal by Bob Scott
1947 — Columbia 37214
Kay Kyser and his orchestra /
vocal chorus by The Campus Kids featuring Gloria Wood :
Managua, Nicaragua
reverse : vocal chorus by Michael Douglas and the Campus Kids
1948 — Columbia 37956
Kay Kyser and his orchestra /
vocal chorus by The Campus Kids featuring Gloria Wood
Pass That Peace Pipe
reverse : Vocal chorus by Harry Babitt and The Campus Kids.
1948 — Columbia 38067
Kay Kyser and his orchestra /
Vocal by Harry Babbitt and Gloria Wood :
Teresa
reverse vocal by The Campus Kids
1948 — Columbia 38197
Kay Kyser and his orchestra / Vocal chorus by Gloria Wood :
Woody Wood-Pecker
Kay Kyser's Campus Cowboys, vocal chorus by Gloria Wood :
When Veronica Plays the Harmonica
1953 — Capitol 2436
Buddy Cole And Gloria Wood
Red Canary
Hello Sunshine
1953 — Capitol 2471
Anybody Hurt?
Hey, Bellboy!
1953 — Capitol 2625 :
Oh, Honey
By The Waters Of Minnetonka
1955 — Coral 61396
Lover-Lover (Why Must We Part?)
Teen-Time
1953 - Capitol EAP 1-538
Anybody Hurt?
Oh, Honey
Hey, Bellboy!
By The Waters Of Minnetonka
1955 — Coral 61457
Hey Mister! (Where Is My Baby Tonight?)
I Keep Telling Myself
1955 — Decca 29756
Jimmy Wakely with Gloria Wood
Are You Satisfied?
Mississippi Dreamboat
1956 — Diamond 3001 :
Gloria Wood, Ivan Scott and his orchestra with the Four Jewels:
The Rock And Roll
Honey Bee
1956 — Diamond 3005
Gloria Wood, Ivan Scott and his orchestra with the Four Jewels:
Close The Door Gently
Wear a Smile
1957 — Verve 10070
Ricky Nelson
You're My One and Only Love (Gloria Wood, girl voice uncredited)
1957 — Zephyr 70-009
Sabourin
Scoundrel Blues
1957 — Zephyr 70-010
Lullaby in Blue
Someday Soon (from film "Bundle of Joy")
1958 — Columbia 41070
Mr. Sorrow
Back Door
1958 — Columbia 41156
I Won't Be A Fool Agai
Heartless Kisses
1959 — Columbia CL1286 LP Wood By The Fire
Painting The Town With The Blues
It's Monday Every Day
A Stranger in Town
It's The Talk of The Town
But Not For Me
In a Sentimental Mood
Penny Dream Blues
Mean To Me
I Got It Bad
I Don't Want To Cry Anymore
The Wrong Blues
Goodbye
1960 — Vista 361 :
Gloria Wood and the Afterbeats :
Ching Ching /
Doo Dee Doo Doop
1962 — Warner 1371 (LP)
Pete Rugolo And His Orchestra* – Behind Brigitte Bardot - Cool Sounds From Her Hot Scenes
Paris B.B. (Vocals Gloria Wood)
the only title sung by her on this LP
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