"In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" is a popular song with music by Hoagy Carmichael and lyrics by

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...

. It was originally planned to feature it in a Paramount film written for Betty Hutton that never took off, which was to be called ''The Mack Sennett Girl'' (aka ''Keystone Girl''). The song was buried in Paramount's files until it was rediscovered and then used in the

1951 film The year 1951 in film involved some significant events. Top-grossing films United States The top ten 1951 released films by box office gross in the United States are as follows: International The highest-grossing 1951 films in countries outs ...

'' Here Comes the Groom'' and won the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed th ...

. The recording by

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and Jane Wyman with Matty Matlock's All Stars and the Four Hits and a Miss was recorded on June 20, 1951, and released by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

as catalog number 27678. It first reached the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Best Seller chart on September 21, 1951, and lasted six weeks on the chart, peaking at number 11.

Other recordings

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

recorded the song on April 9, 1951 for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

. * Harry James released a recording on the album ''Hollywood's Best'' (

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

B-319 and CL-6224) (1952) with

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano", ...

on vocals. * Mavis Rivers included the song on her album ''The Simple Life'' (1960) *

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American Singing, singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to hi ...

and Jo Stafford recorded the song as a duet in 1951 for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

included the song on his album ''

Sinatra Sings Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River, and Other Academy Award Winners ''Sinatra Sings Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River, and Other Academy Award Winners'' (or simply ''Academy Award Winners'') is a 1964 album by Frank Sinatra, focusing on songs that won the Academy Award for Best Song. The orchestra is arranged an ...

'' (1964). *

and Fred Astaire included the song on their album ''

A Couple of Song and Dance Men ''A Couple of Song and Dance Men'' is a 1975 vinyl album made by Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby for United Artists. It was recorded with Pete Moore and his Orchestra, and the Johnny Evans Singers in July 1975 at the Music Centre, Wembley. The son ...

'' (1975). *

Crystal Gayle Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb; January 9, 1951) is an American country music singer widely known for her 1977 hit "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Initially, Gayle's management and record label were the same as that of her oldest sist ...

included the song on her album '' Crystal Gayle Sings the Heart and Soul of Hoagy Carmichael'' (1999). *

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

included the song on her album '' Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook'' (2003).

References

1951 songs 1951 singles 1950s ballads Bing Crosby songs Songs with music by Hoagy Carmichael Songs with lyrics by Johnny Mercer Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songs Male–female vocal duets {{1950s-single-stub