"You Oughta Be in Pictures" is a 1934 song composed by the American songwriting team

Dana Suesse Nadine Dana Suesse (; December 3, 1911 – October 16, 1987) was an American musician, composer and lyricist. Biography Dana Suesse was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1909. When she grew too tall for ballet, she began piano lessons with Gertru ...

and

Edward Heyman Edward Heyman (March 14, 1907October 16, 1981) was an American lyricist and producer, best known for his lyrics to " Body and Soul," "When I Fall in Love," and " For Sentimental Reasons." He also contributed to a number of songs for films. Biog ...

. It was recorded two weeks later by

Rudy Vallée Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, musician, actor, and radio host. He was one of the first modern pop stars of the teen idol type. Early life Hubert Prior Vall ...

for

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

and rapidly became the unofficial anthem of the American film industry. The song has been covered by numerous other singers, and is often used on the soundtrack of later productions set during the 1930s. Original sheet music shows the title, "You Oughta Be in Pictures (My Star of Stars)" using the colloquial, " oughta" rather than the standard "ought to." The cover of the sheet music also notes, "Introduced in the William Rowland production "New York Town" released by Columbia Pictures, Inc." The singer compliments the female object of the song in multiple ways, eventually making a comparison to

movie star A movie star (also known as a film star or cinema star) is an actor or actress who is famous for their starring, or leading, roles in movies. The term is used for performers who are marketable stars as they become popular household names and wh ...

s who had been popular at the time, including "Crawford" (

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was si ...

), "Davies" (

Marion Davies Marion Davies (born Marion Cecilia Douras; January 3, 1897 – September 22, 1961) was an American actress, producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. Educated in a religious convent, Davies fled the school to pursue a career as a chorus girl ...

), "Gaynor" ( Janet Gaynor), "West" (

Mae West Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...

), "Garbo" (

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...

), and "Tashman" (

Lilyan Tashman Lilyan Tashman (October 23, 1896 – March 21, 1934) was an American actress. Tashman was best known for her supporting roles as tongue-in-cheek villainesses or playing the vindictive "other woman". She made 66 films over the course of her ...

). "

You Ought To Be in Pictures ''You Ought to Be in Pictures'' is a 1940 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' short film directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on May 18, 1940, and stars Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. The film combined live-action and animation, and featu ...

ic" a 1940 animated film, opens with the song, "You Oughta Be in Pictures."

Other versions

* Boswell Sisters - recorded March 23, 1934 for Brunswick Records (catalog 6798). *

Al Bowlly Albert Allick Bowlly (7 January 1898 – 17 April 1941) was a Mozambican-born South African– British vocalist and jazz guitarist, who was popular during the 1930s in Britain. He recorded more than 1,000 songs. His most popular songs includ ...

(1934) ( Al Bowlly Discography) *

Little Jack Little Jack Little (born John Leonard; May 30, 1899 – April 9, 1956), (Another source gives his birth date as May 28, 1902.)DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McF ...

- recorded February 8, 1934 for Columbia Records (catalog No. 2895D). *

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

- for her album ''

Connie & Clyde – Hit Songs of the 30s ''Connie & Clyde – Hit Songs of the 30s'' is a studio album recorded by U. S. Entertainer Connie Francis. Allegedly inspired by the success of Arthur Penn's 1967 motion picture '' Bonnie & Clyde'', Connie Francis decided in March 1968 to re ...

'' (1968) * Doris Day

Popular References

"You Oughta Be in Pictures" was used in the film, "

Inside Daisy Clover ''Inside Daisy Clover'' is a 1965 American drama film based on Gavin Lambert's 1963 novel of the same name, directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Natalie Wood. It follows a tomboy becoming a Hollywood actress and singer. Plot In 1936 Santa Mon ...

." The cover of "You Oughta Be in Pictures" by

The Boswell Sisters The Boswell Sisters were an American close harmony singing trio of the jazz and swing eras, consisting of three sisters: Martha Boswell (June 9, 1905 – July 2, 1958), Connie Boswell (later spelled "Connee", December 3, 1907 – October 11, ...

was featured in

Halloween Horror Nights ''Universal's Halloween Horror Nights'' (originally ''Universal Studios Fright Nights'' in 1991) is an annual Halloween-themed event at Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando, Hollywood, Japan and Singapore. The event was originally named '' ...

13.

References

Bibliography

* Dana Suesse & Peter Mintun. ''Jazz Nocturne and Other Piano Music with Selected Songs''. Courier Corporation, 2012. American songs 1934 songs Songs with lyrics by Edward Heyman RCA Records singles {{1930s-song-stub