Frank Sinatra: “Love and Marriage”

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Who knew?!

Okay, obviously at some point, quite a few people knew that Frank Sinatra’s 1955 hit song, “Love and Marriage” (commonly recognized as the theme song for “Married… with Children”) was originally composed for and featured in a 1955 television musical production of the Thornton Wilder play, “Our Town.” The episode of “Producers Showcase” starred Frank Sinatra as the Stage Manager, as well as Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint. I myself had no idea until I happened upon this vintage sheet music at a library sale.

This 2016 NPR piece revisits a few choice moments from the television production and includes snippets of Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint singing, as well as a sound clip of Sinatra performing “Love and Marriage” for the first time.

Frank Sinatra as the Stage Manager in the 1955 television musical production of Thornton Wilder’s play, “Our Town,” as featured on Producers Showcase.
This page inside the sheet music for “Love and Marriage” advertises Barton Music editions of the other Sammy Cahn / James Van Heusen songs from “Our Town,” including “The Impatient Years,” “Look To Your Heart,” and “Wasn’t It A Wonderful Wedding?”
Here’s a video interview from the Television Academy in which Dominick Dunne recalls his encounters with Frank Sinatra on the set of the “Producers’ Showcase” musical production of “Our Town.” Dunne apparently worked as a stage manager for the show. You can find many more of Dominick Dunne’s recollections at the Television Academy Foundation website.
Where to find it:
"Love and Marriage" 
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn, music by James Van Heusen

VINTAGE SHEET MUSIC: on Amazon, on eBay, on AbeBooks
Publisher: Barton Music Corp (1955)
Status (2019): Out of Print

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: sheet music for "Love and Marriage" 
(later the theme song for "Married... with Children") 
available for digital download on musicnotes.com

Published by somanysongbooks

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