Dream Lover

Dream Lover, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. For those who can’t get enough trivia from the DeMille film, here is something else that might be of interest: Most everyone who reads this blog faithfully knows that the charming waltz used in THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH for the trapeze act and also as incidental music is “Dream Lover,” written in 1929 by Victor Schertzinger for the Paramount film THE LOVE PARADE. I recently discovered that “Dream Lover” was also interpolated into the score for the 1942 Paramount comedy THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR starring Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. It is first heard during a formal dance at a military academy. Afterwards, it becomes the love theme for the two leads and is used to particularly good effect during the film’s closing moments. A big money-maker when it was first released, THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR remains a highly enjoyable film today (and has just been released on DVD.) I seriously doubt that Victor Schertzinger ever received a penny for the use of “Dream Lover” in THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR or in THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH. Eric P.S. It’s OK to post up to 4 measures of music without violating copyright laws.