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Polish Version of Baby, Oh Where Can You Be? - Jesień (Autumn) by Maria Modzelewska, 1930

1,725 views · Published 27 September 2010 · 2:51 · Indexed 14 November 2026

Channel: 240252 · 2010 · Music

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Maria Modzelewska & Orkiestra "Parlophon" dir. by Iwo Wesby -- Jesień (Autumn) (Polish version of: Baby, Oh Where Can You Be), Parlophon 1930 (Poland)

NOTE:  In Warsaw in the beginning of Autumn season of 1930, cabaret Qui Pro Quo -- with a refined sense of humour typical for its authors - gave for their opening revue a title "Zjazd Centro-śmiechu" (Congress of Centro-Laugh Party) - ironically twisting the name of Congress of Centro-Left Party (Zjazd Centro-Lewu) which was held in the same time. One of this revue's best numbers was a ballet scene "Autumn" inspired by Rudy Vallee's great hit  "Baby Oh Where Can You Be" and performed by dancer Leo Fuks with Tacjan-Girls chorus line. Maria Modzelewska -- who was one of the brightest stars of Warsaw theatres - recorded it with a beautiful, melancholic lyrics written by Marian Hemar - a Qui Pro Quo author and also one of the finest Polish poets of the era. 

Maria MODZELEWSKA (b. 1901 in Sosnowiec, Poland -- d. 1997, Warsaw) -- Polish theatre and cabaret actress, singer. In age of 19 she debuted in Cracow in a vadeuville theatre Bagatela, to continue in more serious repertoire in Teatr Słowackiego. Seen on stage by the famous theatre director Arnold Szyfman, she was engaged to Teatr Polski in Warsaw, where in 1924 she started her great career. Until the outbreak of WW2 she continuously acted in the serious drama as well as in music comedies, vadeuville, even revues in cabarets Qui Pro Quo and Banda. She did not reject offers from the silent movie and later --sound cinema producers: her roles in motion picture hits "Przedwiośnie" (Early Spring, 1928), "Serce na ulicy' (Heart On A Pavement, 1931) or "Śluby ułańskie" (The Uhlans' Vows) earned her enormous popularity. Her small yet very expressive voice opened her way to numerous recordings for Columbia, Odeon, Syrena-Electro or Parlophon, where she recorded mostly the international hits with beautiful Polish lyrics adapted to her genre by her husband Marian Hemar (Polish versions of an American waltz "Pennsylvania" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku08EbF-rLc  as well as  Italian tango "Creola" [Wspomnij mnie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgXSJOgpOSM ] or another American hit "Happy Days Are Here Again" [Chciałabym a boję się http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEPKBT22RqY  ).

Her life so very successful on stage, did not give her taste of happiness in private. Her marriage with Hemar was a disaster. After a period of  "mariage simulé" they lived  two almost separate lives. However in  September 1939, in first days of WW2 they left Warsaw together on Hemar's car and taking with them from  the road actress Lena Żelichowska, they went to Romania,  where their avenues split forever. He went on to Turkey, Palestine and via Egypt, where he joined the Polish Emigree Amy he followed the quest of a Polish soldier struggling on Western fronts with the Germans, while she travelled to New York and started nullity suit of their matrimonium. She also continued career as an important member  of Polish Emigree Actors Trouppe travelling together with Jadwiga Smosarska, Zofia Nakoneczna and others from coast to coast with numerous performances for small Polish audiences. Through 1950s and 1960s she continued  activity as an actress as well as activist for the sake of disabled emigree Polish actors. In 1989, after fall of communism she returned to Poland, where she lived and died in the Actors House in Skolimów near Warsaw.  

In years 1927-30 the bandleader Iwo Wesby cionducted the orchestra of Qui Pro Quo in Warsaw. To read his unusual life-story  go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFNUDjvbAMM

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