Pola Negri's recording career (actress, not band)

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Someone has put 4 records made by the '20's Silent movie diva Pola Negri up on YouTube:

"Paradise", 1933
"Mazurka", 1935
"Old Russian Romance", 1931
"Tango Notturno", 1937

I had no idea she had a recording career. The pieces remind me a bit of Dagmar Krause on "Supply and Demand" and "Tank Battles", as well as Edith Piaf. In their weird and archaic way, I find them quite charming and also haunting in places, especially "Paradise". Does anyone know anymore about her records, & is anything available on CD anywhere?

― Pashmina, Monday, 4 June 2007 16:53 (eighteen years ago)

(I fully expect this to have disappeared off the bottom of the new answers page in about 15min, BTW)

― Pashmina, Monday, 4 June 2007 17:00 (eighteen years ago)

Aw, I was hoping to see some footage from A Woman Commands (the correct title). Very difficult to come by that one. You might be interested in this quote from Richard B. Jewell's The RKO Story:

"La Negri's 'piquant' (the studio's euphemism for thick and guttural) accent was a liability impossible to overcome. The film lost $265,000, and the star made no more pictures for the company." (47)

Don't know anything about the availability of her recordings. Didn't even know there was a band called Pola Negri.

― Kevin John Bozelka, Wednesday, 6 June 2007 02:09 (eighteen years ago)

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