Some of Manie's Friends (NBCTV)—Air date March 3, 1959.
Composer Richard Rodgers borrowed from himself for the melody for this lovely ballad from the show 'Me and Juliet'. The melody was originally a theme called Beneath the Southern Cross, which Rodgers had composed for 'Victory at Sea', the TV series about World War II. Perry's vocal version climaxes in a full-voiced high note ending that is superb singing and makes for dramatic listening. Como's tine control and the ease with which he soars to the top of his register, as critic Henry Pleasants noted, 'so easy, so natural, so inevitable. Como sings so well that few notice how well he sings.
The original music of this song was the haunting theme "Beneath the Southern Cross" written for the television series "Victory at Sea" telecast by NBC-TV for twenty-six weeks during 1952-1953. Lyrics were added by Oscar Hammerstein and as a song it was introduced by Isabel Bigley and Richard Hayes in the Stage musical "Me and Juliet" and recorded by Perry in May of 1953. The song appears to one of Perry's favourites and he performed it many times 'live' in public performance and on television but he never again recorded it.
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