Orange Colored Sky

Orange Colored Sky was written and published in 1950 by Milton DeLugg and Willie Stein, who is best known as a producer of TV game shows such as To Tell The Truth. 
Since then it has been recorded hundreds of times and remains popular today, but this post is going to look at that first year of 1950 only.
The song first achieved popularity on the first network late night variety show Broadway Open House which aired on NBC between May 29, 1950 and August 21, 1951. The show was hosted by Morey Amsterdam (of the Dick Van Dyke Show fame) two nights a week and Jerry Lester three nights a week. Milton DeLugg was the musical director and he often played Orange Colored Sky with Jerry Lester singing. While many songs first gained fame on the stage or in films, Orange Colored Sky may have been the first to do so from televison. Below is Lester's recording of the song, however it wasn't made until later in 1950 and was not the first recording. 

 

I believe I once read that Milton DeLugg had intended the song for Betty Hutton, but it appears that the first recording was done on July 11, 1950 with DeLugg conducting and the vocal done by Janet Brace.

 Next up came the big hit version by Nat King Cole with Stan Kenton's Orchestra recorded on August 16, 1950.

 

Two days later, actress Betty Hutton went into the studio and did her version. This wasn't the big hit, but to me it is the definitive version of the song. I recall once reading something like Betty "brought a brassy vitality to Hollywood musicals" and she certainly did with this recording, overpowering the microphone in a few spots. I suppose some may think her performance is a bit over the top, but it certainly gets your attention. 

 

Three days after Betty made her recording, Doris Day went into the studio and cut it. Her recording makes me appreciate Betty's all the more.

 

Finally, on Sept. 28, 1950, Patty Andrews (of the Andrews Sisters) and Danny Kaye made their recording and in November Jerry Lester's (the man who first sang it on TV) recording hit the charts.

 

...and the song has been performed and recorded hundreds of times since. One of the more popular later recordings was done in 1991 by Nat King Cole's daughter, Natalie.