September of Soundtracks: "I Was Runner Up" OR The Monkees Meet Quincy Jones

Back when I was in high school, I was drafted into the Drama Club by my chorus teacher for a part in a play called "Cactus Flower". The part was "Igor Sullivan" who happens to be the neighbor of a girl who attempts suicide because she is in love with a dentist who is married. The plot thickens!!! Anyway, after all of this suicide stuff, the show turns out to be a comedy. The scene that I always remember the most was when Toni (the girl who tried to kill herself) has her dentist lover over and Igor comes over to borrow some soap dressed only in a towel. Now, back in high school, I weighed 120 pounds soaking wet. If I took a deep breath you could count my ribs. I was not a very filled out male. So, you have this semi-emaciated teenager walking into a scene wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. It gets better. Since it was high school and there was no budget for costumes and such, we had to supply our own. The towel I was wearing came from our family's linen closet. It was a beach towel that said "Big Daddy". Being the ham that I am, I naturally put the "Big Daddy" directly over my crotch. When I came into the room, the Dentist looked at me and said "Mr America, I presume?!" to which Igor replies, "I was runner up." At this point, I proceeded to flex my non-existent muscles and went one step further by kissing my non-existent "guns". It got the biggest laugh of the show and for the next few weeks, the lunch ladies all referred to me as "Big Daddy".

Some time after that, I happened to catch the film version of the play on television. It was Goldie Hawn's first feature film (an oscar winning role I might add) and it also starred Walter Matthau as the Dentist and Ingrid Bergman as the Dentist's wife. (actually, he dentist isn't really married. He tells Toni that to avoid commitment!) One thing that I noticed about the background music in the film was that it featured instrumental versions of songs recorded by none other than the Monkees. The songs, "I'm A Believer" and "She Hangs Out" are prominently featured throughout the film. For years I have looked for the soundtrack in hopes that those would be on it. It wasn't long ago that I found this album and sure enough, there they were, alongside some original Quincy Jones songs and the Boyce and Hart hit, "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight". Interesting! Anyway, here is that soundtrack to that film that was based on the play that I made my acting debut in. Here is Cactus Flower. Enjoy!

Cactus Flower OST