A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody
Later versions and recordings
Later versions and recordings
-----------------------------

"An Experiment in Modern Music", the 1924 concert where [George Gershwin](/wiki/George_Gershwin "George Gershwin")'s *[Rhapsody in Blue](/wiki/Rhapsody_in_Blue "Rhapsody in Blue")* premiered, also featured a "Semi\-Symphonic Arrangement of Popular Melodies", combining three Berlin tunes: "[Alexander's Ragtime Band](/wiki/Alexander%27s_Ragtime_Band "Alexander's Ragtime Band")", "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody" and "[Orange Blossoms in CA](/wiki/Orange_Blossoms_in_CA "Orange Blossoms in CA")".

The song was used frequently in the annual [Miss America](/wiki/Miss_America "Miss America") pageant prior to 1955, when "[There She Is, Miss America](/wiki/There_She_Is%2C_Miss_America "There She Is, Miss America")" by Bernie Wayne became its new theme song. In 1963, Tom Prideaux wrote in [*Life* magazine](/wiki/Life_%28magazine%29 "Life (magazine)") that the song "has been played ever since \[1919] for God knows how many beauty contests, debutante [cotillions](/wiki/Cotillion "Cotillion") and strip\-tease acts." It was also often used in catwalk fashion shows.

[Fred Astaire](/wiki/Fred_Astaire "Fred Astaire") danced to the song in the film [*Blue Skies*](/wiki/Blue_Skies_%281946_film%29 "Blue Skies (1946 film)") in 1946\. It was the theme song to the 1950s television game show *[The Big Payoff](/wiki/The_Big_Payoff "The Big Payoff")* and "The Dream Girl of 1967" (19 December 1966 – 28 April 1967\) on ABC\-TV Daytime USA, and it was performed and remade for instrumental by [Percy Faith](/wiki/Percy_Faith "Percy Faith") before being replaced by [Chuck Barris'](/wiki/Chuck_Barris "Chuck Barris") New Theme of the show "(The) Hunk O'Love" to the end of the series.

Among the singers who have recorded the song are [Pat Boone](/wiki/Pat_Boone "Pat Boone"), [Bobby Vinton](/wiki/Bobby_Vinton "Bobby Vinton"), [Bing Crosby](/wiki/Bing_Crosby "Bing Crosby"), [Vic Damone](/wiki/Vic_Damone "Vic Damone"), [Ethel Merman](/wiki/Ethel_Merman "Ethel Merman"), [Rudy Vallée](/wiki/Rudy_Vall%C3%A9e "Rudy Vallée"), [Bobby Gordon](/wiki/Bobby_Gordon "Bobby Gordon"), [Frank Sinatra](/wiki/Frank_Sinatra "Frank Sinatra") and [Judy Garland](/wiki/Judy_Garland "Judy Garland"). Jazz versions have been recorded by musicians including [Paul Whiteman](/wiki/Paul_Whiteman "Paul Whiteman"), [Louis Armstrong](/wiki/Louis_Armstrong "Louis Armstrong"), [Toots Thielemans](/wiki/Toots_Thielemans "Toots Thielemans"), [Eddie Heywood](/wiki/Eddie_Heywood "Eddie Heywood"), [Artie Shaw](/wiki/Artie_Shaw "Artie Shaw"), [George Shearing](/wiki/George_Shearing "George Shearing"), [Django Reinhardt](/wiki/Django_Reinhardt "Django Reinhardt"), [Mose Allison](/wiki/Mose_Allison "Mose Allison"), [Earl Hines](/wiki/Earl_Hines "Earl Hines"), [Coleman Hawkins](/wiki/Coleman_Hawkins "Coleman Hawkins") and [Don Byas](/wiki/Don_Byas "Don Byas"). A clarinet version performed by [Woody Allen](/wiki/Woody_Allen "Woody Allen") with the [Preservation Hall Jazz Band](/wiki/Preservation_Hall_Jazz_Band "Preservation Hall Jazz Band") is on the soundtrack of his 2000 movie *[Small Time Crooks](/wiki/Small_Time_Crooks "Small Time Crooks")*.


What TV game show used Alexander's Ragtime Band as its theme song?