Henry Sylvern collection of noncommercial recordings

1941-1958

Henry Sylvern was a Russian-born composer, pianist, and bandleader best known for his work in the United States on radio programs and advertisements. Among the shows that Sylvern worked on were the Du Pont Show of the Week, the Arthur Godfrey Show, Suspense, This is Show Business, and The Man Against Crime. He wrote and performed the music for many advertisements, most notably the Pepsi Cola jingle "Be sociable.". The collection contains a wide variety of Sylvern's work in all areas. Included are selections of his advertisements for such products as Pepsi Cola, Capitol Airlines, Welch's refreshment wine, Fab detergent, and Camel cigarettes. The studio recordings consist of performances by Sylvern and his orchestra of popular songs composed by Sylvern and others. The radio programs contain samples of his work on a number of shows, including the MGM Screen test (for which he acted as musical director), Hank Sylvern Presents, This is Show Business, and Suspense.