Pat Kirkwood: The Unforgettable Pat K on 2 CDs

Glamorous, dynamic, and an international sex symbol, Pat Kirkwood was for two decades the undisputed queen of British stage and screen musicals, with a voice rivalling that of Broadway’s Ethel Merman. Cole Porter, Noël Coward and Leonard Bernstein chose her to play the leading roles in their musicals, and her performances in 15 pantomimes caused a leading critic to hail her as ‘the greatest Principal Boy of the 20th century’.

When she died on Christmas Day 2007, the world-wide media coverage focussed on two things: her fabulous legs, once described by Kenneth Tynan as ‘the eighth wonder of the world’, and her rumoured relationship with Prince Philip, a source of feverish speculation by royal biographers and gossip columnists for 60 years.

This historic double CD, released by AVID Entertainment to mark the first anniversary of her death, spans 56 years of her glittering career, from her first film at the age of 17, to her last stage appearance in 1994. It features no fewer than 29 performances that have never previously been released on CD. These include a duet with her Hollywood co-star, Van Johnson, recordings she made in the United States, which were never issued in Britain, rare soundtrack footage from her 1950s screen musicals, and five songs in live performance in 1993.

Along the way are superlative interpretations of all-time great standards by Cole Porter, Noël Coward, Rodgers and Hart, Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne, Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse.

This superb compilation not only encapsulates the magic of Pat Kirkwood, and of one of the great show business talents, but also the history of the musical in the 20th century.