DESCRIPTION:
Tadeusz Faliszewski (Jan Pobóg) z akomp. orkiestry - Opjum, Valse Mystérieuse z rewii "Dodatek nadzwyczajny" (A.Gold - A.Włast) Melodja-Electro 1933 (Polish)

NOTE: This is one of the most beautiful compositions by Artur Gold - composer and bandleader in inter-war Warsaw, brother of Henryk Gold - who was another Warsaw top bandleader - and cousin of Jerzy Petersburski, composer of the world-famous tangos "Oh Donna Clara" and "The Last Sunday". All of them were members of the multi-generational Warsaw klezmer family Melodyst. While two others survived the Holocaust during the 2nd WWar (Jerzy Petersbutrski and Henryk Gold managed to flee eastwards and survived in the Soviet Union), Artur Gold - who in the days of the German-Soviet invasion on Poland in September 1939 decided to stay in Warsaw - sentenced himself to share the fate of millions of Polish Jews, who were first concentrated in the nazi-ghettos in the oiccupied Polish cities, and after two-three years of torment in the hell-like conditions - murdered in Treblinka, Auschwitz or other German annihilation and work-camps, built by them on territory of ocuppied Poland.

"Opium" - named in the theatre program "the Valse Mystérieuse" - was presented in 1933 on stage of Morskie Oko as part of the revue "Dodatek nadzwyczajny" (An Extra Supplement). It was sung by Tola Mankiewiczówna in the number entitled "In the Opium Den". The song immediately became a great hit and was recorded two times by Tadeusz Faliszewski and also twice, by Adam Aston. However, nothing has been heard about existing recording ever made by Tola Mankiewiczówna.
In the slideshow, presented are some of the most "Mystérieuse" Polish film stars or the silver-screen couples d'amoureux of the interwar years :-))