Nat King Cole - Portrait of Jennie (Capitol Records 1948)

“Portrait of Jennie“, the title song written by Gordon Burdge & J. Russell Robinson, became subsequently a hit for Nat King Cole. It was even revisited in 1958 by pianist Red Garland on Manteca and again in 1966 by jazz trumpeter Blue Mitchell on his Bring It Home to Me. Portrait of Jennie is a 1948 fantasy film based on the novel by Robert Nathan. The film was directed by William Dieterle and produced by David O. Selznick. It stars Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten. The movie is set In 1934 where impoverished painter Eben Adams (Joseph Cotten) meets a fey little girl named Jennie Appleton (Jennifer Jones) in Central Park, New York. She is wearing old-fashioned clothing. He makes a sketch of her from memory which involves him with art dealer Miss Spinney (Ethel Barrymore), who sees potential in him. This inspires him to paint a “Portrait Of Jennie“. Eben encounters Jennie at intermittent intervals. Strangely, she appears to be growing up much more rapidly than is possible.