Starter of this subject: Nancy
Last post in this subject: 9/30/2001
Messages in this subject: 6
| Nancy | 9/30/2001 6 replies |
| Who was the announcer and what was the intro for the horserace that ended with "...and Beetlebaum"? |
| Jack French | 10/1/2001 5 replies |
| This closing line is not from Fred Allen. It appears as the tag line to a 1950s Spike Jones 3 minute novelty record, which is a parody of a horse race. Spike usually used members of his band in these numbers, but I don't remember which one uttered this last line. |
| Geoff Loker | 10/1/2001 4 replies |
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The piece of music that Spike Jones and his band started playing was the William Tell Overture. As fans of the Lone Ranger will attest, there is something about the music that suggests a horse, so Spike Jones turned it into a mock horse race ("...and it's Girdle in the stretch... and there's Mother-In-Law nagging in the rear...") with the ultimate winner being Beetlebaum. The announcer for the race was the inimitable Doodles Weaver.
BTW, Spike Jones and Doodles Weaver did a sequel, of sorts, to this, using the music for "Dance of the Hours", and putting together an automobile race instead of a horse race. The winner of that race was, of course, Beetlebaum, who wasn't even in the running... |
| Michael J. Hayde | 10/1/2001 3 replies |
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It was years before I listened closely enough to realize the name was "Feetlebaum," not "Beetlebaum." Winstead "Doodles" Weaver (brother of Sylvester "Pat", uncle of Sigourney) was also billed as Professor Feetlebaum on Spike's show.
Michael |
| Michael Nella | 10/2/2001 1 replies |
| Many of the Spike Jones shows I've heard with Doodles Weaver fracturing up the song ( Tree in the Meadow is one of my faves ), during the song there is some word which would send him off onto a small horse race skit. Horse, win, place, show, track, race would mention and then you'd here... AND THEY'RE OFF its dancing man making his move, cigarette coming out of the pack, apartment house w/ plenty of room and so on |
| Lamont Cranston | 10/21/2001 0 replies |
| Psst hey bud, don't buy that gum. Chiclets get boxed in. Bubble gum loses in the stretch..... |
| Don Stoffel | 10/3/2001 0 replies |
| It is also part of the Doodles legend that he was summarily dismissed from Stanford U. due to irreverant shenannigans. Saw him a number of times "in person" and he always gave the impression of one who was about 1/2 pint low, although I am sure it was a part of his schtick, and that he was as sharp as |