But isn't that "happy" the kind with the laughing clown face and the sad clown innards? Oh Broadway! And dancing too!! I can't say that I ever imagined the Doc in Diagnosis Murder singing and dancing through the wards (and morgues). Okay, the sentiment is laudable. Maybe if it had been orchestrated by, say, Richard Strauss, a bit weltschmerzical, but in a happy sort of way.
Well, the lyricist invites this comparison with his line, "wipe off that dreary mask of tragedy," for sure. But what I was thinking about was how the lyric and the melody both harken back to what I think of as "determined optimism" of the depression era. I grew up with adults around me who live in those days, and life was HARD -- particularly for my mother. Dick Van Dyke was my father's age, and he surely chose comedy -- and hey! I worked for him! As an aside, I am definitely not constitutionally an optimist, but more of a realist who is more than happy to experience happiness. So I will happily take a dose of this song, even if it only temporarily "masks" my own weltschmerz! (I'm trying to imagine "Annie" in the hands fo Richard Strauss!)
Thanks for that link, Steve! Dick Van Dyke was always great. Ed loved getting Broadway on his stage for his wide audience. We still watch it in whole episodes sometimes.
Thank you for the post, Debra. During the dance sequence, it seems for just a moment Van Dyke does an impersonation of Frank Fontaine's "Crazy Guggenheim" character. I recall a column written by your husband - though I am not sure of the publication - in which Fontaine was featured.
Oh yes! Van Dyke was a great fan -- and I believe "student" of -- the great comics. He makes a lot of the inspiration he drew from Stan Laurel, for one, and he was a terrific comic himself, and used lots of slapstick, too. Tony loved Crazy Guggenheim and all of Jackie Gleason's comic characters, too. He's probably written about that more than once, and I'm sure it's come up here, too.
But isn't that "happy" the kind with the laughing clown face and the sad clown innards? Oh Broadway! And dancing too!! I can't say that I ever imagined the Doc in Diagnosis Murder singing and dancing through the wards (and morgues). Okay, the sentiment is laudable. Maybe if it had been orchestrated by, say, Richard Strauss, a bit weltschmerzical, but in a happy sort of way.
Well, the lyricist invites this comparison with his line, "wipe off that dreary mask of tragedy," for sure. But what I was thinking about was how the lyric and the melody both harken back to what I think of as "determined optimism" of the depression era. I grew up with adults around me who live in those days, and life was HARD -- particularly for my mother. Dick Van Dyke was my father's age, and he surely chose comedy -- and hey! I worked for him! As an aside, I am definitely not constitutionally an optimist, but more of a realist who is more than happy to experience happiness. So I will happily take a dose of this song, even if it only temporarily "masks" my own weltschmerz! (I'm trying to imagine "Annie" in the hands fo Richard Strauss!)
I remember comedian Chuck McCann using it in the 1960s as an opening theme song for his children's TV program on the local New York station WPIX.
Here's a clip of the Ed Sullivan Show where we get to enjoy Van Dyke's facial expressions and dancing skills:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO801oH92mg&list=RDaO801oH92mg&start_radio=1
That was great! Dick was multi-talented for sure!
Thanks for that link, Steve! Dick Van Dyke was always great. Ed loved getting Broadway on his stage for his wide audience. We still watch it in whole episodes sometimes.
Thank you for the post, Debra. During the dance sequence, it seems for just a moment Van Dyke does an impersonation of Frank Fontaine's "Crazy Guggenheim" character. I recall a column written by your husband - though I am not sure of the publication - in which Fontaine was featured.
Oh yes! Van Dyke was a great fan -- and I believe "student" of -- the great comics. He makes a lot of the inspiration he drew from Stan Laurel, for one, and he was a terrific comic himself, and used lots of slapstick, too. Tony loved Crazy Guggenheim and all of Jackie Gleason's comic characters, too. He's probably written about that more than once, and I'm sure it's come up here, too.
We are suckers for a good laugh at our house!
You put a smile on my face with this one, thank you!
Glad to oblige, Adrian! Good medicine, right?