I remember the great audience response to the knock knock joke; it was downright famous. Wasn’t this about the same time that Anna Maria Alberghetti was doing TV ads for salad dressing? This reminds me of that other infamous Knock Knock joke about another song (Knock, Knock! Who’s there? Sam and Janet. Sam and Janet who?….). So terrible and yet I always laugh.
Thanks for all your great columns and unearthing all of these interesting videos. I love Youtube for this. I also enjoy your articles on film. If you haven't covered them before, I recommend two French films: "My Father's Glory" and "My Mother's Castle." They both make me cry every time I watch them and deserve a wider audience.
Evidently I picked up "The Strutters' Ball" somewhere "in the air" growing up. So I recalled that MTM joke from the original airing. Speaking of family stories, I did read one when I was listening to versions of the song. A commenter said that when her 94-year-old mother was dying, their priest visited her and sang her "Ave Maria." After that, he asked the family if they knew their mother' favorite song. And the whole assembly spontaneously sang "The Strutters' Ball." It sounds frivolous, but evidently they all knew the song because she had sung it all the time. It's such a cheerful song!
HA HA HA that knock-knock joke scene is hilarious!
I love that song--it's in one of my favorite movies, "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle," where just a bit of it is sung by a bandleader in France. Last year I saw it performed at a concert where the singer, a last-minute replacement forgot the words and just sung part of them over and over. But the band sounded fantastic!
Gail, I love "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" and haven't seen it in a long time. (Tony isn't the greatest fan of musicals, though I have brought him around a little over the years.) Oh dear on forgetting the words! But the tune is great even as an instrumental.
Monica, I sometimes find things on the Internet Archive, but boy! Youtube makes this column possible, and ditto The Hymn of the Week. Talking about songs is one thing, but hearing them is IT. I remember all of these songs. I've always remembered songs. When Tony and I met, I amazed him .. and I used to bemoan having been born too late to be a contestant on the old TV show "Name that Tune." I still play the game to amaze Tony by naming tunes we happen to hear in films or on old TV shows after hearing only two notes! I'm just a nut, I guess!
Well, yes! This was a great tune for energetic dancers, for sure. My parents were pretty good "hoofers," but theirs wasn't the Charleston. It was the Jitter Bug!
Oh Debra! Another good one! I copied the refrain into a text for my mom, Mo age 89. She reads the words for my my dad, Sam age 90. Within seconds he not only names that tune but will be singing it all day. Reclaiming JOY, along with truth, beauty and goodness. Thank you for blessing us all!
Oh good for your dad! Thanks for sharing Sometimes a Song with your folks. I'm so glad that they enjoy it. I try to provide happy earworms with these songs. If you read my comment to Monica (above) you'll see that I've played "name that tune" for years. I'll be your dad would have been a winner on the old TV show.
I remember the great audience response to the knock knock joke; it was downright famous. Wasn’t this about the same time that Anna Maria Alberghetti was doing TV ads for salad dressing? This reminds me of that other infamous Knock Knock joke about another song (Knock, Knock! Who’s there? Sam and Janet. Sam and Janet who?….). So terrible and yet I always laugh.
I remember them: Sam and Janet Evening!! Hahahaha!
See? Even your answer made me laugh, haha!
Thanks for all your great columns and unearthing all of these interesting videos. I love Youtube for this. I also enjoy your articles on film. If you haven't covered them before, I recommend two French films: "My Father's Glory" and "My Mother's Castle." They both make me cry every time I watch them and deserve a wider audience.
Harry, thank you for those film recommendations. We haven't seen either!
My siblings and I know that song from Ted Baxter’s knock knock joke—it (the joke) became a family favorite. Glad to know “the rest of the story.”
Evidently I picked up "The Strutters' Ball" somewhere "in the air" growing up. So I recalled that MTM joke from the original airing. Speaking of family stories, I did read one when I was listening to versions of the song. A commenter said that when her 94-year-old mother was dying, their priest visited her and sang her "Ave Maria." After that, he asked the family if they knew their mother' favorite song. And the whole assembly spontaneously sang "The Strutters' Ball." It sounds frivolous, but evidently they all knew the song because she had sung it all the time. It's such a cheerful song!
HA HA HA that knock-knock joke scene is hilarious!
I love that song--it's in one of my favorite movies, "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle," where just a bit of it is sung by a bandleader in France. Last year I saw it performed at a concert where the singer, a last-minute replacement forgot the words and just sung part of them over and over. But the band sounded fantastic!
Gail, I love "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" and haven't seen it in a long time. (Tony isn't the greatest fan of musicals, though I have brought him around a little over the years.) Oh dear on forgetting the words! But the tune is great even as an instrumental.
Wow, Debra! You are amazing. Great pick, wonderful dig into the YouTube archive.
Monica, I sometimes find things on the Internet Archive, but boy! Youtube makes this column possible, and ditto The Hymn of the Week. Talking about songs is one thing, but hearing them is IT. I remember all of these songs. I've always remembered songs. When Tony and I met, I amazed him .. and I used to bemoan having been born too late to be a contestant on the old TV show "Name that Tune." I still play the game to amaze Tony by naming tunes we happen to hear in films or on old TV shows after hearing only two notes! I'm just a nut, I guess!
I see flappers!
Well, yes! This was a great tune for energetic dancers, for sure. My parents were pretty good "hoofers," but theirs wasn't the Charleston. It was the Jitter Bug!
Oh Debra! Another good one! I copied the refrain into a text for my mom, Mo age 89. She reads the words for my my dad, Sam age 90. Within seconds he not only names that tune but will be singing it all day. Reclaiming JOY, along with truth, beauty and goodness. Thank you for blessing us all!
Oh good for your dad! Thanks for sharing Sometimes a Song with your folks. I'm so glad that they enjoy it. I try to provide happy earworms with these songs. If you read my comment to Monica (above) you'll see that I've played "name that tune" for years. I'll be your dad would have been a winner on the old TV show.