Fun with Arthur Godfrey

[TRexTurtle]

3 fat chicks saw this video.

[AMTalkshow]

k so i told my grandpa about youtube... and he bet me 5 bucks that i couldn't find this song he heard on the raido when he was a kid and yayayayay thank you for posting this!!!

[Grinnar]

@AMTalkshow Easy five bucks. :D

[pokamonmaster1997]

i need a mp3 of this

[WintersWar]

love the photos of godfrey, really captures the times. My parents time.

[terranbinks]

Thanks ha63,,I appreciate the info. I did do a little research on Haleloke and she stayed in the states with a couple who were her friends, living with them...She was a jewel,,too bad Arthur didn't recognize it...

[memonk11]

Hey!, my old music teacher's playing trombone on this; Sy Shaffer. I finally got to hear it.

[wauquelin]

He looked like some old moose lipped coot. Only geriatrics listen to this shit.

[pgh45rpms]

On this hit recording, Arthur Godfrey is accompanied by his radio music director, Archie Bleyer. The vocal ensemble is the Mariners.

[romeman01]

I listened to this many times in my youth. My Mom had the original 78 rpm recording. On the other side was a very pleasingly rendered "For Me and My Gal". I do not recall ever seeing it online, though; only the Too Fat Polka. Godfrey also did a fine Christmas album with the little Godfreys, when Julius LaRosa was still with him (he performed "O Holy Night"). That was my grandfather's until I "borrowed" it. :-)

[artsevere]

Arthur Godfrey may be most well known today for his on-air firing of singer Julius LaRosa in October 1953 (because LaRosa had hired an agent). There's a YouTube video of that incident. It really hurt his image, some say he never fully recovered from it.

[terranbinks]

Does anyone recall a Hawain girl,Haleloke? who was on the air with Arthur?What became of her?

[ha63]

I remember Haleloke and there is a video of her with Arthur Godfrey singing the Hawaiian Christmas song on Youtube. Julius Larosa was only one of many people who were eventually fired by Arthur Godfrey. Haleloke was fired along with the Mariners, Archie Bleyer, Marion Malow and maybe others all in one day.

[poopminion94]

haha my gramdpa told me about this song

[poopminion94]

lmfao

[143AC]

This song was a big hit in the 1940's.

But? Mr.Godfrey hated doing this tune and..I wouldn't

blame him. This is the most A-nine tune ever recorded!

[SteveCarras]

At least Hoagy Carmichael had a hit with a mujch =more bening song about fat girls, "Hugging and Chalking":, the same year 1947.

[pkneeno]

Great montage... thanks for the post.

[davesharon5747]

I can't figure out why he was so darn popular. He appears to me as a drunken oaf with too much power.

[HenryLanning]

This was the first song played at a recent wedding reception I attended. I'm happy some people are cool with good stuff.

[brainybipolar]

If I would lose some, men would like me more some! LOL

[bnetwise]

I really learned a lot, thank you. Iused to see a young Johnny Nash on the Godfrey show.

[fromthesidelines]

My pleasure, 'Totoro'. Oh, yes, Godfrey also had a long-term contract with Columbia records {which also happened to be owned by CBS}, and he had several successful records and albums of all speeds. And most of his supporting cast also signed with Columbia (due to his influence and business deals).

[CrazyTotoro]

WOW! thanks for posting this information, this is very interesting and this song is pretty funny too!

[fromthesidelines]

Actually, the name of the song was "Too Fat Polka". For those who never heard of "The Ol' Redhead", Godfrey was a broadcasting dynamo, appearing on CBS radio AND television every weekday for over a decade, as well as two prime-time shows on CBS-TV. He had a LOT of eager sponsors, and never endorsed a product unless he thought it was worth advertising. Ten percent of CBS' total ad revenue came from his shows between 1948 and 1958.