1954 Boston Pops - Look Sharp Be Sharp

Few people who tuned in to radio or TV during the early-to-mid 1950's were unfamiliar with Gillette's two catchy commercial jingles: "Look Sharp, Be Sharp" and "How Are Ya Fixed For Blades?" Fiedler's march-tempo offering combined the two and reached the national (Cash Box) Top 30 during summertime '54.

45rpm: RCA Victor promo 49-4219 - Look Sharp-Be Sharp (Merrick) by the Boston Pops Orchestra, conducted by Arthur Fiedler, arranged by Robert Russell Bennett.

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Music

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[Sonic62]

Let's keep it clean! Now come out boxing!

[fromthesidelines]

CHORUS: "How are you fixed for blades?"

SHARPIE THE PARROT: "Do you have plenty?"

"How are you fixed for blades?"

SHARPIE: "You'd better check!"

"Please make sure you have enough, 'cause a worn-out blade makes shaving mighty tough! How are you fixed for blades?"

SHARPIE: "You'd better look!"

"Gillette Blue Blades, we mean!"

[WSenator1]

My father used to watch the fights on early TV, and I always would hear this song playing. Now I watch the Friday Night Fights on ESPN, and I hear this song in my mind (and think of my father) while I see 'em pounding away.

[WSenator1]

The Three Stooges used the "How Ya Fixed for Blades?" line for a haunted-house gag - a skull dropped on a parrott (the cartoon mascot for Gillette) and he freaked them out by walking through the house saying "HYFFB?"

[fromthesidelines]

Finally, Mahlon uses it as "mood music" to open the evening's movie parody of "Garden of Evil" {"Mahlon....Mahlon....MAHLON!!­", Jack groans, "We're going to Mexico, not Madison Square Garden!!"}.

[fromthesidelines]

In fact, Jack allowed Mahlon Merrick to use "Look Sharp, Be Sharp" as a running gag on his October 3, 1954 radio show; it's first heard as Jack is preparing to shave {"He never lets ANYONE shave without it!", Jack says to the audience}, then Mahlon proposes it for The Sportsmen's Quartet's middle commercial for Lucky Strike {"Look, Mahlon, do you have to use that tune just because you wrote it?", Jack snaps}...

[rockgor]

"To Look Sharp" was written by Mahlon Merrick, bandleader for several

radio shows including Burns and Allen and Jack Benny. Also wrote the

school song for his alma mater.

[SEVFEST]

Love It Great Post Thank Youuuuuuuuu

[Gvieto]

Outstanding. I remember this song from the Gillette Sports show on tv.

[mitchflorida]

It looks like RCA Records was based out of Camden, NJ in those days. RCA used to have a label called Camden for its budget classical offerings..