 From Hollywood. It's the Dennis Day show Yes, it's the Dennis Day show produced and transcribed in Hollywood with George Wile in the orchestra and Dennis special guests Vera Allen and Johnny Mercer and now here he is the star of our show Dennis Day Ladies and gentlemen music and song player pretty important part on this show And if it weren't for the songwriters my program might sound something like this and here he is the start of our show Thank you folks and good night So that's why I thought it might be interesting for you to meet one of the men who makes any musical show possible One of America's top songwriters that pixie from Dixie. Mr. Johnny Mercer Thank You Dennis. I'm very grateful for that introduction Well, you deserve a Johnny after all you've been pounding the piano and the typewriter for over 20 years Banging out music and lyrics that have become hit after hit say Johnny Would you mind letting me have a look at those talent loaded fingers of yours? Not at all here Well, what do you know? Dr. Scholl's footpegs on your fingertips Well, without them my songs would have been awful corny Are you sure your writers made you turn over a new leaf. I know what you mean Well, John you've written such great songs as black magic dream Blues in the night and people all over the world have hummed and whistled your tunes But you know many of them don't know much about you personally So tonight we will present a capsule and also a tablet version of your life Johnny Mercer entitled Is your past you all You were born Johnny Mercer in Savannah, Georgia on your father's tobacco plantation The first time your father saw you in your crib. He looked down and exclaimed Which means I've been looking at babies for now in a 40 year and I've never seen one so round so firm so fully packed As a very young man your genius for rhyme and rhythm soon became apparent on your first day at school You looked at the blonde blue-eyed and beautiful school teacher and you said Teach your teacher. You are zoot and I dig you cuz you're cute Man, it really would be cool if you kept me after school After being expelled from school You went to work on your grandfather's farm Let's go back to those days and show how working on the farm Inspired one of your early song hits I gotta go out milk to go. Oh Do you like goat's milk? No, I hate goat's milk. Nobody in the family likes goat's milk Well, then Johnny boy. Why do you milk the goat? The goat don't like milk either And Johnny Mercer's dislike for milking goats caused him to write one of the biggest hits of his career I'm an old cow hand and so it was quite a pull Johnny Mercer before you went to New York to try your luck The first person you go to see is the famous song publisher Saul Hartburn Mr. Hartburn, I have a little song which I think has a chance of becoming a hit. Well in that case you come to the right place We publish all the hit songs of all the great composers this year we publish togikar Michaels matzadas Jimmy McHugh's I can't give you anything but latkes, baby And oiling boil ends. I'm dreaming of a white white fish All right, mr. Mosher. Let me hear your song there, Dawton. Okay. Here it is Pardon my southern accent Pardon my southern draw It may sound funny. Oh, but honey. I love you all Hey, what an accent he's got Just a minute look it's a good song, but the voice mr. Mosher When you write a song you should use as few words as possible. I'll show you what I mean sing it again, please Pardon my southern accent. Look look. We all know you got a southern accent. So take that out Pardon my southern draw If you got a southern accent, you got a southern draw too. So take that out also It may sound funny if a man from Savannah, Georgia talks to a man from the Lensis Street It's gotta sound funny So take it out. Oh About honey in this office. No, honey. Borscht. Yes Like some bagels. Yes, man. A chevrolet's gefilter fish. Yes, but honey I love you all wait a minute when a man really loves he loves one not all Now mr. Mosher sing me the song the way that I fixed it up Jeepers creepers. That's it. And jeepers creepers magic and those peepers I told you mr. Mosher. I'd help you get a hit song You're on the way Johnny Mercer and hit follows hit songs like lazy bones Here comes the British weekend of a private secretary and the angels sing come rain or come shine black magic and many many others They're proud of you back there in Savannah, Georgia Yes, Johnny Mercer in that peaceful southern city your name is being drawled on everyone's lips But success hasn't changed you you're still the same sweet unspoiled Johnny Mercer you always were Then Hollywood beckons Hollywood the land of glamour the land of romance The land of such motion pictures as Betty Gravel in three for the show and Richard Barthamus and Tollable David Hollywood now what do you think happens next Johnny Mercer? I don't know. I haven't had a line for so long I sort of lost interest You're on your way to Hollywood on the super chief and on the train comes the inspiration for still another great Mercer composition. That's right I was riding in the club car when suddenly I heard clickety-clack clickety-clack clickety-clack You mean the rhythm of the wheels on the track. No the crap came in the baggage car Well, then what did inspire this musical gem that has become famous the world over well I heard that whistle down the line. Yes. I reckoned it was engine number 49. Yes It's the only one that sounds that way on the Atchison to be here and the sound of pay Well, no this time the train happened to be the Baltimore in Ohio Beano. Oh, what great piece of music did you write about the bee and oh listen? Now as your past has relived Johnny Mercer some all surprises aren't store for you We have flown your grandpappy all the way from the deep south on you should pardon the expression North American Airlines Share with you this hour of personal triumph and here he is Borogat Ravana Robert E. Mercer Well shut my mouth first my puppies corn my pony and how many my grits But a mole grandson Johnny boy How you be grandpappy? Oh just fine Johnny boy for the last 30 years I've been thinking about you back home while I've been sitting in my old rock and chair Just a sitting in a rock and but grandpappy. You don't have a whole rock and chair. I don't Well, no wonder my poor old knees are so stiff And now Johnny why don't you go over to that sofa and join your friends who have gathered here to honor you all right I will hi a mr. Heartburn Jeepers Creepers. How are you, John? Hello, how are you grandpappy sniffers a Billy goat Johnny boy? And to bring Johnny Mercer's great story up to date here He is singing his latest composition written for MGM seven brides for seven brothers lonesome pole cat Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special treat for you now the beautiful and talented Metrogolomere dancing star miss Vera Ellen. Thank you, Dennis. Well Vera. I mean Ellen. I mean Say I'm a little confused. You have two first names. Oh, no Dennis. My name is Vera dash Ellen I don't blame anyone for making a dash after Vera Listen Dennis before we go any further. I think I should tell you something of vital importance. What is it Vera Ellen? What is it? Vera Ellen appears by arrangement with metro dash Golden dash mayor whose newest production in cinemascope color is Jupiter's darling starring Esther Williams Howard Keele and Marge and Gower champion. We're a little late folks. Good night Say isn't that the movie that has all those colored elephants in it? Yes There's a yellow elephant. Mm-hmm pink elephant a blue one a green one and a red one You know, I remember one scene where the elephants were all herded together How is it that the color of one elephant didn't rub off on the other? Oh, I thought you knew Dennis They were hazel Bishop non-smear elephants Oh Enough about Sabu's Nash Rambler. Let's talk about your dancing talents. How did you get started as a dancer? Like every other dancer, I guess I took lessons. I'll bet you had a very fine teacher Well, not at first. Let me tell you about my experience with my very first dancing teacher. Okay Miss Vera Ellen, you are in the presence of the former dancing master Yeah, but a dirt under a shower to jet a Dennis day Now what can I do for you? Well, I've come here to learn dancing Certainly put your arms around me and pay strict attention because from this I make my living All right, maestro. Hold me tighter. Oh Tighter Tighter than that even Do you call this dancing? No, but that sure is living Well, uh, maestro, let's get started with a lesson Do we wait now the old dancing master will show you a very basic and simple step Watch me closely first. I extend the right arm next. I extend the left arm Then I lift up my right leg Now I lift up my left The old dancing master hasn't been able to master that one yet But ma'am cell I'll call you as soon as I do or what? Well, you see Dennis my first experience with dancing was quite unusual Oh to say the least but you know, you've come a long way since then tell me. What are your future picture plans? Well MGM is scheduled another musical for me, of course. Oh sure There'll be plenty of dancing in it and lots of songs. Did somebody say songs? Why Johnny Mercer? What are you doing here? As long as you need some songs for your next picture Vera I thought maybe I could make a bid for the assignment. Yeah, you know Johnny and I are working together now And we're on a very unusual assignment right at this moment. Oh really? That's right Dennis and I are engaged in a musical project that will make the teenagers appreciate literature more. Oh That sounds fascinating. Well, come on. Tell me more. Well, here's the idea We think that the high school kids might get more interested in the great works of literature if somebody wrote some songs about them Sure, if pictures and plays have theme songs, why can't books Johnny sing that first one? We wrote you know the one based on that bestseller the power of positive thinking, okay? the power of positive thinking There's power and positive thought if your wife wants to make you can tell her to think and you'll think her in the thinking it was bought Say that makes a lot of sense. I think Well, do you have any others? We certainly do Dennis sing of the one about the tale of two cities, okay? A tale of two cities Their woes and their pitties is a tale that brings tears to your eyes Every time to cities of weepers with sad red rim peepers When they smudge in Azusa, they're smogging anaheim Well, you're certainly giving Charles the dickens well What other bookworm bop have you cooked up? Well, we've got a little mumbo based on the book called flying saucers here it goes Flying saucers come from Jupiter. That's the story scientists prefer but there's flying saucers every night when the couple next door start to fight Well that one ought to make everybody up on Mars go to Well, that's a very admirable project fellas But when I think of Johnny Mercer, I think of such songs as Accentuate the positive or is Oscar-winning song in the cool cool cool of the evening and the haunting one Laura And when I think of Dennis Day, I think of beautifully sung ballads Oh Mercer well, I guess that's it for tonight Don't forget to tune in next week when our guests will be mr. Jose Ferrer and mrs. Jose Ferrer Rosemary Clooney join us then, won't you this is Vera MGM for Metro Golden mayor Ellen and Johnny AT&S F Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Mercer And Dennis Day saying We saw one and God bless you stay show is written by Irving Taylor and Alan Wood produced and directed by Fred Levin This is Jimmy Wallington speaking inviting you to join us next week for the Dennis Day show Good night. This is the United States Armed Forces radio and television service