So what does this amazing year have to offer for novelty songs? After the tremendous humor of Freberg, the childish glee of Peevey, the gonzo goofiness of Louis Armstrong, and the earthy purr of Kitt…well, a bit more humor, glee, and goofiness.
Long after leaving Spike Jones, Homer and Jethro are still playing up their backwoods tomfoolery parodying already novelty Christmas numbers like “All I Want for Christmas is My Upper Plate” (b/w “I Saw Mommy Smoochin’ Santy Claus“). And yet, these are merely palate cleansers.
Long before the Chipmunks, Ross Bagdasarian, as David Seville, tried for a singing career. He was serious and funny at the same time. In “Let’s Have a Merry Merry Christmas” he punches up the pathos of horrible holiday times to a bit of a comic effect.
Teresa Brewer, that big pop star of the ’50s, was also known for her novelty records. Xmas 1953 featured her hit “Too Fat for the Chimney.” (flipside “I Just Can’t Wait for Christmas“). Ruby Sunshine, the hillbilly girl wonder of ‘I’m Too Old for Toys (Too Young for Boys),’ tore off a piece of that as well. Gisele Mackenzie, the Canuck girl equivalent (her UK hit this year: ‘Seven Lonely Days’) ALSO dropped this funny tune. But my favorite of this PG play on Ella’s 1950 ‘Stuck in My Chimney,’ is from human cartoon, Jerry ‘Who’s Yehudi!?’ Colonna. This stentorian Bob Hope sidekick was the voice for the March Hare in the old Disney ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and made an impression wherever he appeared. You may also recognize his imitable style from many a caricature in Bugs/Daffy cartoons.