"Teddy Bears' Picnic" is a song consisting of a melody by American composer John Walter Bratton, written in 1907, and lyrics added by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy in 1932. It remains popular as a children's song, having been recorded by numerous artists over the decades. Kennedy lived at Staplegrove Elm and is buried in Staplegrove Church, Taunton, Somerset, England. Local folklore has it that the small wooded area between the church and Staplegrove Scout Hut was the inspiration for his lyrics.
Contents |
Composer John W. Bratton originally called the song the "Teddy Bear Two-Step". [1] An early recording (probably the first) was made by the Black Diamond Band for Zonophone records in 1908. Around this time it was also recorded by Arthur Pryor's marching band. The first vocal version was recorded in 1932 by Henry Hall and His Orchestra (EMI SH 172), with Val Rosing singing Kennedy's lyrics. The Hall rendition is perhaps the best-known in the UK and was featured in the Dennis Potter drama The Singing Detective. The song has been recorded by such singers as Bing Crosby, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Frank DeVol, Jackie Lynton, Rosemary Clooney, Dave Van Ronk, Jerry Garcia, John Inman, Trout Fishing in America, and Anne Murray. The Val Rosing/Henry Hall version was used as background music in a 2006 Microsoft commercial for Xbox (2006) and a 2011 Audi commercial for their night vision feature.
The piece has been used as a theme song or background music in films and programs, such as the wartime BBC sitcom Dad's Army in its episode called The Big Parade. The instrumental version appears briefly in the musical score to accompany Buster Keaton's silent film The General. It was also occasionally used as a background theme in Looney Tunes. The song features prominently in Peter Greenaway's film A Zed & Two Noughts, and is sung by characters in the film.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s it was used as the theme song for the Big Jon and Sparkie radio program, a children's show presented on weekdays and Saturday mornings. This version used was performed by organist Ethel Smith. The Saturday Show was later named "No School Today".
In 1983 Green Tiger Press turned Kennedy's lyrics into a children's book, with illustrations by company co-founder Sandra Darling (under the name Alexandra Day). Original printings included a 7" record, with the Bing Crosby recording on the A side, and a recording by a local klezmer band, dubbed "The Bearcats", on the B side.
The 1932 Henry Hall recording was used for more than 30 years by BBC audio engineers (up until the early 1960s) to test and calibrate audio equipment. It was possibly last played at the end of the final transmission from the old Regional transmitters at Washford in the early 1980s.
Its especially good recording quality and the large tonal range of the music made it ideal for checking the frequency response of audio equipment. BBC Engineering even had special vinyl pressings made to reduce any surface noise.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||