On the Good Ship Lollipop
“On the Good Ship Lollipop” was the signature song of child actress Shirley Temple.[1][2] Temple first sang it in the 1934 film, Bright Eyes.[3] The song was composed by Richard A. Whiting, and the lyrics were supplied by Sidney Clare. In the song, the “Good Ship Lollipop” travels to a candy land.
| "On the Good Ship Lollipop" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Shirley Temple | |
| Published | 1934 |
| Composer(s) | Richard A. Whiting |
| Lyricist(s) | Sidney Clare |
The “ship” referred to in the song is an aircraft; the scene in Bright Eyes, where the song appears, takes place on a taxiing American Airlines Douglas DC-2.[4][5]
400,000 copies of the sheet music, published by Sam Fox Publishing Company, were sold,[5] and one recording by Mae Questel (the cartoon voice of Betty Boop and Olive Oyl) reputedly sold more than two million copies.[6] It finished at #69 in the survey AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs of top tunes in cinema in the United States, in June 2004.
The song was parodied on an episode of The Simpsons from May 2000, the episode being “Last Tap Dance in Springfield”. It was being sung as On the Spaceship Lollipop, by Vicki Valentine, herself spoofing Temple.[7] The actual song was used on an earlier episode, “Treehouse of Horror III”, which aired in October 1992, in which Shirley Temple was seen singing it during her concert before being devoured by King Homer, the sketch parodying King Kong.[8]
Other recordings
- 1935 Rudy Vallee and His Connecticut Yankees, recorded for Victor on December 24, 1934 (Christmas Eve) (catalog No. 24838).[9] This was very popular in 1935.[10]
- 1935 Ted Fio Rito – recorded for Brunswick Records (catalog No. 7364) on August 1, 1935.[11]
- 1952 Rosemary Clooney – on an unbreakable children’s record Columbia MJV138[12]
- 1969 Tiny Tim covered the song, reaching #82 in Canada.[13]
- 1980 Margaret Whiting (for her album Too Marvelous for Words).
References
- "Shirley Temple Black, child star who became diplomat, dies at 85". Reuters. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- Scott, Mike (11 February 2014). "Remembering Shirley Temple in song, from 'Good Ship Lollipop' to 'Animal Crackers in My Soup'". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- "5 films in which Shirley Temple shined - Washington Times". The Washington Times. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- Curiously, in the film the floor of the airplane appears to be level, even though the DC-2 is a taildragger, and in real life it would be quite difficult to walk up and down the steeply sloped aisle while the plane is parked or taxiing.
- Boyes, Laura. "Bright Eyes (1934)". Moviediva. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- Lyman, Rick (8 January 1998). "Mae Questel, 89, Behind Betty Boop and Olive Oyl". The New York Times. p. 9. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- "Season 11, Episode 20: Last Tap Dance in Springfield". hollywoodrevue.wordpress.com. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- "TV Picks – Treehouse of Horror". theboar.org. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 428. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- Crossland, Ken (2013). late Life Jazz: The Life and Career of Rosemary Clooney. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-19-979857-5.
- "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 16 August 1969. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
