Saturday 9: Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (1963)

Saturday 9: Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (1963)

Unfamiliar with this song? Hear it here.

1) TV writer Allan Sherman based this song on his own son's letters of complaint from camp. Did you go away to summer camp?

Yes, my mother made me go to church camp at least twice, maybe three times.  I enjoyed some parts of it, but if I'd had my way, I would have stayed home.  I was an introvert even then.  Oh, and they played softball; I was never any good at sports and was always the last one chosen for a team.

2) Our camper is afraid of both bears and alligators. What animal scares you? 

Probably bears.  I wouldn't tent-camp in the Rocky Mountains for a million dollars!

3) One of his fellow campers developed poison ivy rash. Have you ever experienced redness and itching caused by poison ivy or poison sumac?

When I was at camp I would pick poison ivy leaves and rub them up and down on my arm to show off (I've always been strange).  I have never had any reaction to poison ivy; neither did either of my parents.  Maybe it's hereditary.  

4) Early in his career, Allan Sherman created the game show I've Got a Secret, which became a big hit. What's your all-time favorite TV game show?

The only game show I ever cared much about was "I've Got a Secret".

5) In 1959 he moved from New York to Hollywood, where he transitioned from writing to performing almost by accident. As a lark, he entertained at the parties of his next-door neighbor, Harpo Marx. A recording company executive heard him and offered him a contract. Tell us about the last party you attended.

Our oldest grandson's Fourth of July party.  Lots of food and fireworks.

6) Allan Sherman got unexpected press attention and a boost in record sales when it was discovered that President John F. Kennedy was a fan. What's something you purchased because of a recommendation from someone else (friend, relative, celebrity endorsement ...)?

Oh my goodness, lots of things:  I use Apple products because of a Facebook friend's recommendation, and I really don't even know him that well.  These days, though, I choose certain brands of products by going to Consumer Reports via my library's site and seeing what they say is best.  

7) In 1963, the year "Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh" was popular, Studebaker stopped producing cars in the United States. What was your family car when you were growing up?

The one I remember is a '58 Chevy, because it was the first brand new car my parents ever had.

8) Also in 1963, Vogue magazine did a cover story on how make wearing white "new and exciting." What color do you look best in? Is it the color you wear most often?

I have no idea.  I tend to buy a lot of blue clothes, but I don't know why.

9) Random question: Have you ever gone on to have a platonic relationship with a former lover?

That's a good one.  What former lover?  I didn't even date until I was twenty.