Stubby Kaye: Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat

This sort of goes with the McAuley Mission House theme
Stubby, Bernard Kotzlyn, has already been inducted into the Who's Almost Who in Knickerbocker Village History Club

NICELY-NICELY:
I dreamed last night I got on the boat to Heaven
And by some chance I had brought my dice along,
And there I stood, and I hollered,
"Someone fade me,"
But the passengers they knew right from wrong
For the people all said,
"Sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat."
ENSEMBLE:
People all said,
"Sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat."
NICELY-NICELY:
"And the devil will drag you under
By the sharp lapel of your checkered coat;
Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down
NICELY-NICELY & ENSEMBLE:
Sit down you're rocking the boat."
NICELY-NICELY:
I sailed
ENSEMBLE:
OOH...
NICELY-NICELY:
Away on that little boat to Heaven
And by some chance found a bottle in my fist,
And there I stood,
Nicely passin' out the whiskey,
But the passengers were bound to resist
For the people all said, "Beware!"
ENSEMBLE:
People all said, "beware, beware!"
NICELY-NICELY:
You're on a heavenly trip."
People all said, "beware!"
ENSEMBLE:
People all said, "beware!"
NICELY-NICELY:
"Beware you'll scuttle the ship;
And the devil will drag you under
By the fancy tie 'round your wicked throat;
Sit down,
NICELY-NICELY & ENSEMBLE:
Sit down, sit down, sit down,
Sit down you're rockin' the boat."
NICELY-NICELY:
And as
ENSEMBLE:
OOH...
NICELY-NICELY:
I laughed at those passengers to Heaven
Ah, ah, ah, ah!
A great big wave came and washed me overboard,
And as I sank, and I hollered,
"Someone save me,"
That's the moment I woke up, thank the Lord!
ENSEMBLE:
Thank the Lord, thank the Lord!
NICELY-NICELY:
And I said to myself, "Sit down"
ENSEMBLE:
Said to himself, "Sit down, sit down"
NICELY-NICELY:
"Sit down you're rocking the boat."
Said to myself, "Sit down"
ENSEMBLE:
Said to himself, "Sit down"
NICELY-NICELY:
"Sit down you're rocking the boat
And the devil will drag you under
ENSEMBLE:
And the devil will drag you under
NICELY-NICELY:
With a soul so heavy you'd never float,
Sit down
NICELY-NICELY & ENSEMBLE:
Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down,
Sit down you're rockin' the boat-
Sit down you're rockin'
Rockin' the boat
Sit down you're rockin'
Rockin' the boat
Sit down you're rockin'
Rockin' the boat
Sit down you're rockin'
Rockin' the boat...
Sit down, you Sit down you're the boat!

"

1960's: Cat Ballou

Any minute now I suspect Sarah Palin to accuse Obama of associating with that "terrorist" Jane Fonda.

Artists: Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye, Words by Mack David and Music by Jerry Livingston, title song from the 1965 film starring Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin (who won an Oscar for his dual role as a drunken lawman and his counterpart, outlaw Kid Sheleen)Cole and Kaye, as strolling minstrels, functioned as a Greek chorus, commenting on the action
Well now friends just lend an ear
For you're now about to hear
The ballad of Cat Ballou
It's a song that's newly made
And Professor Sam The Shade
And the Sunrise Kid are singin' it for you
Cat Ballou, Cat Ballou
It's a hangin' day in Wolf City, Wyomin'
Wolf City, Wyomin', eighteen ninety four
They're gonna drop Cat Ballou
Through the gallows floor
She killed a man in Wolf City, Wyomin'
Wolf City, Wyomin', killed a man it's true
And that is why they're a-hangin'
Hangin' Cat Ballou
She has the smile of an angel
(Fights like the Devil)
The eyes of an angel
(Bites like the Devil)
The face of an angel
(I say she's the Devil)
(She's mean and evil through and through)
Cat Ballou, Cat Ball-ou-ou-ou
She's mean and evil through and through
With her outlaw band they're now tellin' a story
Now tellin' a story how she rode the plain
The wildest gal in the We-est
Since Calamity Jane
And today's the day that she's goin' to glory
She's goin' to glory for the way she sinned
They'll be a-speedin' her soul
On a wayward wind
She has the smile of an angel
(Fights like the Devil)
The eyes of an angel
(Bites like the Devil)
The face of an angel
(I say she's the Devil)
(She's mean and evil through and through)
Cat Ballou (Cat Ballou)
Cat Ball-ou-ou-ou (Cat Ballou)
She's mean and evil through and through
Cat Ballou, Cat Ball-ou-ou-ou
She's mean and evil through and through

Who's Almost Who In Knickerbocker Village History: Stubby Kaye

Here's the "proof" that was promised. While viewing Stubby Kaye in the Guys and Dolls clip it dawned on me that I never searched for Stubby's origins. I've come to believe that vast majority of the early actors and actresses and musical comedy stars of the stage and cinema came from New York City. If they did, they probably lived at some time on the lower east side. I then go on to use some dramatic license to substitute KV for the LES. In many cases there's a direct line to trace their immigration and migration. It leads from the boat to Ellis Island to the Lower East Side and then usually to East Harlem and then either to the Bronx or Brooklyn. In each step in their path there's an attempt to better the living conditions. What's unique about Knickerbocker Village is that it's construction in 1934 changed some of those paths. The value and location provided by Knickerbocker lead some of those "migratory" families to actually reverse course. But back to Stubby. His wikipedia biography stated:

Stubby Kaye (November 11, 1918 – December 14, 1997) was an American comic actor. He was born Bernard Kotzin in New York City on West 114th Street in the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan to first generation Jewish-Americans originally from Russia and Austria. He was raised in the Far Rockaway section of Queens and in the Bronx.

I learned while checking the census that Stubby's father was David. In 1910, before Stubby (Bernard) was born David was living in East Harlem. However, the 1900 census found a 14 year old David living at 134 East Broadway, the location of the future Knickerbocker branch Post Office. David probably played in the newly constructed Seward Park as well as attended the Educational Alliance. David's father, Solomon, was a cap maker.

Who's Almost Who In Knickerbocker Village History: Stubby Kaye

Don't believe me you say? All will be revealed on the next post. In the meantime a clip from this show which aired on Saturdays on ABC: accompanyng comments from the youtube source

Yes, "SHENANIGANS", which was a slight variation of Heatter-Quigley's previous "giant board game", "VIDEO VILLAGE" [CBS, 1960-'62], repackaged for sponsor Milton Bradley, was on Saturday mornings at 10am(et) from September 1964 through December 1965 on ABC. Very few examples of the series exsist...If I remember correctly, this program aired on Saturday mornings just before the Beatles Cartoon show in 1965. At least here in Los Angeles it did. In light of this, the tie-in with the harmonica is not surprising.

I Got The Horse Right Here

We had a references to Guys and Dolls before this as well as a 1955 Broome Street crap game
but we take a renewed interest since we've learned that former Chinatown Mayor, Johnny Keyes, aka Andrew Canonico, was an inspiration for a Damon Runyon named Spaghetti Joe. He also, under another pseudonym, was an inspiration for one of the characters in Guys and Dolls. Was it Benny, Nicely, Rusty, Brandy Bottle Bates,Scranton Slim...? Johnny was a big bettor and according to Joe Bruno's cousin Joe Gerage,

Jack Dempsey bought him a Studebaker because Johnny Keyes lost a lot of money on one of his fights.

Johnny is mentioned in a memoir by San Diego reporter Neil Morgan

After the war, I found San Diego just a tad on the quiet side. Seeking a semblance of sin and scandal…and of course column items…. I sought out F Street and met Bob Johnston, who ran the burlesque house, the Hollywood Theater. He let me play his rinky dink piano. I am a preacher’s kid and I know a lot of hymns. The strippers came in on their breaks and sang along. They knew the words, and that gave me a lot to think about. Sometimes I recognized friends from north of Broadway. Please, they would say, don’t mention that I was here. I made good friends on F Street, like Johnny Keyes, known as Spaghetti Joe. His walls were pasted with columns about him by New York’s great Damon Runyon. Damon celebrated Spaghetti Joe as the first Italian mayor of New York’s Chinatown.

NICELY: I got the horse right here, his name is Paul Revere and
here's a guy who says if the weather's clear, can do, can do.
This guy says the horse can do.
If he says the horse can do, can do, can do.
NICELY: can do, can do this
BENNY: I'm picking Valentine 'cause on the morning line, the guy has
NICELY: guy says the horse can do If he says the horse can
BENNY: got him figured at five to nine. Has chance has
RUSTY: But look at Epitaph, he wins it
NICELY: do, can do, can do, For Paul Revere
BENNY: chance, this guy says the horse has chance. If he says
RUSTY: by a half, according to this hare in the Telegraph, Big threat,
NICELY: I'll bite, I hear his foot's all right. Of course it all depends if it
BENNY: the horse has chance, has chance, has
RUSTY: big threat, This guy calls the horse Big
NICELY: rained last night. Likes mud, likes mud. This "X" means the horse
BENNY: chance. I know it's Valentine, the morning works looks fine, besides
RUSTY: Threat. If he calls the horse big threat, big threat
NICELY: likes mud. if that means the horse likes mud, likes
BENNY: the jockey's brother's a friend of mine. Needs race, needs race this
RUSTY: Big threat. And just a minute boys, I got the feedbox noise. It
NICELY: mud, likes mud, I tell you Paul Revere now this is
BENNY: guy says the horse needs race. If he says the horse needs
RUSTY: says the great-grandfather was Equipoise, shows class, shows
NICELY: no bum steer. It's from a handicapper that's real sincere. Can
BENNY: race. Needs race, needs race. I go for
RUSTY: class. This guy says the horse shows class. If
NICELY: do, can do. This guy says the horse can do. If
BENNY: Valentine, 'cause on the morning line, the guy's got him figured at 5 to 9
RUSTY: he says the horse shows class, shows class. So make it
NICELY: he says the horse can do, can do, can
BENNY: has chance, has chance. This guy says the horse has
RUSTY: Epitaph. He wins it by a half, according to this hare in the
NICELY: do. Paul Revere! I got the horse right here!
BENNY: chance. Valentine! I got the horse right here!
RUSTY: Telegraph, Epitaph! I got the horse right here!