Cuddly Dudley was a large cartoon dog on the Ray Rayner show, a children’s TV program in Chicago in the 1960s-70s. When introducing Cuddly, Ray would sing a theme song.. (There used to be a You Tube clip of Ray singing on the show, but the station that aired the show had it taken down. This version, sung by a fan, is a little hard to hear, and goes off-key at the end, but it’s the best I am able to find.)
The melody is not original with Rayner/Dudley, but I can’t for the life of me remember where it’s from. All I know is it’s a jaunty little tune, and usually whistled. Any ideas? Thanks!
This is great.
As an added bonus, this solves another mystery. I believe this is the same tune that Officer Joe Bolton whistled at the beginning of the Three Stooges Show that he hosted in New York in the 60’s (and maybe early 70’s).
I recognize this song but I’m not sure from where. So I have sort of an opposite question.
I think it was probably from some Philadelphia childrens’ show in the 60s. What show? Anyone remember? Sally Starr? Chief Halftown? Captain Philadelphia? Gene London? Something else?
On Edit: I just realized, it couldn’t have been Gene London. His theme song was “Come right on in to the General Store”.
It was used in a “Little Rascals” episode, in which the kids are trying to get on a Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour - type show. One of them tries to cheat by playing this record and pretending to whistle it himself. The contest is eventually won by an abominable Alfalfa, when his friends commandeer the telephone booths outside the theater, and repeatedly phone in votes for him. It’s probably on YouTube somewhere, but I don’t have the title.
The fact that I remember the song from that single source, about four decades later, is testament to its compelling melody!
The Doctor Demento show? He used to play a version of “The Piddling Pup,” a spoken rhyme about dogs having a “piddling contest,” that used this tune as its background.
Captain Penny was a Cleveland children’s TV show from 1955 to 1971. It starred Ron Penfound as Captain Penny, dressed as a railroad engineer. One feature of the show was the Pooch Parade, which presented adoptable shelter dogs. The musical theme of Pooch Parade was “The Whistler and His Dog.” Ask any Clevelander older than 45 to name that tune and 90% of them will tell you it is the Pooch Parade Song.
