I know in the late 60s-early 70s on the Carol Burnett show, I saw Boris Karloff once perform “It Was A Very Good Year” (he died in 1969, so it had to predate then), and Vincent Price doing a recitation of “Desiderata aka Child of the Universe”. As amazing as the Net is, I can find no mention of these, much less
any copies of them. Am I the only person who even remembers these?
FriarTed
I’m just going by memory here, but I believe on the Red Skelton show in 1969, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price sang “Those Were The Good Old Days” - a song about medieval times, dungeons, that sort of thing. (May have been written specifically for that one performance).
I remember George Burns singing “It Was A Very Good Year” around the early 1970’s but I forget what variety show it was.
And just as a digression here, ever see Dan Rowan perform “It Was A Very Good Year” on “Laugh-In”? Spooky.
I don’t recall any of those BUT that doesn’t rule out having seen them! I may have a shadow of a recollection about Dan Rowan’s VGY- “spooky” good or “spooky” bad?
As far as Dan Rowan’s version of “It Was A Very Good Year”, it was not like a William Shatner rendition. Basically, he goes through a series of wars, increasing in rank each time. “When I was 17, I was a private in World War II” and then he talks about Korea, Vietnam and for the final verse (‘but now the days are short’) he says, “I’ve got to go now … they’re playing my song”. That last line is really spooky in the sense that you knew there would be another war sooner or later. Also, Dan Rowan died a long time ago which just adds even more to the eerieness of that sketch, when viewed today. (I saw it on a “Rowan and Martin” NBC special some years ago).
You mean:
It’s from Damn Yankees.
Think of who you are talking about and ask yourself if that date and your last statement necessarily follow.
(singing) You are a fluke of the universe.
You have no right to be here.
And whether you can hear it or not
The universe is laughing behind your back.
Reality Chuck
Forgive my unfamiliarity with that song but having acquired my musical knowledge during the 1960’s garage band heyday, there was no time to study … (ugh) … show tunes.
Anyway, after 38 years, now I know the origin of that song.
I’m reviving this to say I did find verification of Karloff’s “It Was A Very Good Year” on THE JONATHAN WINTERS SHOW and Price’s Desiderata on Burnett. Still no clips however.
i remember this as well!
But I kinda think the Desiderata may have been done on the ‘red skelton show’, although not certain.
I believe I recorded it off the tv and have it on tape somewhere, just have to get a working reel to reel player to locate it!
I think that was [Deteriorata,](M:\video\lake_mich) a spoof on Desiderata (mistakenly credited to “found in an old North Church”), and it was a Lampoon (nee Harvard Lampoon) creation. The text was set to music and is on a Lampoon LP, Radio Dinner, 1972. Whether it was ever on Red Skelton, I don’t know, but I doubt it.
Here’s the song . . . I can’t find a video of the original, sung by Ray Walston as the devil and Gwen Verdon as Lola.
Wow - after 3½ years this thread got resurrected?
Well at least one song was tracked down but it’s too bad that none of those videos could be found.
“Boris Karloff seems like a nice guy when he’s singing and dancing with Red Skelton, but have you ever seen Frankenstein? THAT’S the real Boris Karloff.”
-Ralph Kramden