I have a clear memory of a World War II movie with the following bit of dialog.
(Handsome, stalwart GI) “Hey, you speak pretty good English for a Jap.”
(Evil, condescending Japanese officer) “I was educated at your U-C-ARE-A.”
Far too much time on Google suggests that the evil Japanese officer may have been Philp Ahn, best known as Master Kan from the TV series* Kung-Fu.* But I can’t find any record of what movie, what context, or whether that line was used in more than one movie.
Sounds a lot like an old comedy routine I used to see on Ed Sullivan, wherein one comedian would try to correct the other one’s fractured “Engrish”. The term “rotsa ruck” was used a lot, and I remember that phrase about “U-C-R-A”.
I am pretty sure there was a similar dialogue between Hawkeye and a Chinese officer in the MASH episode were they took the bus to the border to exchange wounded prisoners
The gag was also used on the Kingston Trio’s debut album in 1958. If I recall correctly, it was a spoken section of the last song, “Hard, Ain’t It Hard”.
*
“Ah so, you are surprised I speak your ranguage. You see… I was educated in your country, at UCRA.” *
The word country was said in three syllables (“coun-ter-ry”), either as part of the dialect, or to fit the meter of the accompaniment.
Darn, beaten to it, but as I read the OP, I could just hear the Kingston Trio in my head.
But, I can still help:
It was the song “Coplas!”
The boys did a number of songs from other ethnicities (Dave Guard-- and Bob Shane?-- were from Hawaii, and they did a lot of Pacific Island songs), and Coplas! was a “rollicking” traditional Mexican song with spoken Spanish parts*… which the guys loosely (or mis-) translated as they went.
What’s tough is that every recorded version has different spoken parts, but the UCRA version is, I’m pretty sure, on a live recording “…From the Hungry i”. It was one of the few LPs that my parents had that I could stomach. [iTunes link]
Take a listen – It’s a fun song, and easy to get stuck in your head (but when it’s playing there, your head cannot be depressed). I’ve bought a couple of other versions of it.
e.g.:
La noche que me casa
No pude dormirme un rato
Por estrar toda la noche
Corriendo detra de un gato
Me dijiste que fue un gato
El que entro por tu balcon
Yo no he visto gato prieto
Con sombrero y pantalon