Two different albums it seems...
Sherman attempted to mount his own career as a performer, but initially found little success; "A Satchel and a Seck," a 1951 duet with comedienne Sylvia Froos satirizing Frank Loesser's "A Bushel and a Peck," went nowhere, and an ambitious attempt to release a full-length Jewish parody of the musical My Fair Lady met with legal resistance from the estate of composers Lerner and Loewe.
Sherman consequently turned to television, creating and producing the long-running quiz show I've Got a Secret. A tenure as the writer-producer of The Steve Allen Show followed, but when the series ended in 1961, Sherman found himself on the unemployment line. After signing a contract with Warner Bros., he released the parody collection My Son, the Folk Singer in 1962. To the shock of the recording industry, radio quickly picked up on the album despite Sherman's obscurity as a performer; according to legend, even President John F. Kennedy was spotted in a hotel lobby singing the cut "Sarah Jackman" (a parody of "Frere Jacques"), further boosting the record's popularity.
Ultimately, My Son, the Folk Singer topped the charts, and spawned a cottage industry of copycat releases. Nonetheless, Sherman remained the unquestioned king of the parody hit, and in late 1962 he returned with a follow-up, My Son, the Celebrity, which, like its predecessor, reached the number one spot. 1963's My Son, the Nut was even more successful, topping the charts for eight consecutive weeks on the strength of the Top Five novelty hit "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh," a summer camp-themed take on Ponchielli's 1876 composition "Dance of the Hours."
If, as legend dictates, President Kennedy helped establish Sherman as a star, he also inadvertently contributed to the comedian's drop-off in popularity: following Kennedy's assassination in November, 1963, the nation became serious and solemn, with little interest in the breezy fun offered by song parodies. Released in early 1964, Sherman's fourth album Allan in Wonderland reached only number 25 on the pop charts; issued later that year at the height of Beatlemania, the concurrent For Swingin' Livers Only! and Peter and the Commissar (recorded with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops) fared even more poorly, with the latter record failing even to crack the Top 40.
1965's My Name Is Allan was his last chart effort, reaching only number 88. Still, Sherman soldiered on, recording Live in front of a Las Vegas audience. After 1966's Togetherness, he was dropped by Warner Bros., effectively ending his career as a performer. After publishing an autobiography, A Gift of Laughter, Sherman died in California on November 21, 1973. He was just 48 years old. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
MC Ward <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Coincidentally, I recently read the sleeve notes on a
vinyl "Hello Mudder" and was puzzled to find the album
again retitled...or something. Wasn't it "My Son the
Nut," as opposed to a later titling of "My Son the
Folksinger"?
It also made me fondly recall "The First Family,"
which appeared around the same time and sunk like a
stone thereafter. Ruined its (very) talented
composer's career, I suppose.
Candice
--- Anny Ballardini wrote:
> There are a couple of moments in which Alan Sherman
> plays the big guy, but
> on the whole, yes, he was quite respectful. I also
> enjoyed the audience of
> the '50s, and their laughing was not ironical,
> almost a projection the same
> Cage had previously seized and portrayed. A refined
> game.
>
> On 5/17/07, Douglas Barbour
> wrote:
> >
> > All your comments are interesting & hit home with
> me, Ken, but this
> > seems valid, as we watch, which is certainly
> refreshing....
> >
> > Doug
> > On 16-May-07, at 9:39 AM, Kenneth Wolman wrote:
> >
> > > What I find refreshing is that the show itself
> (one of the producers
> > > was Alan Sherman, "Hello Mudder"!) seemed to
> treat Cage with dignity
> > > and respect, and that there was no sense of a
> trying to put him on.
> > > How far we have traveled since the 1950s. Most
> of it has been
> > > regression to the bear pit via so-called Reality
> TV.
> > Douglas Barbour
> > 11655 - 72 Avenue NW
> > Edmonton Ab T6G 0B9
> > (780) 436 3320
> > http://www.ualberta.ca/~dbarbour/
> >
> > Latest book: Continuations (with Sheila E Murphy)
> >
> http://www.uap.ualberta.ca/UAP.asp?LID=41&bookID=664
> >
> >
> > Peace isn't even as good a sales item
> > as poetry.
> >
> > W. H. Ferry
> >
>
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