By Henry Gibson

This is another case of a comedian making an album that gets re-released after they get popular years later. Gibson, in case you don't recall, hit it big on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In", best known for the funny poems he would recite. He does a lot of that here too, but I think here he seems more like a charming (if slightly odd) young country boy. It's still a pretty interesting album to listen to though. Hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

1. How to Write a Poem
2. The Alligator
3. Why I Like Soap
4. The Newspaper
5. How to Skin a Polecat
6. How Now, Calpurnia
7. The Feather
8. Here Today--Gone Tomorrow
9. A Little Bit About Myself
10. How to Take Care of the Plum Tree
11. Happiness Can Be Yours for Little or No Money
12. Reflections of New York: Broadway/I Fell Down the Subway
13. The Coyote
14. Two Functional Poems: A Birthday/The Wedding
15. Education Is Important
16. What Freedom Means to Me in 25 Words or Less
17. Why I Like Poetry

Click here or here or here to download!

Popeye Song Folio - Captain Paul and the Seafaring Band

I like this one a lot, even though it's a Popeye album without Popeye on it! This album from 1959 apparently features songs from old Popeye cartoons, as performed by Captain Paul and the Seafaring Band. Was Captain Paul a children's host that showed Popeye cartoons on his show? I don't know myself, but one of you guys might be able to answer that. I kind of wish they would have sprung for the expense of an actual cover, instead of simply reprinting what I assume is a Popeye Sunday strip from the year before. I think (like "Yours Truly" says on the back cover) that one of my favorites is the song "I Wanna Be a Life Guard", but there's a lot of fun stuff on here (even if Popeye isn't singing it).

Here's the track list:

1. I'm Popeye the Sailor Man


2. The Looney Goon


3. Olive Oyl's Family Reunion


4. I Wants What I Wants When I Wants It


5. The Land of Popeye


6. I'm Sindbad the Sailor


7. Sing a Song of Popeye


8. I Wanna Be a Life Guard


9. Hamburger Mine


10. Popeye on Parade


11. Strike Me Pink Do I See Red


12. I'll Be Seein' Ya in the Movies

Click here or here or here to download!

BONUS: And now, straight from the Internet Archive, here's the Popeye cartoon that features the song "I Wanna Be A Life Guard" called, oddly enough, "I Wanna Be a Life Guard"

"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and Happiness Songs

This is a fun album of happy-type songs. (And why not, it's from Happy Time Records.) The thing I found so unusual about this album is that the front cover is exactly like you see above, just a cute picture of this little boy with nothing to identify what the record inside was and what songs were on it. In fact, the title "'You're a Good Man Charlie Brown' and Happiness Songs" was the only identification of the contents on the record label itself. (The individual songs weren't listed.) I went online to see if I could get more information about the actual album. Imagine my surprise when I saw a picture of this record that's somebody's selling on Amazon.com:



This album lists most (but not all) of the songs on mine. And take a look in the bottom left corner. That's right, it's that same little boy. And you can tell it's from the same picture as mine because if you look at the right on my cover, you can see part of the little girl's hair next to him. Why was the cover redone? I have no idea, except for the fact that that picture of the boy makes me laugh for some reason. (Maybe because it looks like he's in the middle of yelling, "Play ball!!")

As for the songs themselves, this sounds like another patchwork job of songs from numerous sources. I like this version of "Sidewalks of New York" sung by kids that are really belting it out. I also have this exact same version of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" on another album (that just has songs from that show) that I'll probably dig up eventually. Anyway, take a listen. I think you'll enjoy this one!

Here's the track list:

1. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
2. Happy to Be Me
3. Hail Hail the Gang's All Here
4. Wishing Pond
5. The Candyland Merry Go Round
6. Big Rock Candy Mountain
7. The Sidewalks of New York
8. London Bridge
9. All Around the Mulberry Bush
10. One Two Buckle My Shoe
11. Nick Nack Paddy Whack
12. Pat-a-Cake
13. The Happy Polka

Click here or here to download!

Heeere's Amy! - Alison Arngrim as Amy Carter

This being Election Day in the US I had to throw one more political oriented album on here. This is Alison Arngrim (probably best known for playing Nellie Oleson on "Little House on the Prairie") portraying then First Daughter Amy Carter. It's pretty crazy, and I hope you like it, and don't forget to vote!!

Heeere's the track list:

1. Amy's Answering Service
2. Roots
3. Y'all C'mon 'a My White House
4. Amy Carter Superstar!
5. Medi-Kids
6. High Finance
7. Pickin' an' Strummin'
8. 18 1/2
9. Mammy Knows Best
10. Y'all C'mon 'a My White House II
11. Dear Diary
12. Cookies
13. Birds & Bees
14. Amy's Prayer

Click heeere or heeere to download!

OGF Wisdom for November

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Here's your Prof. Otis G. Firefly wisdom for November, right on time (because I'm putting it in in August)! Enjoy!!

At the Organ Grinder Vol. 2

Hey Gang! Sorry for taking a while to get something new on here, but school and work have been playing havoc with what little free time I have. Here's something odd to throw in here though. I don't know if Organ Grinder Pizza was a chain or not, but one of their primary features was their huge pipe organ. This album features some of the music played on that instrument. It's a pretty eclectic mix here (YMCA??), and I hope you like it!

Organ Grinder Pizza closed in 1996, but this site has some great pictures of the restaurant and their organ.

Here's the track list:

1. Chattanooga Choo Choo - Jonas Nordwall
2. Makin' Whoopee - Jonas Nordwall
3. The Hustle - Jonas Nordwall
4. May - Don Simmons
5. Pennsylvania 6-5000 - Don Simmons
6. You/Who? (Medley of 20's Hits) - Paul Quarino
7. Hands of Time - Paul Quarino
8. After the Lovin' - Paul Quarino
9. YMCA - Paul Quarino
10. Baby, Oh Where Can You Be? - Don Coxon
11. La Paloma Blanca - Russ Chilson

Click here or here to download!

BONUS: Here's a commercial for Organ Grinder Pizza!

OGF Zodiac for Oct. 17 - Dec. 31: Pistachio the Nut

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Here's where I fall in the Prof. Otis G. Firefly zodiac: under the dubious symbol of Pistachio the Nut! That seems strangely appropriate somehow...!

That concludes the zodiac portion of "Prof. Otis G. Firefly's Phantasmagoric Almanac". I hope you all enjoyed it!

OGF Zodiac for Oct. 16: Oleo the Butterfat-Fly

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Remember how I promised all of you born on October 16th a special surprise yesterday? Well, here it is. You've got your own zodiac symbol to yourself just like the October 15th kids! Isn't that lovely?

OGF Zodiac for Oct. 15: Polici the Insurance Salesman

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This sign of the Otis G. Firefly Zodiac is only for those born on October 15th. Is there anybody here born on that day? (If you were actually born on tomorrow's date, there's a special surprise for you. What is it? Well, you'll find out on your birthday!)

OGF Wisdom for October

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Here's your Prof. Otis G. Firefly wisdom for October, right on time (because I'm putting it in in August)! Enjoy!!

OGF Zodiac for Sept. 30 - Oct. 14: Proboscis the Anteater

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If you were born between Sept. 30th and Oct. 14th, you fall under the sign of Proboscis the Anteater (at least, according to Prof. Otis G. Firefly you do)! Hey, at least he's kind of cute (in an anteatery sort of way...)

The Serendipity Singers Sing of Love, Lies, and Flying Festoons,...

The Serendipity Singers were a popular folk group at the time. This album features songs written by Shel Silverstein, probably most famous for his children's poetry books like "Where the Sidewalk Ends" (although he did much more than that). It's actually a very interesting variety of songs here. My favorite off of the album is the song "Plastic", which talks about the pervasiveness of plastic in our society. It would still be current, except you'd have to change the "record" reference to "CD". Anyhow, there's lots of fun stuff here, and I hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

1. Little Sally Saucer
2. When Peaches Grow on Lilac Trees
3. The Monkey and the Elephant
4. Modern Talk
5. Everytime
6. The Clam
7. The Beanstalk
8. The Slitheree-Dee
9. Some Days
10. Muddy Old River
11. Willowy Billowy Land
12. Plastic
13. If You Come Back in Summer
14. The Flying Festoon
15. Boa Constrictor
16. The Lion

Click here or here to download!

Erick - Pastor Pickin'

And taking the Creepy Christian Puppets to its logical conclusion, here's Erick, performing with his manipulator Beverly Massegee. (I would guess "manipulator" is the technical term for somebody who operates a ventriloquist dummy, but it still sounds a little unsettling.) This is another case of something that probably works a lot better in person. (The audience seems to like it well enough.) But robbed of the visuals and not knowing who the people are that are being joked about, it loses something in the translation. But it's a fun little novelty, and I hope you like it.

And look on the bright side. You don't have that huge face staring at you from the album cover when you're listening to this like I did!

Click here or here to download!

Oops! There Comes a Smile - Jim & Tammy & Their Friends

Continuing our theme of "Creepy Puppets", here's one with a decidedly Christian bent. It's Tammy Faye Bakker singing songs in her puppety voices (with a little help from her husband Jim on the stories). I think I've got another album of these that I'll look for if you guys are interested. And did you ever notice that Susie Moppet (that's the girl puppet on the left) looks like Porky Pig in drag?

Oops! There comes the track list:

1. The Joy of the Lord
2. What a Wonderful Day That Will Be
3. Oops! There Comes a Smile
4. Happiness Is the Lord
5. God Is Watching You
6. Do Lord
7. I Wonder
8. Heaven Is a Wonderful Place
9. Praise the Lord
10. God's Not Dead
11. Story (The Pearl of Great Price)
12. Story (Noah's Ark)

Click here or here to download!

Punch and Judy - Doug Anderson the "Magic Clown"

Look, I know that Punch and Judy have been a puppet tradition for decades, but when you put it on a record without the benefit of watching it, it's just a story about a guy who repeatedly hits his wife and baby with a stick. He also almost hangs, but tricks the policeman into getting his own foot caught in the noose. By the time it's all over Punch has gone to Hell (I guess that's what the picture is showing) and (SPOILER ALERT) kills the Devil! And it's all narrated by Doug Anderson the "Magic Clown" who does his best to remind us that it's all pretend. Enjoy!

Click here or here to download!

Raggedy Ann & Andy's Alphabet & Numbers

Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy get taken to school by the little girl that owns them (I forgot her name!) and when they get back, they teach the other toys about the alphabet and numbers. This one has that odd Jon Lovitz sounding guy doing narration again. I expect someone to stop him and compliment him on how convincing he is, so he can yell, "ACTING!!!"

I've got quite a few things saved here, but I just started school again myself, so I haven't had time to write descriptions for them yet. I'll try to get a few of them in the pipeline pretty soon if I can.

Click here or here to download!

OGF Wisdom for September

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Here's your Prof. Otis G. Firefly wisdom for September, right on time (because I'm putting it in in August)! Enjoy!!

A Show You Should Have Been Watching: "The Middleman"

(Since "The Middleman" is not on any more (hopefully just for the season), I'm making a few corrections to this post. You can still watch the cool stuff about it though.)

There's a show on ABC Family called "The Middleman" that I hope all of you saw. It's just so wonderfully wacky and quirky. And while it's gotten some great reviews, it's not doing so well in the ratings, so please PLEASE give this show a chance and see what you think. (I guess I should say I hope you did now.)

Here's what critics think of it:




And here's some Public Service Announcements produced by the cast:







On ABC Family's website you can even watch an episode (Go to Shows/The Middleman/Full Episodes). I think you can watch the season finale there. Alternate realities! Good guys gone bad! Goatees!! Unfortunately, rather than make more episodes available as streaming videos on the website, they sell past episodes on iTunes. (Thanks, ABC Family.) As I said, this is just a fun show that really deserves a chance. Maybe it'll be back next season. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Score 3 Points: The Official Robin-Doud National Political Survey Test

Let's throw another political album into the ring here. This one is done by the same people that brought you "Welcome to the LBJ Ranch" and "Lyndon Johnson's Lonely Heart's Club Band", and follows the same format of taking actual recorded interviews and putting humorous content around it. I don't think it works quite as well this time. Maybe you just need to be more aware of (what were then) current events. Hopefully you'll get some enjoyment out of it!

(By the way, this album (and the two mentioned above) have covers with art by famed artist Frank Frazetta, although in this case he only did the carving of Johnson.)

Here's the track list:

1. Opening


2. Section 1: True or False


3. Section 2: Multiple Choice


4. Section 3: Statistical Survey


5. Section 4: What Do You Hear?


6. Section 5: Sound Effects


7. Section 6: True or False


8. Section 7: What Were They Doing When They Said It?


9. Section 8: Multiple Choice


10. Section 9: What Do You Hear?


11. Section 10: Sound Effects


12. Closing

Click here or here to download!

It's Cool in the Furnace

I thought the re-release of this was the same recording as this one, but it turns out it was totally redone, so here's the original deal. A great, fun Christian musical with some catchy tunes. Enjoy!

(Note: The first song has a couple of skips in it towards the end. I tried getting them out, but I didn't have any luck. Sometimes I can edit in a similar part from earlier in the song, but this happened right after the key change, so it wouldn't have matched. The rest of it's fine though.)

Here's the track list:

1. Shadrach (has a couple of skips in it)
2. Jerusalem Town
3. It Pays to Remember
4. Tra-La
5. Show Us the Dream
6. The King's Decree
7. Know When to Say No
8. It's Cool in the Furnace
9. Let the People Praise

Click here or here to download!

OGF Zodiac for Aug. 9 - Sept. 29: Peppercorn the Sneezing Turtle

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Here's where you fall in the Prof. Otis G. Firefly Zodiac if you were born from Aug. 9th through Sept. 29th. Yeah, they're getting pretty strange here, but there you go!

Sing the Happy Romper Room Songs

Here's another album of Romper Room songs, and even though it's certified with Mister Do-Bee and Happy Jack the Jack-in-the-box, I still don't remember any of these songs. Where's the Do-Bee song ("Do-Bee a car sitter, Don't be a car stander") or the Punch-a-Ball song? I don't know. There's gotta be an album of those songs, but this one ain't it. There's still some nice kids' songs on here though. Hope you like it.

Here's the track list:

1. Exercise Song


2. Fall


3. Sleepy Time


4. Five Little Chickadees


5. I Have Two Eyes


6. Laughing Song


7. My Snowman


8. Romper Room Magic Mirror Song


9. Romper Room Prayer


10. Romper Room Safety Song


11. Spring


12. Summertime


13. Ten Little Indians


14. Ten Little Men


15. What Do They Say?

Click here or here to download!

UPDATE: For an album with more of the traditional Romper Room songs, it's available in mp3 format from Amazon.com! You can get it here.

OGF Wisdom for August

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Here's your Prof. Otis G. Firefly Wisdom for August, and only a couple of days late! Enjoy!!

Please help me find a record!!

I'm looking for a copy of a record I had many years ago.

Here's what I remember about it:

It was the size of a 45 (with the large hole in the middle) but I think it played at 78 speed.

It had a blue label (was probably an older Golden Record).

It had songs based on and sung by comic strip characters. There was a song by Beetle Bailey and Sgt. Snorkel, Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse, and Barney Google and Snuffy Smith. There may have been another one (Blondie?), but I don't remember for sure. I even know some of the words of the songs. I'll put the lyrics I know in case it rings a bell with you:

Beetle Bailey and Sgt. Snorkel - “Police It”

If it don’t walk
And it don’t talk
Police it!
Police it!
If it don’t run
When it sees you come
Police it!
Police it!

Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse – “It’s the Conk that Means He Cares”

My Ignatz is stupendous.
He just knocks me out!
<…>
And every brick
He hits me with
Just makes my love for him grow.

It’s the conk that means he cares.
It means more than flowers or candy.
It’s the conk that means he cares
So I always make sure there’s a brick
That’s handy.

Barney Google and Snuffy Smith – “Plain Folks”

Snuffy: We’re plain folks
Just plain folks
We’re happy in the mountains.
<…>
And we like our home just the way that it is.

Barney: Sorry, but I thought I’d make us rich
But I’ll be rich you’ll see
And if’n you stick with me
You won’t be a-livin’ in a shack no more
Gonna get us a house with a bell on the door!

Snuffy repeats his part.

Even if I found my copy of it it's so worn out I'd be hard pressed to get a good recording of it. If anybody knows where I could find this, please let me know. Thanks!

Rock Goes Folk - The Topsiders

Here's another unusual mash-up of sorts. The Topsiders took what were popular songs at the time and reimagined them as traditional folk songs. Does it work? I don't know. It almost sounds like they knew a few chords and were bound and determined to make each song have only those chords in it, whether they really fit or not. It's an interesting experiment though.

Here's the track list:

1. Let the Good Times Roll
2. The Wayward Wind
3. Come Go With Me
4. Ain't That a Shame
5. Tammy
6. Diana
7. Heartbreak Hotel
8. Unchained Melody
9. Bye Bye Love
10. Venus
11. Devil or Angel
12. Dream Lover

NOTES: In the comments section, Guav found a nice little article about the band here. Also, I found out that this is now available on Amazon (with a couple of songs added) under the title "The Topsiders." You can get it by clicking on the link below:

Ode to Joy

It's time once again for me to bring a little culture to the proceedings:

The Peter Pan Chorus Sings Songs from Sesame Street Vol. II

The Peter Pan Chorus takes a stab at some classic songs from Sesame Street. I think they're better off when they just sing the songs normally. When they try to do funny voices it doesn't work as well. Take a listen and see what you think!

Here's the track list:

1. Rubber Duckie
2. I Love Trash
3. J Jump
4. Up and Down
5. What Are Kids Called
6. Sesame Street
7. Somebody Come and Play
8. Number Five
9. I've Got Two
10. Green

Click here or here to download!

Alley Cat and Chicken Fat: An Album of Fun Dances- Irwin the Disco Duck and the Wibble Wabble Singers

Here's a different "Alley Cat and Chicken Fat" album, this one tied in with Irwin the Disco Duck. I have no idea why, since none of these songs come close to replicating disco! We do get Irwin's original Donald-like voice though, so it sounds like he's introducing the Wheelbarrow Polka. Another interesting thing which I've included with the file: apparently there was a comic story of sorts on the back covers of the albums. This one features the unusual conclusion to it.

Anyway, sorry for the long absence, and I hope you like the album!

Here's the track list:

1. Alley Cat
2. Chicken Fat
3. Limbo Rock
4. The Twist
5. Mashed Potatoes
6. Hully Gully
7. The Monkey
8. Beer Barrel Polka
9. Mexican Hat Dance
10. Turkey in the Straw (Square Dance)

Click here or here to download!

The Adventures of Batman & Rubin (the Jewish Boy Wonder) - Allen & Rossi

I thought this would be a good one to put up to tie in with the opening of "The Dark Knight". I went record shopping a couple of months ago and scored a sealed copy of this. Marty Allen and Steve Rossi were a popular comedy duo at the time, and this is the story of a comic book reading boy named Rubin (Allen), and his dream of joining Batman and battling the Penguin, the Catwoman, and the Riddler.

The most interesting thing about this record is listed at the top of the cover: "Created and Written by Bob Kane (Creator of Batman & Robin)". Yup, supposedly this album was written by Bob Kane himself. He even wrote the liner notes on the back cover. (However, considering how much has later been discovered about Kane's "sole" creatorship of Batman, I have some doubts about this.)

I know a lot of you are going to want to know if this album is funny. To be honest, I didn't get many laughs from it. (Maybe if you're Jewish some of the references might be funnier.) But regardless of that, I thought it would be good to put up for the historical significance of it. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

1. Rubin's Dream
2. Enter Batman
3. Enter Commissioner Gordon
4. Enter the Penguin
5. At the Discotheque
6. Enter the Catwoman
7. Enter the Riddler
8. A Clue
9. Batman and Rubin Meet the Riddler
10. Rubin Awakes

Click here or here to download!

Happy 4th of July from Me and the Muppets!

I found this online and wanted to share it with you guys. This is a new video clip from the Muppets in honor of Independence Day. Enjoy!!

OGF Wisdom for July

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Here's your words of wisdom for July, courtesy of Prof. Otis G. Firefly. Enjoy!

7 Days to Better Bowling

Here's one of those self-hypnosis type records; this one is supposed to make you a better bowler. You're supposed to listen to Side 1 during the day and Side 2 at night. I was going to try it myself, but there's a big caution on the front stating that this record is "for right handed bowlers only". I'm a leftie myself, so I don't know what effect they think it'll have on me. Maybe they think it'll turn me into some sort of robotic killing machine. Or maybe it'll just make me bowl screwy. Who knows? Frankly, I'm not willing to take that chance.

Click here or here to download!

Lyndon Johnson's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Earle Doud & Alan Robin

I was going to lump the few political records I found together around November, but it really is a mixed bag. I like this one though. This is actually a sequel to "Welcome to the L.B.J. Ranch" that I have featured here put together by the same people, and the concept is the same as well. The commentators ask questions and the politicians provide answers that are actually taken from other interviews and recordings of them with humorous results. I enjoy this because you don't even have to really know much about the politicians to laugh at the jokes, but it's probably funnier if you do know about them. Anyway, I think you'll like this one!

Here's the track list:

1. Senator Everett Dirksen
2. President Lyndon B. Johnson
3. Governor Ronald Reagan
4. Senator Robert Kennedy
5. Vice President Hubert Humphrey
6. Mrs. Ladybird Johnson
7. Vice President Richard Nixon
8. Senator Barry Goldwater

Click here or here to download!

Alley Cat and Chicken Fat Plus Other Fun Dances - The Golden Orchestra and Chorus

Here's a record of games and dances for kids. I seem to remember having a pretty old 45 with this version of "Drop the Handkerchief" and "Button Button", so this could be another compilation of songs from various sources. Anyway, some neat stuff here, and I hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

1. Alley Cat
2. Chicken Fat
3. Musical Chairs
4. Button Button
5. Drop the Handkerchief
6. Skip to My Loo
7. The Farmer in the Dell
8. Bingo
9. Follow the Leader
10. Simon Says
11. My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean/Good Morning to You
12. Clap Your Hands/Springfield Mountain/The World Turned Upside Down
13. Hokey Pokey

Click here or here to download!

Hulk Cartoon Intro

I was impressed that the new "Iron Man" movie found a place for the theme song to the sixties cartoon of it. I'd be REALLY impressed if the new "Incredible Hulk" movie found a place for this:

It's About Time - The Peter Pan Orchestra and Chorus

Here's an interesting children's record talking about all aspects of time. It starts simply talking about the minute hand and the hour hand of the clock, then getting into days of the week and months of the year. By the time it's all said and done, they even get into Greenwich Mean Time and the International Date Line! Pretty heady stuff for a kid's record, don't you think?

Here's the track list:

1. About Time
2. The Clock: The Minute Hand Song
3. The Hour Hand Song
4. Every Hour Has Sixty Minutes in It
5. The Big Hand Is Up
6. The Minute Hand March
7. You Tell the Time When You Hear the Chime
8. A Clock Has Hands
9. The Days of the Week
10. (When) You Were Born
11. The Months of the Year
12. It Rotates on Its Axis
13. Spin Around the Sun
14. The Hemispheres
15. Half a World Away
16. From Pole to Pole
17. It Is Later East of Greenwich
18. The International Date Line
19. About Time Reprise

Click here or here to download!

The Pickwick Children's Chorus Sing "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and Other Fun Songs of Today

In comparison with the previous album posted here, here's some kids that just sound like they're having fun singing their lungs out! It's kind of a strange album cover though. Why is there one boy in the front driving and nine girls in the back? And why do I feel like the girl at the bottom left with the cat's eye glasses is staring into my soul? Anyhow, hope you enjoy this fun album!

Here's the track list:

1. The Alley Cat Dance


2. The Unicorn


3. Dear World


4. Happy Birthday to Me


5. Just One of Those Songs


6. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang


7. Happiness Is


8. Yellow Submarine


9. Puff the Magic Dragon


10. What's More American

Click here or here to download!

OGF Zodiac for June 8 - Aug. 8: Censor the Bluenose

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Well, it looks like most of you with summer birthdays are stuck under the sign of Censor the Bluenose (at least according to Prof. Otis G. Firefly)!

Sing Children Sing - The New York City Opera Children's Chorus

As you might expect, this being the New York City Opera Children's Chorus, you're not going to get any crazy renditions of songs here (although it is sort of odd to hear songs like "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" sung so reverently). Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

1. Uncle Sam's Farm
2. Go Tell Aunt Rhody
3. Meshivotzi No-otz (Good Little Baby)
4. Ol' Dan Tucker
5. Shenandoah
6. The Singing School
7. Wayfaring Stranger
8. The Blue Tail Fly
9. La Truya (The Group)
10. Gentle Annie
11. Great Grandad
12. The Farmer Is the Man
13. The Erie Canal
14. Simple Gifts
15. Stars Shining By and By

Click here or here to download!

OGF Zodiac for June 6 - June 7: Bewarius the Junkyard Dog

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The Prof. Otis G. Firefly Zodiac continues with Bewarius the Junkyard Dog. Not too many of you will fall under this sign, considering it only lasts for two days!

OGF Wisdom for June

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Sorry this is late. I forgot to put it in the scheduled posts. Here's your Prof. Otis G. Firefly wisdom for June. Enjoy!

Woody Woodpecker

There is a little bit of overlap from this album, but unlike that one, this one does use the voice of Woody Woodpecker from that time, Grace Stafford (who also happened to be producer Walter Lantz's wife). This one throws in a slightly different mix of characters than the other one. There's still Woody of course, as well as Andy Panda (Yes, his song is actually called "The Andy Pandy Polka") and Chilly Willy (who they gave a goofy voice for his song), but there's also Inspector Willoughby, the Bearies, and Space Mouse. The only place I ever remembered seeing Space Mouse is on a domino set I had when I was a kid. It was one of those that used pictures instead of dots, and he was one of the pictures.

Anyway, there's lots of fun stuff here, and I hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

1. Woody Woodpecker Theme
2. Wackity Woody
3. Cartoon Showtime
4. Popcorn Song
5. Hawaiiuh
6. Trudging Along
7. Willoughby March
8. Woody Woodpecker March
9. My Little Brown Uke
10. Woody Woodpecker Waltz
11. Andy Pandy Polka
12. Chilly Willy the Penguin
13. It's the Bearies
14. The Hill Bearies
15. Space Mouse Cadet

Click here or here to download!

Jose Jimenez Talks to Teenagers of All Ages

I know a number of high schoolers will be graduating this weekend, so here's a special album for you, performed by Bill Dana's alter-ego, Jose Jimenez, in front of a live studio audience. If afraid to tell you guys that I think this is pretty funny and risk a repeat of the Paul Lynde debacle we had earlier. I do particularly enjoy "The Etiquette Expert" because it sounds like a fun ad-libbed Q&A with young audience members. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and Congratulations Graduates!

Here's the track list:

1. The Cheerleader
2. The Vocational Guidance Counselor
3. The Etiquette Expert
4. The Baseball Star
5. Teenage Problems
6. The History Lesson - Christopher Columbus
7. The Marriage Counselor
8. Another History Lesson - George Washington
9. My Alma Mater

Click here or here to download!

Patriotic Songs - Howard Chitjian and the Concert Band of Los Angeles

For Memorial Day (at least in the U.S.) I figured I'd throw in an album of patriotic music. Some of these I remember from school, some I don't. Regardless, please try to remember that Memorial Day is more than just a day off from work and a chance to catch sales. Thanks!

Here's the track list:

1. The Caisson Song


2. Marines' Hymn


3. The Stars and Stripes Forever


4. When Johnny Comes Marching Home


5. Yankee Doodle


6. Battle Hymn of the Republic


7. America


8. America the Beautiful


9. You're a Grand Old Flag


10. This Is My Country


11. God Bless America


12. Columbia the Gem of the Ocean


13. The Star Spangled Banner


14. There Are Many Flags in Many Lands


15. An American


16. This Land Is Your Land


17. Flag Song

Click here or here to download!

Cleveland Smith: Bounty Hunter

In honor of the new Indiana Jones movie here's a parody of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" starring Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi made back in 1981!





If you'd like to read a more fleshed out script for this, go here. It's pretty silly, but I had to admit that I got a few good laughs out of it!

It's Cool in the Furnace II - The Adventure Continues

I wanted to put the original "It's Cool in the Furnace" up here, but it looks to be available here as part of a 35th anniversary re-release (and is recommended as probably one of the better Christian musicals for kids), so instead here's the little known sequel. It really has nothing to do with the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, but it does continue the story after that with Daniel, culminating in his adventure in the lion's den. This has got some pretty catchy tunes in it as well, and I hope you like it!

UPDATE: I've been told that the re-release of "It's Cool in the Furnace" was actually a different production, so I've made the original available here! (and thanks Mr. Anonymous for correcting me about Daniel. That's what I get for blogging in a hurry!)

Here's the track list:

1. We're Having a Party


2. Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin


3. Yes Indeed


4. God All the Way


5. That's Never Gonna Work


6. Sing a Prayer


7. A Very Bad Mistake


8. A Very Bad Mistake (Reprise)


9. Shut My Mouth


10. The Lord's Day

Click here or here to download!

Captain Kangaroo Tells Just So Stories

Here's a few of Kipling's Just So stories told by that great storyteller himself, Captain Kangaroo! (I guess that explains the last story on this list.) Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

1. How the Elephant Got His Trunk
2. How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin
3. How the Camel Got His Hump
4. How the Kangaroo Got His Legs

Click here or here to download!

Old MacDonald Had a Farm - The Merry Players

Here's another album of kid's songs performed by "The Merry Players". I haven't heard of them myself, but a number of the songs (especially ones on the second half of the record) sound like some of the same singers used on the "Songs to Tickle Your Funny Bone" album. I think it would have been a blast to be part of some roving band of studio singers that specialized in doing children's records. As many albums as there were, I think you'd be set for life (or at least as long as your voice held out)! Anyway, hope you like this one!

Here's the track list:

1. Farm Friends
2. Old MacDonald Had a Farm
3. The Farmer in the Dell
4. The Turkey in the Straw
5. Old Joe Clark
6. Goober Peas
7. Let's Grow Things
8. Six Ducks
9. The Sow Took the Measles
10. Animal Song
11. Boll Weevil
12. Barnyard Chorus Medley

Click here or here to download!

In the Navy - Irwin the Disco Duck and the Wibble Wabble Singers and Orchestra

Here's another entry in the "Irwin the Disco Duck" oeuvre. I'm not quite sure which one this was though, but it's another fun Irwin production with another great George Peed cover. However, points are lost for Irwin losing his semi-unintelligible Donald Duck voice and for him plugging another one of his albums at the end of this one. Anyway, hope you like this!

Here's the track list:

1. In the Navy
2. Macho Man
3. Y.M.C.A.
4. Music Box Dancer
5. Last Dance
6. Knock on Wood
7. Le Freak
8. Instant Replay
9. I Love the Night Life
10. Goodnight Tonight

Click here or here to download!

The Elephant Who Forgot - Arnold Stang & the Rocking Horse Players

These are some fun animal stories narrated by the unmistakeable voice of Arnold Stang. (If you don't recognize the name, you'll certainly recognize his voice!) I thought it odd that that fact isn't advertised on the record cover itself. It is mentioned on the record's label though. Part of me wonders if these were originally meant to be collected together (although the last story does reference the first one). The reason I say that is because Stang uses his standard voice for every single story. He's got others (He was the voice of Top Cat after all), but there's no variation on the characters here. I think it's still pretty neat, and I hope you do too!

Here's the track list:

1. Harry the Horse
2. Percy the Polite Seal
3. The Elephant Who Forgot
4. The Hippy Hippo
5. The Clock That Went Tock Tick
6. Schloimy the Subway Train
7. Beezy the Sneezy Bee

Click here or here to download!

Danny Kaye Tells Six Stories from Faraway Places

(Sorry, I didn't realize my scheduled posts ran out!)

Here's Danny Kaye telling some fun stories, some of them in silly accents. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

1. The Farmer of Babbia (Ethiopia)
   
2. The Big Oven (Russia)
   
3. Master of All Masters (Scotland)
   
4. The Most Remarkable Cat (Vietnam)
   
5. Nail Broth (Sweden)
   
6. The Tale of the Name of the Tree (Bantu)
   

Click here or here to download!

And if you'd like a CD of Danny Kaye telling stories from Grimm's Fairy Tales and Hans Christian Andersen, you can get that from Amazon.com here!

I Believe: Songs of Devotion - Peter Pan Orchestra & Chorus

Here's an album of great devotional and inspirational songs suitable for kids, like I Believe, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, Faith of Our Fathers, The Great Pretender, Climb Every... wait a minute..."The Great Pretender"???? Yeah, it's the one you're thinking, but I'm not really sure what a song about pretending to do well by "pretending that you're still around" has to do with devotional songs. Is he supposed to be talking about God? That's not really sending a good message to kids, is it?

One other thing. The cover (and the record label itself) mentions two songs that are not on the actual record: Rock of Ages and The End. Rock of Ages I know, but which The End are they talking about? The only one I know is the Beatles one ("And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."), but this came out way before that did. Even so, it would be a better Song of Devotion than The Great Pretender! Anyway, hope you enjoy this!

Here's the track list:

1. I Believe
2. The Bible Tells Me So
3. Little Child
4. The Great Pretender
5. Climb Every Mountain
6. Open Up Your Heart and Let the Sunshine In
7. Because
8. He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
9. Deck of Cards
10. Faith of Our Fathers

Click here or here to download!

Talkin' Smokey

Remember back when CB radios were the big craze? Well, this record from 1975 was trying to cash in on the fad. I don't know, to me this guy doesn't sound like your typical CB trucker guy at all. He just sounds like a guy singing in a studio with a bunch of back-up singers. It's still fun to hear though. Hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

1. Hey Uncle Charlie


2. Just Gotta Have That C.B. Radio


3. Lover Man


4. Talkin' Smokey


5. Old Collins Airfield


6. Smokey Joe


7. Who Could Ask for Anything More


8. Handle Song

Click here or here to download!

Iron Man Theme

Let's hope the new Iron Man movie can find a spot for this...



UPDATE: I saw "Iron Man" Saturday night, and not only did they do a great job with it, but they actually DID include short instrumental bits from this theme in the movie! I heard it once in the casino and I think shortly thereafter when Stark was romping around in bed with a woman. I think my favorite instance of it was hearing it as Rhodie's ringtone for Tony Stark! (I was actually joking around. I didn't figure they really did it!)

Thanks to dlevy for confirming that my ears weren't playing tricks on me!

OGF Wisdom for May!

(Click on the pic to make it bic...I mean big)

I hope you guys are enjoying these quasi-educational tidbits from the good Professor Otis G. Firefly. I would like to know if anybody tries the self-expression suggestions (although I wouldn't recommend the one for this month)!