Charleston Charlie

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"Charleston Charlie" is a song from the animated short Disney film, A Symposium on Popular Songs which was first released in 1962. The song was written by Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman, performed by Gloria Wood and arranged by Tutti Camarata.

[edit] Inside references

The song makes direct reference to the singing style exemplified by Helen Kane in her flapper era iconic song "He's So Unusual" which was co-written by the Sherman Brothers' tin pan alley songwriting father, Al Sherman in 1929. The subject of both songs is a male college student whom the singer desires. "Charleston Charlie" begins with the Betty Boop-esque lyric "Poop poop e doop". Betty Boop was also supposed to be a flapper. According to film critic, Leonard Maltin, this song and "Although I Dropped $100,000" (from the same soundtrack) are both homages to previous Al Sherman songs.

[edit] Story placement

According to the film's narrator, Ludwig Von Drake, he (Von Drake) wrote the song when travelling below the Mason Dixon line. Accordingly, "Mr. Dixon" approached Drake, asking him to put "Dixie" on the map. For this reason he wrote a song originally entitled, "Louisville, Ludvig" but later changed the name to "Charleston Charlie" in order to protect the innocent, namely himself.

[edit] Literary Sources

• Sherman, Robert B. Walt's Time: from before to beyond. Chapter 1; "Al's Time", Pages 17, 231. Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998.