More On Allan Sherman

Before Allan Sherman made his hit recording, my son, the folk singer, he made a private recording, My Fair Lady.  This recording was produced by Associated Recording Studios with a blue and white label that had only one side.  It has the greatest number of Yiddish references of all Sherman’s recordings, which might make it difficult for some to understand.  It is a satire of the famous musical, My Fair Lady, and lasts about twenty minutes.  Here Eliza, the flower seller, speaks English so perfectly that she can’t be understood by the Brooklyn natives.  In order to speak correctly, she needs the help of a Jewish owner of a candy store and learn about “Jewish things.”  The owner tells Eliza:  “You’ll trouble, dalink, is you’ve got a speech imperiment.”  As is common for Allan Sherman, there are the usual mangled words, i.e. “I’ve got the customers to face.”  However, unlike the majority of Sherman’s works, which feature individual lyrics(the exception is Peter and the Comissar), My Fair Lady tells a story, and quite an amusing one at that.

About Robert M. Weiss
From an early age, I've taken great pleasure in reading. Also, I learned to play my 78 player when I was quite young, and enjoyed listening to musicals and classical music. I remember sitting on the floor, and following the text and pictures of record readers, which were popular in the 1940s and 50s. My favorites were the Bozo and Disney albums. I also enjoyed watching the slow spinning of 16s as they spun out tales of adventure. I have always been attracted by rivers, and I love to sit on a boulder with my feet in the water, gazing into the mysteries of swirling currents. I especially like inner tubing on the Rogue River in Southern Oregon. Since my early youth, I've been interested in collecting minerals, which have taught me about the wonderful possibilities in colors and forms. Sometimes I try to imagine what the ancient Greeks must have felt when they began to discover physical laws in nature. I also remember that I had a special passion for numbers, and used to construct them out of stones. After teaching Russian for several years, I became a writer, interviewer, editor, and translator. I continue to delight in form, and am a problem solver at heart.

4 Responses to More On Allan Sherman

  1. Jim G says:

    Hi, is there any way to hear this Allan Sherman recording? I’m very interested. Thanks. Jim

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  2. Jim G says:

    Sorry, forgot my contact information jimgweb@gmail.com

    Like

  3. Jim Gentile says:

    Hi again, I was contacted by Bob Sherman, son of Allan Sherman, and he’s looking for the acetate version of this album. If you have it or know of one, please contact him directly at bob@robertsherman.com.
    JimG

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  4. Thanks, Jim. I do have it, and contacted Bob.

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