Obit: Writer of 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny' etc.

Subject: Obit: Songwriter Lee Pockriss
From: Genie
Date: 18 Nov 11 - 10:26 PM

IIRC, the inspiration for Teen Angel was a brief newspaper article Lee Pockriss saw about a teenage girl being killed in a train-car crash. He just embellished the story a lot and turned it into a hit pop song.

Subject: RE: Obit: Writer of 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny' etc.
From: Cool Beans
Date: 18 Nov 11 - 10:37 AM

Hey, Murray, I remember a bit of a parody from a variety show on American TV:
Catch a falling czar and send him to Siberia
Never let him get away...

Subject: RE: Obit: Writer of 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny' etc.
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 18 Nov 11 - 04:04 AM

RIP. I loved all these songs, but then again I loved everything I heard on the radio when I was 11 years old.

Does anybody remember some comedian ( can't remember if he was British or American ), singing a parody of "Catch a falling star", which went "Catch a falling Sputnik, put it in your pocket, send it to the USA" ?

Probably it was a British gag, any American who sang that in 1957 would have been up before the Un-American Activities Committee, I imagine.

Subject: RE: Obit: Writer of 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny' etc.
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 18 Nov 11 - 01:35 AM

May he rest in peace, but I have long been troubled by the notion that, when MY time comes, the last thing that will go through my mind will be the memory of Itsy Bitsy as imprinted there in the summer of 1960.

Subject: RE: Obit: Writer of 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny' etc.
From: Bobert
Date: 17 Nov 11 - 08:46 PM

Guess Spawz and I are about the same age... Perry Como was the shits back then... I mean, he had some fine songs... That was alsos my favorite Pockriss song though "Teen Angle" was purdy good, as well...

B~

Subject: RE: Obit: Writer of 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny' etc.
From: catspaw49
Date: 17 Nov 11 - 07:17 PM

I loved "Catch a Falling Star" as a lad too. But where I lived, Perry Como was a real star! He was born just across the border in Pennsylvania but had a good friend whom he had met as a barber, Sam Mastangelo...another barber. Now when I was a boy back home in Uhrichsville, we went to that barber!ds. Sam Mastrangelo of course had all of his records at the time and knew lots of stories. They still talked by phone and Sam had been to see him several times when he was touring.

One of the things that small town living brings you is an odd mix of excitement and reserve. Also it's amazing the speed at which news travels. It was a summer day in either '57 or '58 when we heard, "Perry Como is down at Sam's shop!!" Now in a podunk little town, a guy who even knew a celebrity WAS a celebrity and Sam qualified as that.......and NOW he had "produced the goods."

I don't know how many people were in the little "downtown" section of town but there were a lot. Sam's shop was in the decaying Buckeye Hotel but no one lining up at his door. Excited as people obviously were, no one was storming the gates and indeed most were trying to look casual. The downtown streets were pretty full of folks, but it seemed that they all "just happened" to be there that day. When Perry and Sam exited the barber shop and walked to his car, about a dozen folks broke down there midwestern reserve and went for an autograph but most maintained and gave him a smile or a wave, like, "Oh Hi there Perry........I was just going to the H&A for a box of band-aids." Uh-huh.

We kids though could be counted on to be 50's midwestern kids. We stood en masse, probably about twenty-five of us, across the street in front of the 5&10, with our mouths hanging open and dumb looks of awe on our faces. I think he probably had better audiences, but he never had a more dumbstruck one.

Catch a Falling Star was a huge hit for Como. So I thank Lee Pockriss for that one even if Itsy was iffy.....at least for me. I bet he did pretty well with it!

Condolences to his family and friends. Goes to show how we do things that affect other people without ever knowing it.........


Spaw

Subject: RE: Obit: Writer of 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny' etc.
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 17 Nov 11 - 05:19 PM

Ah ... I've sung Bikini just the once, with 'volunteers' from the audience. 'Catch a falling star' was a favourite of mine as a little lad; must brush up on the words.

Subject: RE: Obit: Writer of 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny' etc.
From: Beer
Date: 17 Nov 11 - 05:12 PM

They certainly were all big hits.
Sympathies to his family and love ones.
Ad.

Subject: RE: Obit: Writer of 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny' etc.
From: Amergin
Date: 17 Nov 11 - 02:22 PM

Does this mean he'll be buried in an Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny polka dotted casket?

Subject: Obit: Writer of 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny' etc.
From: Cool Beans
Date: 17 Nov 11 - 01:46 PM

Lee Pockriss also wrote "Johnny Angel" and "Catch a Falling Star."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/arts/music/lee-pockriss-composer-and-songwriter-is-dead-at-87.html?hpw