Lyr Req: Mister Sears and Roebuck (Dorothy Shay)

Subject: Lyr Req: Mr. Sears and Roebuck
From: GUEST,Thurber720
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 12:21 PM

I'm looking for the lyrics to a great old novelty number, sung, I think, by Dorothy Shay ("The Park Avenue Hillbilly"). It begins, "Dear Mr. Sears and Roebuck/I've been sittin' here a-thumbin' through your book//On page a hundred ninety-nine/There's a stove that's might fine/ and a fella in an apron like a cook." The second verse ends up with something about "so he can teach me how to cook with gas." Thanks!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Sears and Roebuck
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Apr 03 - 07:09 AM

Dorothy Shay Columbia 38418 Mister Sears And Roebuck/Broke Your Promise

Subject: Lyr Add: MISTER SEARS AND ROEBUCK (Dorothy Shay)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Apr 03 - 02:27 AM

MISTER SEARS AND ROEBUCK
As recorded by Dorothy Shay, 1949.

Dear Mister Sears and Roebuck:
I been sittin' here a-thumbin' through your book.
Page a hundred ninety-nine
Shows a stove that's mighty fine
And a feller in an apron like a cook.

Dear Mister Sears and Roebuck:
That electric stove's away above my class.
It's a beauty, yes indeed,
But the thing I really need
Is that man to teach me how to cook with gas.

Don't send the stove. It's the kind I'd like to buy,
But I ain't makin' much singin' ballads.
I don't need the stove, but if I could have a guy,
He could toss me around like his salads.

Oh, Mister Sears and Roebuck:
All the items in your catalog are slick,
But the gadget I'd admire
Is that man beside my fire.
Take his apron off and send him to me quick.

Dear Mister Sears and Roebuck:
I been checkin' your supplies for tennis courts.
There is somethin' I should get--
Not a racket or a net--
But I sure could use that rascal in the shorts.

Dear Mister Sears and Roebuck:
Your canoe on page a hundred forty-three--
Now that's the type that I would pick,
But I'm up a diff'rent crick.
Can't you send a feller here to paddle me?

I don't want a bath. Soapy water makes me howl.
Don't the folks in your ads ever mind it?
I can't use a bath. You can keep your Turkish towel;
Only ship me the sheik from behind it.

Don't mean to fuss, ol' Roebuck,
But you'll never fill my order, it appears.
If the shortage is acute,
I'm an easy girl to suit.
I'll shut up if you will send me Mister Sears, if he ain't taken.
I'll shut up if you will send me Mister Sears.

[Information from at Penn State library:
Title: MISTER SEARS & ROEBUCK
Collection: PENNSYLVANIANS
Composers: Ray Gilbert, William Okie, Al Gannay.
Arranger: Harry Simeone.
Publisher: Paul Warnow 1949 (Spec. Lyrics OK'd by Mr. McGregor)]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Sears and Roebuck
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 24 Apr 03 - 05:23 AM

Thank you Mr. Dixon for the words and the link!

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Sears and Roebuck
From: GUEST,thurber720
Date: 24 Apr 03 - 04:16 PM

Dear Mr. Dixon:   Thank you, thank you!!! It all comes back to me now; and in the earlier post mentioning "You Broke Your Promise", I was pleased to realize that I remember ALL the words to that one!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Sears and Roebuck
From: GUEST,Kathy--grand niece and goddaughter
Date: 15 Sep 08 - 11:34 PM

Just ran across this old post..so thought I'd take a moment to affirm it is indeed a tune by my Aunt Dot--aka Dorothy Shay.

The link given above appears to be dead, but you can listen/purchase the song on either itunes or rhapsody...thanks to a recent rerelease of the material on the CD "Here's Dorothy Shay"

http://www.ilike.com/artist/Dorothy+Shay/album/Here%27s+Dorothy+Shay

Cheers! And thanks for the lyrics...I'm trying to gather them while avoiding having to transcribe them myself!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Sears and Roebuck (from Dorothy Shay)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Apr 13 - 12:15 PM

Bowling Green State University has the sheet music. It's not viewable online, but their catalog has this information:

MISTER SEARS AND ROEBUCK
Words by Ray Gilbert and William Okie ; music by Al Gannaway.
Hollywood, CA : Mark Warnow Music, ©1949.
"Recorded by Dorothy Shay on Columbia Records"

I consider the above information to be definitive, although some other sources say the title is "Mr. Sears & Mr. Roebuck" or other variations.

By the way, I listened to Dorothy Shay's recording on Spotify, and her lyrics correspond EXACTLY to those I posted back in 2003, which I copied from another website.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Sears and Roebuck (from Dorothy Shay)
From: GUEST,kathyc from dorothyshay.com
Date: 19 May 13 - 09:48 PM

Great thread guys...I get lyrics requests all the time and short of sitting down to listen and transcribe (which is NOT happening) my only other recourse is wonderful folks like you who've already done the dirty work!!

Tonight, I was wanting to post the cover art from the sheet music, a youtube link, and the lyrics on the facebook page...THANKS!

KathyC from www.dorothyshay.com
Dorothy Shay on Facebook

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Sears and Roebuck (from Dorothy Shay)
From: GUEST,kathyc from dorothyshay.com
Date: 19 May 13 - 09:51 PM

Oh how embarrassing...I see that I chimed in 5 years ago....my memory is going!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Sears and Roebuck (from Dorothy Shay)
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Oct 18 - 01:26 PM

Thanks very much. Brought back memories of when I was 14-years old. Roberta of Jerusalem

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Sears and Roebuck (from Dorothy Shay)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Oct 18 - 09:29 PM

The Internet Archive has two recordings of MISTER SEARS AND ROEBUCK—one by Dorothy Shay, and one by Don Barry and Dana Gibson with the Black-Smith Trio, both from 1949.

Subject: Lyr Add: MISTER SEARS AND ROEBUCK (Barry & Gibson)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Oct 18 - 10:13 PM

MISTER SEARS AND ROEBUCK
As recorded by Don Barry and Dana Gibson with the Black-Smith Trio, 1949.

(Spoken:)
[Boys:] Hey, Paw!
[Paw:] Uh...yep.
[Boys:] That new catalog just come, and Sis run off with it!
[Paw:] Not agin!
[Girl:] But Paw, I’m busy writin’!
Dear Mister Sears and Roebuck:

(Sung:)
[Girl:] I been checkin' your supplies for tennis courts.
There is somethin' I should get—
Not a racket or a net—
But I sure could use that rascal in the shorts.

Dear Mister Sears and Roebuck:
Your canoe on page a hundred forty-three—
That's the type that I would pick,
But I'm up a diff'rent crick.
Won’t you send a fella here to paddle me?

[Boys:] She don't want a bath. Soapy water makes her howl.
Don't the folks in your ads ever mind it?
[Girl:] I can't use a bath. [Boys:] You can keep your Turkish towel.
[Girl:] Only ship me the sheik from behind it.

Don't mean to fuss, ol’ Roebuck,
But you'll never fill my order, it appears.
If the shortage is acute,
I'm an easy gal to suit.
I'll shut up if you will send me Mister Sears.

(Spoken:)
[Neighbor:] Hey, neighbor!
[Girl:] Yup.
[Neighbor:] Can I borrow your catalogy?
[Girl:] Yup.
[Neighbor:] Gonna write me a letter.

(Sung:)
[Neighbor:] Dear Mister Sears and Roebuck:
Your cologne could not compete with my corral,
But I’d buy the stuff in quarts
If I thought that you’d be sports.
Would you send it to me sprinkled on a gal, hm?

[Girl:] I love a guy but he’s bashful as can be,
And I can’t wait around here forever.
[Neighbor:] Well, if you love a guy, could he happen to be me?
[Girl:] ‘Course I do. [Neighbor:] I’ll be doggone!

[Girl+Neighbor:] Pardon us, ol’ Roebuck,
But we’ll have to change our orders, it appears.
[Girl:] Just forget those other things.
[Neighbor:] Send a pair of wedding rings.
[Girl+Neighbor:] We’ll name all the kids for you and Mister Sears.
[Chorus:] We’ll name all the kids for you and Mister Sears.

(Spoken:)
[Neighbor:] I don’t know what we would ‘a’ done without that-there catalogy.