The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #118704 Message #2576268
Posted By: Jim Dixon
26-Feb-09 - 07:22 AM
Thread Name: Origins: ever been to Pasadena?
Subject: RE: Origins: ever been to Pasadena?
I seem to recall hearing the phrase "little old lady from Pasadena" in the 1950s or early 60s from a TV comedian—maybe more than one comedian—who joked about used-car salesmen.
The salesman claimed that a certain car, although old, was in pristine condition because it had belonged to "a little old lady from Pasadena" who drove it very little and treated it very tenderly.
The more I think about it, the more I can picture this as part of the plot of one of Jack Benny's shows.
Does this ring a bell for anyone?
There must be SOME reason why "little old lady from Pasadena" was a catch phrase known to me as a kid in the Midwest before the song came out, and before I knew anything about Pasadena. I'm just trying to figure out who popularized the phrase.
*
By the way, it was Jan & Dean, not the Beach Boys, who had the big hit with LITTLE OLD LADY FROM PASADENA It peaked at #3 in 1964. (Their other hits were SURF CITY and DEAD MAN'S CURVE.)
It was written by Don Altfeld, Jan Berry, & Roger Christian.