Thousand Oaks Library American Radio Archives Sportsmen Collection Introduction The Sportsmen Collection of the American Radio Archives of the Thousand Oaks Library consists primarily of musical scores used by this singing group from the mid-1940s until the late 1960s. The collection contains approximately 120 handwritten scores, as well as a small assortment of photographs and publicity material. This collection was assembled by member Robert Garsen. History Information about the early days of the group is sketchy - the Sportsmen Quartet was founded in 1938 by Bill Days and Max Smith, who had left the Paul Taylor Choristers to form their own quartet. They joined with Don Craig and Art McCullough as a group they called The Metropolitans, later renamed The Sportsmen. Over the years the membership of the quartet changed frequently. By 1947, the Sportsmen were best known for their work on the Jack Benny Program, where they often provided a "singing commercial," in which the group poked fun at or parodied the sponsor of the program. As a recurring gag on the program, Benny threatened to fire the group, which he pretended to actually do on March 9, 1947, replacing them the next week with a quartet that included Bing Crosby, Andy Russell, Dick Haymes, and Dennis Day. The Sportsmen did not perform exclusively with Benny, but also appeared on other radio programs such as Burns and Allen, the Eddie Cantor Show, the Judy Canova Show, and the Sealtest Village Store. On many of these programs they performed comic songs or commercials, similar to their work on Benny's program. In addition, they appeared in films, worked with other singing groups, recorded albums, and in the 1950s appeared on television programs as well, including the televised version of the Jack Benny Show. Tenor Robert Garsen founded a musical-comedy group called The Continentals in 1954. They performed in live venues, such as the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, and also on several television programs, including the Red Skelton Show, the Milton Berle Show, and the Ed Sullivan Show. Garsen was best known within the group for his whistling rendition of "Flight of the Bumblebee," and for portraying the character of Casey in "Casey at the Bat" - acts he continued to perform with The Sportsmen, whom he joined in 1957. Scope and Content Most of the musical scores and arrangements in the collection are arranged alphabetically by song title, since they bear no notations as to which programs or performances they were used on. Those that do have identifying notations are arranged according to the programs; the remainder are scores for songs used on albums that the group recorded, and miscellaneous papers, primarily publicity material and photographs. Since the collection was compiled by Garsen, some material relating to his career with The Continentals is also included, and there is no way to identify those scores that may have been were performed solely with that group. Garsen joined the Sportsmen relatively late, but he obtained many scores from other group members that were clearly identified as having been performed by them prior to Garsen's involvement, and these scores comprise the bulk of the collection. Musical Scores and Arrangements, general Box Folder Song Title Notes 1 1 Abdul, the Bulbul Ameer 1 2 Accentuate the Positive #46 1 3 Adeste fidelis #6 1 4 Adobe Hacienda #907 1 5 After 1961--what? 1 6 Ain't she Sweet 1 7 A Kiss GoodNight #729 1 8 Alabama Barbecue #4 1 9 Alexander's Ragtime Band #5 1 10 All Hail / Howard Jones Medley / Whiffenpoof Song / On Brave Army Team / Michigan / Notre Dame #592 1 11 All that Glitters Is not Gold #7 1 12 All thru the Night #11 1 13 Almost like Being in Love 1 14 Alouette #487 1 15 America #20 1 16 America the Beautiful #21 1 17 And the Great Big Saw Came Nearer #730 1 18 The Animal Fair #602 1 19 Annie Laurie #13 1 20 Anniversary Song #932 1 21 Anniversary Song (for my friend Irma) 1 22 April #20 Box Folder Song Title Notes 1 23 Army Hymn #524 1 24 The Ash Grove #603 1 25 At the County Fair 1 26 Atlanta, G.A. #804 1 27 Back in Cactus Valley #548 1 28 Back Porch 1 29 Banana Boat Song 1 30 Banks of the Wabash-Indiana #34 1 31 Barbershop Medley instrumental parts 2 1 Barbershop Medley vocal score 2 2 Battle Hymn of the Republic 2 3 Be yourself 2 4 Beautiful Dreamer #23 2 5 Beautiful Music #585 2 6 Before we Sing instrumental parts 2 7 Before we Sing vocal scores 2 8 Begin the Beguine 2 9 Believe me if all those Endearing Y.C.'s 2 10 Bell Bottom Trousers #708 2 11 Bells of St. Mary's #40 2 12 Bells of the Sea #26 2 13 Ben Bolt #39 2 14 Best of all #31 2 15 Bill's the one who Stays away 2 16 Black Ball 3 1 Black Ball Ferry Line vocal scores 3 2 Black Ball Ferry Line instrumental parts (pt. 1) 3 3 Black Ball Ferry Line instrumental parts (pt. 2) 3 4 Blue bells of Scotland #28 3 5 Blue Hawaii 3 6 Blue Love Bird #584 3 7 Blue Skies (#1242) 3 8 Blue Skies #30 3 9 Brazen Little Raisin #187 3 10 Breaking my Heart over you #784 3 11 The Breeze and I #148 3 12 Bridge of Sighs Box Folder Song Title Notes 3 13 The Builder #604 3 14 Button up your Overcoat #714 3 15 Bye-bye Blackbird #755 4 1 Camptown Races #274 4 2 Can't yo' heah me Callin' Caroline? #583 4 3 Captain Spaulding 4 4 Carbondale, P.A. #825 4 5 Carmela #619 4 6 Carrie (marry Harry) #738 4 7 Carry me back #582 4 8 Casey's Revenge Conductor's score 4 9 Casey's Revenge instrumental parts 4 10 Casey's Revenge vocals 4 11 Chick, chick, chickadee #816 4 12 Chickery, chick #759 4 13 Chiri boum boum #556 4 14 Christ the Lord Is Risen today #553 4 15 Circumstances beyond my Control #816 4 16 Circus Medley #812 4 17 Civilization #735 4 18 Clancy (lowered the boom) #536 4 19 Clementine #658 4 20 The click-clack Song 4 21 The Cobbler Song 4 22 Come Josephine #653 4 23 Coney Island Baby 4 24 Could be #593 4 25 The Cranky Old Yank #555 4 26 Crazy Arms 4 27 Cuckoo in the Clock #313 4 28 Cumbanchero 4 29 Curse of an Aching Heart #314 5 1 Daddy Wouldn't Buy us a Bow-wow #157, conductor & vocal scores 5 2 Daddy Wouldn't Buy us a Bow-wow #157, instrumental 5 3 Darktown Strutters Ball #734 5 4 A Day in the Nineties #673 5 5 Day-o 5 6 Dear Old Girl Box Folder Song Title Notes 5 7 Deck the Halls #932 5 8 Ding dong the Witch Is Dead #45 5 9 The Dipsy-doodle #625 5 10 Dirthy Ding-dong 5 11 Do Lord 5 12 Doctor Lawyer #783 5 13 Don't Worry 'bout me #151 5 14 Down by the O-HI-O #13 5 15 Down by the Old Mill Stream #427 5 16 Dream 5 17 Drink, Drink, Drink (publ. arr.) 5 18 (Drive your Blues away) #544 5 19 Elmer's Tune 5 20 Entertainment 5 21 Everyone Loves the Waltz 5 22 Exactly like you #702 5 23 Falstaff 5 24 Father Dear Father 5 25 Ferris Wheel #252 5 26 Feudin' and Fightin' #917 5 27 The first Noel 6 1 Flight of the Bumble Bee and Good Night Ladies 6 2 Flow Gently Sweet Afton #251 6 3 For me and my Gal #726 6 4 Four Part Harmony 6 5 Freight Train 6 6 From this Moment on instrumental parts 6 7 From this Moment on vocal, conductor 6 8 (Gambling Song) 6 9 A Garden in the Rain 6 10 Gee, but it's Fun to Sing a Song #721 6 11 Gentlemen of the Press instrumental part 6 12 Gentlemen of the Press vocal score 6 13 Gentlemen of the Press (Conductor's score) 6 14 Get Happy #388 6 15 Ghost of a Chance 6 16 Girl with the Golden Braids 6 17 Give a Little Whistle #623 6 18 Give our Regards to Broadway Box Folder Song Title Notes 6 19 Gloria (#932) 6 20 God Be with you 6 21 God's Country #95 6 22 Goin' back to Brooklyn #707 6 23 Goodnight Ladies Conductor's score 6 24 Goodnight Ladies instrumental parts 6 25 Goodnight Ladies vocal scores (#260) 7 1 Good Night wherever you Are #539 7 2 Goodwill (#483) 7 3 Great Day #383 7 4 Green Leaves of Summer 7 5 Gypsy Love Song #261, score, w. published Music 7 6 Halls of Ivy published score 7 7 Happy Birthday vocal score 7 8 Happy New Year #512 7 9 Hawaiian Medley instrument parts 7 10 Hawaiian War Chant instrument parts 7 11 Hear my Prayer, O Lord (Dvorak) #72 7 12 Helen Polka #456 7 13 Hello Remley 7 14 Hey! Good Lookin' #51 7 15 Hi, Neighbor! #85 7 16 Hid-dle-dee-dee #624 7 17 Hi Time instrumental parts 7 18 Hi Time instrumental parts 7 19 Hi Time vocal & conductor scores 7 20 Hi Time & Before we Sing instrument parts 8 1 Hi Time & Bongo-bongo instrumental parts 8 2 Hi Time & Bongo-bongo vocal & conductor scores 8 3 Hi Time & Bongo-bongo Conductor score 8 4 Hi Time / From this Moment on instrumental parts 8 5 Hi Time and Wyoming instrument parts 8 6 Hi Time and Wyoming instrument parts 8 7 Hi Time and Wyoming vocal parts 8 8 High Society 8 9 Home on the Range #128 Box Folder Song Title Notes 8 10 Home Sweet Home #89 8 11 Honkey Little Donkey #700 8 12 Hooray for Spinach #91, vocal and instrumental parts 8 13 Hot Rod Hop Condensed score, instrument parts 8 14 Hot Rod Hop vocal score 8 15 Hot Time Medley #1 vocal part 9 1 Hot Time Medley #2 vocal part 9 2 The house Is Haunted #749 9 3 How can I Leave Thee #94, vocal part 9 4 How Firm a Foundation #610, vocal part 9 5 How'm I Doin' #92, vocal and instrumental parts 9 6 Hubba-Hubba-Hubba #788 9 7 Hum Song Condensed score, vocal score 9 8 Hum Song instrument parts 9 9 Hurray for Hollywood instrument parts 9 10 Hurray for Hollywood Conductor score 9 11 I Couldn't Sleep a Wink #475 9 12 I Cried for you #113, published Music, vocal and instrument parts 9 13 I Don't Know why #800 9 14 I Dug a Ditch #52 9 15 I Found a million Dollar Baby in a five and ten Cent Store 9 16 I Killed myself because of you #488, instrument parts, condensed score 9 17 I Love Life #117, published vocal score and parts 9 18 I Wanna Marry Mary instrument and vocal parts 9 19 I Want a Girl, just like the Girl #579 9 20 I Wonder who's Kissing her now #103 10 1 I Would Love to Be Home when I'm gone vocal part 10 2 I'd Be Lost without you #823 Box Folder Song Title Notes 10 3 I'd Love to Live in Loveland #490, vocal, instrument parts 10 4 I'd rather Be a Hummin' Bird #731 10 5 I'll Be with you in Apple Blossom Time 10 6 I'll Remember April #56, publ.