Baby Face: Sheet Music Cuties

Eight months after moving I am finally getting around to organizing my sheet music. But I can't resist sharing some of the great covers. It's bitter cold out and we all need something to warm our hearts, so here are some sweet faces from yesteryear.

Can you believe this kid grew up to be Uncle Fester? Jackie Coogan got his start with Charlie Chaplin in The Kid.

Coogan as Uncle Fester

Shirley Temple graced the cover of this song from Captain January. "Come along and follow me to the bottom of the sea, We'll join in the jamboree at the Codfish Ball! Lobsters dancing in a row, Shuffle off to Buffalo, Jelly fish sway to and fro at the Codfish Ball!" See Shirley and Buddy Ebsen dancing and singing at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpqt3zgdYUw

You have to be real old to remember Baby Peggy. She was in the first Captain January film in 1924--before sound.

Boys predominate these sentimental songs.

Bobby Sabatino was 10 years old when he had this hit song. He had a voice as you can hear here. I can't find anything else about him.

Al Jolson sang Dirty Hands and Dirty Faces in the 1923 Winter Garden "Bombo." I really think the boy looks like Coogan. "Dirty hands, dirty faces, Little Devil they say, but tome he's an angel of joy." Jolson appeared in black face as a slave serving Christopher Columbus. Other songs in the review included April Showers, California Here I Come, and Toot Toot Tootsie. How this song figured into the story I have no idea!

1934 song from a dad to his son includes "Little man you're crying, I know why you're blue, Someone took your kiddy car away; Better go to sleep now, Little man you've had a busy day. Johnny won your marbles, Tell you what we'll do, Dad'll get you new ones right away." If only life's loses were all so easy to replace!

Gus Kahn is one of my favorite lyricists to collect. This 1928 cover has Paul Whiteman Jr. as "Little Boy Blue Jeans." "Where are you Little pal of long ago? Springtime's here, but we're so far apart. Wish you knew that today I miss yo so, All day long your tender song rings in my heart. Each little whippoorwill misses you, little boy blue jeans. Daisies on the hill sigh for my little boy blue jeans. Here, where we wandered a long time ago, Pine trees are whispering of you, Telling the skies how they love you. Shadows are falling, I'm calling you, little boy blue jeans."

In 1929 Benny Merhoff was the "king of the big band" according to this obituary but it was Eddie Arnold's rendition that is remembered. "He's all the world to me, He climbs upon my knee To me he'll always be, That Little Boy Of Mine."

Mom put my hair in pig tails when I was a girl. This 1939 song by Sammy Cahn was inspired by "Myra", the cutie in the photo. "The prettiest child drives the little boys wild, if you ask them they'll all declare, it's the girl, it's the girl with the pigtails in her hair."

I had the pigtails. I didn't have the little boys.

I still have ribbons from my childhood. (You an see some in the photo above!) This 1949 song was popular when I was a girl when The Kingston Trio recorded it. Its a beautiful song. Hearing his daughter pray for scarlet ribbons her dad searches but is unable to find some. "Just before the dawn was breaking I peeked in and on her bed in gay profusion lying there, lovely ribbons, scarlet ribbons, scarlet ribbons for her hair. If I live to be two hundred I will never know from where came those lovely scarlet ribbons, scarlet ribbons for her hair."