Open the Door, Richard
Chris J. Ullsperger
I was watching a "Best of Warner Brothers" show and a cartoon came on
called "High Divin' Hare". It featured Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny.
At one point, Bugs builds a door on the high dive board, separating
himself from Yosemite Sam. Yosemite Sam yells, "Open the door! Open the
door!" and then turns to the camera/viewer and whispers, "Notice that I
didn't say Richard!"
What the hell is he referring to? The cartoon was circa 1950.
Another question regarding bizarre tangentially-related-to-Dylan
references:
A couple years ago on Medline I noticed a reference in the journal of
pathology ((?) or something like that) the title of an article, "Murdered
to the Music of Bob Dylan". The abstract described a murder in which a
man killed his lover by kicking her to death while the song "One More Cup
of Coffee" played in the background. I'm wondering if anyone could
photocopy this reference and send it to me. The journal is not at
Berkeley.
chris
M.J. Chambers
>I saw/heard something this afternoon which was interesting.
>I was watching a "Best of Warner Brothers" show and a cartoon came on
>called "High Divin' Hare". It featured Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny.
>At one point, Bugs builds a door on the high dive board, separating
>himself from Yosemite Sam. Yosemite Sam yells, "Open the door! Open the
>door!" and then turns to the camera/viewer and whispers, "Notice that I
>didn't say Richard!"
>What the hell is he referring to? The cartoon was circa 1950.
Hmmm. Oddly enough the title of that song is actually called "Open the Door
Homer". It is titled as such in a Dylan lyric book. I am not sure where
either of those phrases came from. Good observation though.
rled...@cgate.sait.ab.ca
> I saw/heard something this afternoon which was interesting.
>
> I was watching a "Best of Warner Brothers" show and a cartoon came on
> called "High Divin' Hare". It featured Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny.
>
> At one point, Bugs builds a door on the high dive board, separating
> himself from Yosemite Sam. Yosemite Sam yells, "Open the door! Open the
> door!" and then turns to the camera/viewer and whispers, "Notice that I
> didn't say Richard!"
>
> What the hell is he referring to? The cartoon was circa 1950.
At the risk of sounding like a complete geek (probably too late...) I think
I may have an answer here. I does sound a bit like Richard, but I'm pretty
sure that Sam says,"Notice that I didn't say retched", in reference to the door
I don't think Bob ripped off Mel Blanc...well?...ah...
>
Rob>
BREA...@ukcc.uky.edu
t was not recorded by a seven year old Bob Dylan (b/w "buzz, buzz little bee"
Craig?), though I can't recall the name of the group that charted with. "Open
the Door Homer" aludes to the earlier hit through its title, but has
little else in common with the earlier song.
Dan
Craig Jamieson
: A couple years ago on Medline I noticed a reference in the journal of
: pathology ((?) or something like that) the title of an article, "Murdered
: to the Music of Bob Dylan". The abstract described a murder in which a
: man killed his lover by kicking her to death while the song "One More Cup
: of Coffee" played in the background. I'm wondering if anyone could
I thought it was his mother. And I think his mother was not his lover.
Anyway a full report is expected from our EDLIS Dylan in Hobart agent
so watch this space. In general Ben has not been telling us much
about the Hobart Dylan scene. Though it is winter, of course...
Craig
ra...@ssc.wisc.edu
Chris J. Ullsperger <ulls...@mendel.berkeley.edu> said:
|At one point, Bugs builds a door on the high dive board, separating
|himself from Yosemite Sam. Yosemite Sam yells, "Open the door! Open the
|door!" and then turns to the camera/viewer and whispers, "Notice that I
|didn't say Richard!"
|What the hell is he referring to? The cartoon was circa 1950.
When I was a small child (same time Robert Zimmerman was a small child),
there was a ridiculous novelty song called "Open the Door, Richard,"
that seemed to be on the radio all the time. I can't remember the
rest of the lyrics (if there *were* any other words to it) or who
sang it. In fact, maybe Bugs Bunny himself sang it in some cartoon--I can
almost hear it with his laugh interjected.
Sandy, The Aged
*****************************************************************************
Sandy Ramer Take what you have gathered from coincidence. B.D.
Madison, WI
*****************************************************************************
Chris J. Ullsperger
writes:
>"Open the Door Richard" was the name of a hit pop song of the early
50's. No, i
>t was not recorded by a seven year old Bob Dylan (b/w "buzz, buzz little
bee"
>Craig?), though I can't recall the name of the group that charted with.
"Open
>the Door Homer" aludes to the earlier hit through its title, but has
>little else in common with the earlier song.
Hmm. I thought a version of the song contained the line "Open the door,
Richard". In fact, I had read some wild speculation that someone thought
"Richard" referred to Dick Nixon. That's why I was surprised about the
Yosemite Sam comment (and I don't think Sam was saying "wretched".
"Flea-bitten" and "goldarng", maybe, but not "wretched". :)
chris
Bob Marr
>I saw/heard something this afternoon which was interesting.
>
>I was watching a "Best of Warner Brothers" show and a cartoon came on
>called "High Divin' Hare". It featured Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny.
>
>At one point, Bugs builds a door on the high dive board, separating
>himself from Yosemite Sam. Yosemite Sam yells, "Open the door! Open the
>door!" and then turns to the camera/viewer and whispers, "Notice that I
>didn't say Richard!"
>
>What the hell is he referring to? The cartoon was circa 1950.
>
There was a silly song popular during the forties called "Open the door, Richard!" It was
a _big_ hit, so Bugs Bunny's aside would have been understood by anyone at the time.
Sorry I can't remember any more about it -- should be possible to look it up somewhere
though. Or perhaps someone else of my vintage and with a better memory can recall?
> [Remainder of original post deleted].
> chris
Teacher Resource Center-CAB
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I believe the song open the door richard was recorded my
the Mills Brothers or maybe by some other black group with a similar
sound.
>Dale
R...@ula.cam.ac.uk
Open the door, Richard! /
Camden, N.J. : RCA Victor, 1947
1 sound disc : analog, 78 rpm, mono. ; 10 in.
Harry Edison (side A), Bill Johnson (side A), Ann Moore (side B),
vocal ; Count Basie and his orchestra, performers. [Ed Lewis,
vocal ; Count Basie and his orchestra, performers. [Ed Lewis,
Emmett Berry, Snooky Young, Harry Edison, trumpet; Ted Donnelly,
George Matthews, Eli Robinson, Bill Johnson, trombone; Preston
Love, Rudy Rutherford, alto sax/clarinet; Buddy Tate, Paul
Gonsalves, tenor sax; Jack Washington, baritone sax; Count Basie,
piano; Freddy Green, guitar; Rodney Richardson, bass; Shadow
Wilson, drums]--Cf. 60 years of recorded jazz / Bruyninckx.
Recorded in Los Angeles, Jan. 3, 1947--Cf. Bruyninckx.
20-2127; RCA Victor
R...@ula.cam.ac.uk
[Charlotte, N.C. : Proud to Be, ? 1990 1993
1 videocassette (65 min.) : sd., b&w ; 1/2 in.
Open the door Richard (with Dusty Fletcher)...
R...@ula.cam.ac.uk
Open the door Richard.
[U.S.] : Savoy Records, 194?
1 sound disc (ca. 6 min.) : analog, 45 rpm, mono. ; 7 in.
Open the door Richard (Pt.1) / Fletcher -- Open the door Richard
(Pt.2) / Fletcher.
45-1585; Savoy
MS MUM
R...@ula.cam.ac.uk
Open the door, Richard! /
1 score (5 p.) ; 32 cm.
For voice and piano.
Caption title.
Includes chord symbols.
First line of text: Raindrops down my collar.
D-100; Duchess Music Corp.
R...@ula.cam.ac.uk
1947
Audiovisual
10 min. sd. b&w 16 mm.
In a nightclub sketch, not unlike vaudeville, comedian Dusty
Fletcher plays a drunk just evicted from a better restaurant.
San Francisco State University
R...@ula.cam.ac.uk
La dolce Henke the mad musical world of Mel Henke.
[Burbank, Calif.] : Warner Bros., 1962
1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm, mono. ; 12 in.
Descriptive notes on container.
The lively ones -- Walkin' my baby back home -- The twisters --
Let's put out the lights -- Open the door, Richard! -- Farmer
John -- Last nighton the back porch -- It's so nice to have a man
...
For dance orchestra; Mel Henke, arranger-conductor ; incidental
spoken portions performed by Herschel Bernardi, Mel Blanc, and
Gloria Wood, with the Jud Conlon Singers.
Recorded in Hollywood.
W 1472; Warner Bros.
Blanc, Mel.
Does that help with someone's cartoon connection?
Craig
Dave Searls
Well I thought I read here, although I could have made it up, that
this song was about Richard Farina. So it is a joke about
the Novelty song, with the obvious "Doors of Perception" 60's
meaning of "Open the Door".
This makes "Ain't gonna hear it said no more" a reference to Farina's death.
But then, I'm not sure when Richard Farina died--possible after the song
was written, and I am not sure exactly what his relationship to
Bob was, although he was married to Joan Baez sister.
sea...@buphy.bu.edu
Boston University Physics Department
jim
> I believe the song open the door richard was recorded my
>the Mills Brothers or maybe by some other black group with a similar
>sound.
for saying "Open the window, Richard; that's what it's there for."
It might have only been uttered in one cartoon, but it made an impression.
Non-Dylan aside: Mojo Nixon has a major collection of Foghorn Leghorn
memorabilia.
Jim
Jim Lester (an employee) Citicorp slash TTI
90405 (310)450-9111, x2209 les...@soldev.tti.com
"Thunder is good, thunder is impressive,
but it is lightning that does the work." - M. Twain
Joseph Cliburn
In article <AA4FF934...@kosh-61d-1.berkeley.edu>, Chris J. Ullsperger (ulls...@mendel.berkeley.edu) writes:
>In article <16FF786DFS...@ukcc.uky.edu> , BREA...@ukcc.uky.edu
>writes:
>>"Open the Door Richard" was the name of a hit pop song of the early
>>buzz little bee" Craig?), though I can't recall the name of the group
>>that charted with. "Open the Door Homer" aludes to the earlier hit
>>through its title, but has little else in common with the earlier song.
>
>Hmm. I thought a version of the song contained the line "Open the door,
>Richard". In fact, I had read some wild speculation that someone thought
>"Richard" referred to Dick Nixon. That's why I was surprised about the
>Yosemite Sam comment (and I don't think Sam was saying "wretched".
>"Flea-bitten" and "goldarng", maybe, but not "wretched". :)
I always associated it w/Richard Manuel (which is *logical* considering
that the late Mr. Manuel *was* in the room when "Open The Door, Homer"
was laid down). See "4% Pantomime" on the Band's _Cahoots_ ("Oh Richard"
is repeated w/a few "Belfast Cowboy" lines, too -- for Mr. Morrison).
I don't know about '50s singles, but my mother used to tell us "Open the
Door, Richard" when the doorbell rang...
--
Joe Cliburn Internet: jcli...@flintcreek.win.net
MS Gulf Coast "Chanson pour tout le monde" - J Buffett
rled...@cgate.sait.ab.ca
Alright ya varmints...it's Richard and not"wretched"!!
As Daffy would say: "I'm dithpickable!"
Rob
Craig Jamieson
: I don't know the song, but Foghorn Leghorn (WB cartoon caracter) was famous
: for saying "Open the window, Richard; that's what it's there for."
: It might have only been uttered in one cartoon, but it made an impression.
Cannot resist! :-) Sorry. But can anyone think of one of Dylan's
finest compositions of 1960? Don't like to be too boring and mention it
myself... While it is well known that at times Bob Dylan has had a
seriously debilitating television habit which reflects in much of his
work, I cannot recall any obvious signs of a love of cartoons... Anyone
else?
Now what is the name of that song about whether or not a window
was open or closed. Wish I could remember... ;-) ;-) ;-)
Craig
--
Well, he sprained his arm combing his hair
I don't think that's quite really fair
He lays in bed all the time
I don't think that's very right
He's such a lazy bastard...
John Howells
<Well I thought I read here, although I could have made it up, that
<this song was about Richard Farina. So it is a joke about
<the Novelty song, with the obvious "Doors of Perception" 60's
<meaning of "Open the Door".
<This makes "Ain't gonna hear it said no more" a reference to Farina's death.
<But then, I'm not sure when Richard Farina died--possible after the song
<was written, and I am not sure exactly what his relationship to
<Bob was, although he was married to Joan Baez sister.
I think it's more likely that the Richard referred to is Richard Manuel.
Probably just poking fun at him for no particular reason at all.
--
John Howells
how...@netcom.com
ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/howells/howells.html
B.P. Taylor
R...@ula.cam.ac.uk wrote:
|Henke, Mel.
|La dolce Henke the mad musical world of Mel Henke.
|[Burbank, Calif.] : Warner Bros., 1962
Here is some detail on an earlier recording (the original?), taken from
an old rmd posting of mine:
|"Open The Door Richard!"
|========================
|Performed by Jack McVea and his All Stars, 1947
|Available on the album "Open The Door Richard!" [Jukebox Lil JB-607]
Ben Taylor
Craig Jamieson
Basie, Count
Open the door, Richard!
Camden, N.J. : RCA Victor, 1947
1 sound disc : analog, 78 rpm, mono. ; 10 in.
Harry Edison (side A), Bill Johnson (side A), Ann Moore (side B),
vocal ; Count Basie and his orchestra, performers. [Ed Lewis,