The very funny Buddy Hackett was born on this day in 1924. He had plenty of movie appearances including Herbie, The Love Bug; It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Little Mermaid; and in 1962, The Music Man.
In the Music Man, Buddy played Marcellus Washburn. Even though he wasn’t technically a singer, her did sing some songs occasionally. One example can be found at the end of his Live and Uncensored special. He sang a song he wrote called “My Daughter,” which contrasted the vulgar and dirty jokes he told earlier in the special.
In the Music Man, Buddy sings (and dances) to the song Shipoopi. According to Wiki:
“Shipoopi” is a song in the 1957 musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson. The song is sung by the character of Marcellus Washburn, a friend of con man “Professor” Harold Hill. It occurs in act 2 of the play during the dance committee’s rehearsal which the town kids interrupt.
Neither the song’s lyrics nor the surrounding dialogue explain the meaning of the term “shipoopi”, which Willson invented for the song and acts as a term of endearment.
In the 1962 film version of the Music Man, Marcellus is played by Buddy Hackett. According to the film documentary included with the extended DVD release, choreographer Onna White was able to take Hackett, not known as a dancer, and make him into a dancer for this number.
Buddy really does a great job dancing in the film. Kudos to Onna White. Here is the scene from the movie, followed by the official soundtrack album.
Happy Birthday, Buddy!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 