Harry Richman — Puttin' On The Ritz
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Length: 2:27
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Have you seen the well-to-do
Up on Lennox Avenue
On that famous thoroughfare
With their noses in the air
High hats and coloured collars
White spats and fifteen dollars
Spending ev'ry dime
For a wonderful time
If you're blue and
You don't know where to go to
Why don't you go where Harlem sits
Puttin' on the Ritz
Spangled gowns upon the bevee of high browns
From down the levee
All misfits
Puttin' on the Ritz
That's where each and ev'ry Lulu-Belle goes
Ev'ry Thursday evening with her swell beaus
Rubbing elbows
Come with me and we'll attend
Their jubilee, and see them spend
Their last two bits
Puttin' on the Ritz
Puttin' on the Ritz
Puttin' on the Ritz
Up on Lennox Avenue
On that famous thoroughfare
With their noses in the air
High hats and coloured collars
White spats and fifteen dollars
Spending ev'ry dime
For a wonderful time
If you're blue and
You don't know where to go to
Why don't you go where Harlem sits
Puttin' on the Ritz
Spangled gowns upon the bevee of high browns
From down the levee
All misfits
Puttin' on the Ritz
That's where each and ev'ry Lulu-Belle goes
Ev'ry Thursday evening with her swell beaus
Rubbing elbows
Come with me and we'll attend
Their jubilee, and see them spend
Their last two bits
Puttin' on the Ritz
Puttin' on the Ritz
Puttin' on the Ritz
Comments (57)add comment
Stephen_Phillips wrote:
Ha! I came here to say the same thing.
Another misheard lyric on my part... "Every Thursday with her cell phone". Time travel really does exist!
Ha! I came here to say the same thing.
While I love and respect this, It's Young Frankenstein that I admire the most.
dpvest wrote:
thanks for the laugh.
Another misheard lyric on my part... "Every Thursday with her cell phone". Time travel really does exist!
Old Timey but still great! 
dowdog999 wrote:
While not a cover, this is clearly where TMBG got both the melody and the rhythm for their song. Upon hearing it, I immediately thought the same thing. The original poster has a good ear.
TMBG simply "borrowed" a lot to create their own song.
From Wikipedia: "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is a 1953 swing-style song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. Written on the 500th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans, the lyrics humorously refer to the official 1930 renaming of the city of Constantinople to Istanbul.
While not a cover, this is clearly where TMBG got both the melody and the rhythm for their song. Upon hearing it, I immediately thought the same thing. The original poster has a good ear.
TMBG simply "borrowed" a lot to create their own song.
From Wikipedia: "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is a 1953 swing-style song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. Written on the 500th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans, the lyrics humorously refer to the official 1930 renaming of the city of Constantinople to Istanbul.
It put a smile on my face!
peterkb_2 wrote:
Absolutely. I could not help myself but watch Young Frankenstein clips on YouTube yesterday. Inexplicably that silly movie meant a lot to me. Even my wife will occasionally channel her inner Cloris Leachman "He was my Boyfriend!!" in an outrageous German accent. We will miss Gene Wilder.
Absolutely. I could not help myself but watch Young Frankenstein clips on YouTube yesterday. Inexplicably that silly movie meant a lot to me. Even my wife will occasionally channel her inner Cloris Leachman "He was my Boyfriend!!" in an outrageous German accent. We will miss Gene Wilder.
I love how the "well-to-do" were flaunting their "fifteen dollars" in this song. I can't even get lunch for that much today. Adjusting for inflation:
$15.00 in 1930 had the same buying power as $206.27 in 2016
$15.00 in 1930 had the same buying power as $206.27 in 2016
Istanbul is now Constantinople
NickDanger wrote:
Absolutely. I could not help myself but watch Young Frankenstein clips on YouTube yesterday. Inexplicably that silly movie meant a lot to me. Even my wife will occasionally channel her inner Cloris Leachman "He was my Boyfriend!!" in an outrageous German accent. We will miss Gene Wilder.
For me, this song will always be associated with Wilder, Boyle, and Brooks. RIP, Gene and Peter.
Absolutely. I could not help myself but watch Young Frankenstein clips on YouTube yesterday. Inexplicably that silly movie meant a lot to me. Even my wife will occasionally channel her inner Cloris Leachman "He was my Boyfriend!!" in an outrageous German accent. We will miss Gene Wilder.
For me, this song will always be associated with Wilder, Boyle, and Brooks. RIP, Gene and Peter.
I just now read the lyrics to this song,
funny,
a satirical social commentary of the day
funny,
a satirical social commentary of the day
m_logie wrote:
Wow, I never realised that the They Might Be Giants song Constantinople was a cover 'til hearing this.
The TMBG song is a cover, but it's a cover of Istanbul (Not Constantinople), not this song... alanthecowboy wrote:
The TMBG song is a cover, but it's a cover of Istanbul (Not Constantinople), not this song...
While not a cover, this is clearly where TMBG got both the melody and the rhythm for their song. Upon hearing it, I immediately thought the same thing. The original poster has a good ear.
TMBG simply "borrowed" a lot to create their own song.
Outstanding!!! (I feel Mel Brooks' film is on par with the joy of life in this song! : )
Does not fit in this rotation, for my taste!
Love it!
Classic....tappin' on! and yes, Young Frankenstein (Frankensteeeeeeeeeeeen) is the BEST!!!! 
PUDDDNNNONNNAAAARITDDZZZZZZ!
FlatCat wrote:
This is great. Check out Astaire's version. Swings even harder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CY-1PWX0cU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CY-1PWX0cU
Zeito wrote:
excellent...a little putin pate'; what an evil cracker. I was going to post that one time my gal and I were singing this song, and she was singing "put it on a ritz". I laughed a little too heartily at that.
probably the most brilliant comedy of all time, and captures the themes of the brilliant book better than the dramas did.
xtalman wrote:
As has been noted the first thing I thought of was Peter Boyle and Gene Wilder.
Young Frankenstein!
m_logie wrote:
The TMBG song is a cover, but it's a cover of Istanbul (Not Constantinople), not this song...
Wow, I never realised that the They Might Be Giants song Constantinople was a cover 'til hearing this.
The TMBG song is a cover, but it's a cover of Istanbul (Not Constantinople), not this song...
As has been noted the first thing I thought of was Peter Boyle and Gene Wilder.
I love every cover of this song! Never heard this one but it's great - thanks!
LOL -- as my mother used to say, punning is the lowest form of humor ... tho I think she was wrong.
Zeito wrote:
Zeito wrote:
Wow, I never realised that the They Might Be Giants song Constantinople was a cover 'til hearing this.
Damn RP, I love you. You are always exposing me to such a crazy mix of music.
This is great. Check out Astaire's version. Swings even harder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CY-1PWX0cU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CY-1PWX0cU
Thank. You. Had that very thought just now.
kcar wrote:
Must see clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co6-tYS9k1U
Since Steve Ballmer is stepping down from his position at Microsoft, I thought it'd be fitting to give the link to the Young FrankenSteve spoof that someone did years back. Steve actually behaved this way without any known use of stimulants at a developer's conference years ago. And yes, he really sweats that much all on his own:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6rqXHX3O48
kcar wrote:
Must see clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co6-tYS9k1U
Since Steve Ballmer is stepping down from his position at Microsoft, I thought it'd be fitting to give the link to the Young FrankenSteve spoof that someone did years back. Steve actually behaved this way without any known use of stimulants at a developer's conference years ago. And yes, he really sweats that much all on his own:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6rqXHX3O48
rcurrier wrote:
I can't help but sing along, Peter Boyle style, whenever I hear this song. My wife says it sounds better than my normal singing voice.
Must see clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co6-tYS9k1U
Since Steve Ballmer is stepping down from his position at Microsoft, I thought it'd be fitting to give the link to the Young FrankenSteve spoof that someone did years back. Steve actually behaved this way without any known use of stimulants at a developer's conference years ago. And yes, he really sweats that much all on his own:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6rqXHX3O48
I can't help but sing along, Peter Boyle style, whenever I hear this song. My wife says it sounds better than my normal singing voice.
Must see clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co6-tYS9k1U
Since Steve Ballmer is stepping down from his position at Microsoft, I thought it'd be fitting to give the link to the Young FrankenSteve spoof that someone did years back. Steve actually behaved this way without any known use of stimulants at a developer's conference years ago. And yes, he really sweats that much all on his own:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6rqXHX3O48
Outstanding is the only vote I can give this, Once for the track and once for Bill's amazing choices of music.
etwilson wrote:
I can't help but sing along, Peter Boyle style, whenever I hear this song. My wife says it sounds better than my normal singing voice.
I can't help but think of Peter Boyle as the monster in Young Frankenstein when I hear this song.
I can't help but sing along, Peter Boyle style, whenever I hear this song. My wife says it sounds better than my normal singing voice.
THIS is what somebody should cover ....
RParadise wrote:Berlin rewrote the lyrics for Top Hat, I believe.
This is a great version with lyrics I've never heard before, although I remember reading somewhere that this song, like so many of its era, has many, many verses that were written but never recorded.
Very atmospheric.
phhht wrote:
Yeah, Irving Berlin also gave us White Christmas.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I was being sarcastic.
Biichan wrote: Ah, the good old-fashioned original version about 'Negro-watching.' Man, I never though I'd actually hear it.
Wow. Like, trippy. 
Yeah, Irving Berlin also gave us White Christmas.
Cool guy, this Harry, here's the AMG bio on him:
by John Bush
Though his fame didn't outlast the Depression era, Harry Richman was one of the top entertainers of the Jazz Age, a nightclub act with a flamboyant style often compared to Al Jolson. A period star of Broadway and the silver screen, he also earned notices for his hobby, aviation; he set a world record for altitude in 1935, and made the first transatlantic round trip in a single-engine plane. Born Harold Reichman, he started in vaudeville with a two-man act, as a comedian, and then with a song-and-dance number and played theaters from Chicago to San Francisco. Moving east by the early '20s, he and his piano backed Nora Bayes and Mae West, and his Broadway debut came in 1922's Queen o' Hearts.Richman's real breakout came in 1926; George White's Scandals of 1926 became a big hit, thanks in large part to his popular performance, "Birth of the Blues," recorded for Vocalion. Despite a few (comparative) flops the following year, he introduced a pair of prize-winning standards: "Blue Skies" and "I'm on the Crest of a Wave." Back on top by 1930, Richman earned the biggest hit of his career, courtesy of the film Puttin' on the Ritz. The title song became one of the most popular songs of the year, while "There's Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie" also earned praise. Later that year, Richman returned to Broadway for International Revue, and introduced two more chestnuts, "Exactly Like You" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street."Harry Richman's Broadway farewell occurred in 1934, and though his aviator prowess occasionally gained more headlines than his musical career, he kept busy recording during the '30s and '40s. He also became a respected songwriter, known for contributing to the careers of two great performers: Django Reinhardt ("Miss Annabelle Lee") and Bessie Smith ("Muddy Water"). He died in 1972.
Ditto on the Young Frankenstein - although my first thought when I heard this was the "Taco" version that was so popular in the '80s. Aaah, yes. I own that on vinyl. Am I going to get kicked off RP now?
etwilson wrote:
I can't help but think of Peter Boyle as the monster in Young Frankenstein when I hear this song.
Exactly... that was a great movie :) Good song too btw
FYI - The song was written by Irving Berlin in the 1930's
I can't help but think of Peter Boyle as the monster in Young Frankenstein when I hear this song.
This is realy a nice tune, but what I can't stand is the lousy quality. Of course, this is a historical recording and cannot be better in quality, but still! Bill is seeing to high quality of the mp3 files for a good reason.
:sunny.gif:
Can't help but think of the movie Young Frankenstein when I hear this. RadioParadise is one of a kind...
Now THIS is "eclectic radio."
Thanks! Now I won't be able to get Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle out of my head.
This is a great version with lyrics I've never heard before, although I remember reading somewhere that this song, like so many of its era, has many, many verses that were written but never recorded.
Very atmospheric.
oh Young Frankenstein, how you make me smile.
I prefer Gene Wilder's version! 
How can you not love this station?
Understandable, but its the diversity and that we might experience something new, as some of the reasons RP is one of *the* greatest stations. It may not rank as high as "The Beatles" first TV appearances, for "changing the face of music" but RP & Bill are certainly among the best of plastic surgeons for that face.
and @dig wrote:
That's "Frankensteen"