Hello Children, Everywhere! #2 Quiz

Answer: Twelve and a half pence

Penrose first recorded the song in 1922 under the name of Charles Jolly. It was written by his wife Mabel Grey but was partly stolen from "The Laughing Song" written by an American, George W Johnson, in the late 1890s. The song has sold over a million copies and was popular on childrens' radio in Britain until well into the 1970s.

It has been used in many TV sketches and most recently on a TV advert for Cuprinol. There has also been a dance-mix made from it on a 45 rpm disc resembling an old 78 with the original recording on the B side.

The laughing section has been used as a buzzer sound twice on Stephen Fry's "QI" and was sung by partygoers to annoy Victor Meldrew in "One Foot in the Grave". Charles Penrose appeared in some British films in the 30s and 40s as a character actor.

Answer: Wild Bill Hickock

Although "The Deadwood Stage" was the most requested by children from "Calamity Jane" there were other songs from the film that also popped up. Among these were "The Black Hills of Dakota", "Just Blew in from the Windy City" and "Secret Love". This last one was a chart-topper on the Billboard and Cash Box charts as well as winner of the Oscar for best original song for 1953.

However, the kids preferred "Whip Crackaway" and the story of the stagecoach journey and what it was carrying - it's certainly the high point of the film and what's not to like about Doris Day anyway - she could sing the phonebook!

Answer: The Old Man of the Mountain

There were four Sparky recordings. The two not already mentioned are "Sparky and the Talking Train", which was the first one issued, and "Sparky and the Magic Baton". The most requested by far was "The Magic Piano" which, like "Tubby the Tuba", was generally played in two parts in successive weeks as the stories took up too much time to play in one go.

Henry Blair was the voice of Sparky for most of the series with music by Billy May and narration by Verne Smith. A cartoon version of "The Magic Piano" was made in 1987 with voices supplied by artists like Vincent Price, Coral Browne and Tony Curtis.

Answer: Mel Blanc

It is hard to know where to start with Mel Blanc's career to do it justice in such a small space. As well as Sylvester and Tweetypie there were Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam, Wile E Coyote, Woody Woodpecker, Barney Rubble and the list goes on and on and ...

His career began in radio in 1927 and carried on through film and TV until his death in 1989. He has a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame and holds the record for voicing characters over a record time - Daffy Duck and Porky Pig for 52 years and Bugs Bunny for 49 years. Tiny Tweetypie gaining the advantage over Sylvester (as usual) was a big attraction in "I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat" with the cat grudgingly being forced to sing along at the end. Finally, on Mel Blanc's gravestone is the following statement "That's All Folks".

Answer: Soda Water

Burl Ives had a long career in radio, film, TV and music - winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in "The Big Country" in 1958. Other songs of his that were popular with children were "Bluetail Fly" and "There was an Old Woman who Swallowed a Fly". "Big Rock Candy Mountain" was first recorded by Harry McLintock in 1928 about a hobo's paradise with very different lyrics to the cleaned up ones used by Burl Ives in his version of 1949. Nowadays even the "cigarette tree" gets changed to a "peppermint tree" but in the early lyrics there is a "Lake of Gin", "streams of whiskey and alcohol" and "they hung the jerk who invented work". "Boxcars are all empty" too so you can see it was a different world from the "children's paradise" conjured up by Burl Ives.

Answer: Edward Lear

Elton Hayes was an actor/singer/guitarist who wrote his own setting to Lear's poem which became a regular on "Children's Favourites". He also appeared in the 1952 film "Robin Hood and his Merrie Men" as the minstrel, Alan A'Dale, and wrote some of the music. Edward Lear wrote a whole catalogue of "nonsense" poetry. Apart from this there is "The Jumblies", The Pobble who had no Toes", "The Quangle-Wangle's Hat", "The Dong with the Luminous Nose" and many others. Lear was also a fine artist and illustrator and developed the Limerick form of verse and made it popular.

His poems are adorned with words or items of his own invention like the "runcible spoon" which the owl and the pussycat used or the "monkey with lollipop paws" and the drink, "ring-bo-ree", which pop up in other works.

It's no wonder children are still captivated by the images conjured up by Lear in this poem/song and his pair's trip to "The Land where the Bong Tree grows".

Answer: Their socks

Ann Stephens also recorded "Vespers" (Christopher Robin is saying his Prayers), "Teddy Bears' Picnic" and other childrens' song which were played often on childrens' radio. Christopher Robin, of course, is the owner of Winnie-the-Pooh, written about by his father A.A. Milne.

The first book was published in 1926 about Pooh and his collection of animal friends set in the fictional 100 acre wood which is based on the beautiful Ashdown Forest in East Sussex. It is still possible to go and play "Poohsticks" on the very bridge on which it was invented. Pooh has become an enormous franchise through the Disney Corporation but is far removed from its original creation written by Milne and illustrated by E H Shepard for Milne's son.

Answer: The Scarecrow

L. Frank Baum wrote "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" which was published in 1900 and performed as a play in 1902. The 1939 film starring Judy Garland won Oscars both for its original score and original song ("Over the Rainbow") and supplied a number of childrens' favourites over the years as a result. Dorothy sings "We're off to see the Wizard" first with The Scarecrow, again with him and the Tin Man and, finally, with all three of her companions.

The songs and the film have become perennial favourites and in 2010 Andrew Lloyd Webber found his new Dorothy through a reality TV competition for a West end version of the story for Feb/March 2011.

Answer: Dopey

Dopey is the only dwarf who doesn't speak so can't join in on "Heigh Ho" and also the only one without a beard. Other popular songs from the film were "I'm Wishing", "Some Day my Prince will come", "Whistle while you Work" and "With a Smile and a Song". Disney received an honorary Academy Award for "screen innovation" and was presented with an Oscar plus seven miniature ones by child star Shirley Temple.

In 1989 the film was added to the US National Film Registry as being "culturally and historically significant" and in 2008 was named as the greatest American animated film of all time by The American Film Institute.

It was also the first American film to release a soundtrack album in conjunction with the film.

Answer: Monkeys and rabbits

Sadly for him the "Big bad Wolf" gets short shrift in the song - he is pushed under to drown and then chewed into a million bits! The song comes from the 1935 film "Curly Top" and isn't the only big favourite from Shirley - "The Good Ship Lollipop" from the 1934 film "Bright Eyes" was another.

She received an Oscar for her contribution to film entertainment for 1934 and by 1938 was the number one box office draw - after which her status as a child star gradually receded. She continued to appear in film and TV until the 60s and later on life became a Republican politician.

In 2002 a life-size statue of the young Shirley Temple was erected on the Fox lot.

Answer: My Brother

Terry's imaginary brother was a real star - he even "Put a real live toad in Toad-in-the-Hole"!(sausages cooked in batter pudding for any non-brits) His anarchic deeds certainly made him a regular on Saturday mornings. Terry Scott was a much-loved comedy actor who did an act as a schoolboy, which is where this song by Mitch Murray originated.

He appeared as this schoolboy character in the 70s in an advertising series for the chocolate bar Curly Wurly. He was a regular in British comedy films and appeared in seven "Carry-on" films and often on TV, especially remembered for the long-running sitcom "Terry and June" with June Whitfield. Terry was also the voice of Penfold the hamster in the animated series "Danger Mouse".

Answer: Alvin

David Seville's real name was Ross Bagdasarian. He made a living through acting, singing, songwriting and record producing. Rosemary Clooney had a hit with "Come on a' my House" in 1951 which he and his cousin wrote. Also he had a small part in Hitchcock's "Rear Window" in 1954.

In 1958 he spent most of his money on a variable speed tape recorder which he used to produce the voice effects on a number one in America with "Witch Doctor". From this he developed The Chipmunks, whose first hit was "The Chipmunk Song" at Christmas 1958. Following this there was a string of hits, in which Alvin gets manic and David has to shout, as well as albums and a TV show.

The Chipmunks were revived in the 80s by Bagdasarian Junior for some TV specials and films. "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" is also the adopted song of the University of Wyoming!

Answer: Clogs

Ronnie Hilton was mainly a singer of ballads who had a number of hits in the 50s most of which were covers of American singers. In 1956 he had a number one in Britain with "No Other Love" which he "nicked" from Perry Como. He had regular minor hits into the mid 60s and his final one was the novelty song "Windmill in Old Amsterdam" which reached only the lower end of the chart but, amazingly, over a long period sold a million copies - probably through the purchases of succeeding generations of children.

In the latter part of his career Ronnie became a radio presenter and fronted "Sounds of the Fifties" on BBC Radio 2 until 1989 - the same year that he received a gold medal for services to music from The British Academy of Song Composers and Authors.

Answer: City Slickers

Gunshots, whistles, cowbells and silly voices were all part of the "Spike Jones treatment" - nothing was sacred, whether it be popular ballad or classical. The band was active through the 40s and well into the 50s with some cameo film appearances for Spike and a TV show which ran from 1954-61. "Der Fuehrer's Face" ridiculing Adolf Hitler was not well received by the Third Reich but was a hit in 1942 on the radio.

It was written for a Donald Duck propaganda cartoon which was an Oscar winner in 1943.

A piping version of "All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth" was a number one in 1948 but some of Jones' adaptations didn't always please the original composers; however, it was too late for the classical composers that he sent up! He also ran a parallel career with what he called his "Other Orchestra" but the public preferred "The City Slickers" and turned up in greater numbers to see them rather than his more serious concerts.

Answer: Mule

The song is from the 1944 film "Going my Way" which won seven Oscars and a further three nominations. It was a number one hit for Bing, brought him a gold record and was the Oscar winner for Best Original Song. Bing also got the Oscar for Best Actor. Other songs in the film were "The Bells of St. Mary's" and "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral" which also remained popular - the former of these was reprised on the classic "Phil Spector's Christmas Album". "Swinging on a Star" was written by Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen - Johnny Burke spent his career as a writer with Paramount Films and was responsible for the lyrics of many Crosby classics including "Pennies from Heaven" and "Moonlight Becomes You".

Many singers have recorded "Swinging on a Star" over the years but the best known is probably the chart entry in 1963 by Big Dee Irwin and Little Eva which reached number seven in Britain.