White House Tunes
Every winter when there are youngsters in the President's family the First Lady gives a holiday party for her children at the White House. Such parties, with dancing in the big East Room and refreshments in the State dining room, are always the No. 1 social events of the Christmas-New Year's week for Washington's young blades and merry maidens. The President is generally on hand to beam benignly upon the offspring of Administration bigwigs as they frisk around in tails and trains at the scene of their parents' highest social triumph. The only taboo at such White House parties is taking young ladies behind potted palms.
Last week with the White House smelling of Christmas greens, Mrs. Roosevelt gave a "New Year's" dance (on Dec. 29), for Sons Franklin Jr. and John. The boys had driven home from Harvard for the holidays, had been arrested for speeding near New Haven. The guests of honor were Barbara Gushing, sister-in-law of Brother James Roosevelt, and Jean Martineau, niece of Warren Delano Robbins, U. S. Minister to Canada and the President's cousin. Some 300 youngsters eagerly responded to the First Lady's priceless invitation.
It often happens that a President's son makes gossipy headlines by monopolizing the attentions of one girl throughout the evening. But last week Franklin Jr. and John, able sons of an able father, showed no particular preference among the young ladies. They did make news, though, when they selected the music to be played by Meyer Davis and his orchestra for their party. For Papa Roosevelt they picked "Home on the Range." his favorite. For Mama Roosevelt they ordered "The Blue Danube" and "The Merry Widow Waltz" was played in honor of Sister Anna. For themselves & guests they chose "Stars Fell on Alabama," "June in January," "Flirtation Walk," "An Earful of Music," "The Continental," "Stay As Sweet As You Are," "Two Cigarets in the Dark." Meyer Davis on his own initiative provided an original "Harvard Glide," twitting the young Roosevelts for speeding, for bashing photographers.
Catchiest tune of the evening was Cole Porter's "You're the Top" from the musical comedy Anything Goes (TIME. Dec. 3). So popular are Composer Porter's complicated lyrics that it is now considered the smart thing to know them all by heart, to rattle them off loudly wherever and whenever the tune is played. Excerpts:*
You're the top,
You're the Coliseum,
You're the top,
You're the Louvr' Museum,
You're a melody from a symphony by Strauss,
You're a Bendel bonnet
A Shakespeare sonnet;
You're Mickey Mouse,
You're the Nile,
You're the Tower of Pisa,
You're the smile
On the Mona Lisa.
I'm a worthless check, a total wreck, a flop.
But, if--Baby--I'm the bottom,
You're the top.
You're the top,
You're an Arrow Collar,
You're the top,
You're a Coolidge dollar,
You're the nimble tread of the feet of Fred Astaire,
You're an O'Neill drama,
You're Whistler's Mamma,
You're Camembert.
You're a rose,
You're Inferno's Dante,
You're the nose
On the Great Durante.
I'm just in the way, as the French would say-- "De trop."
But if--Baby--I'm the bottom,
You're the top.
Because Jazzman Davis did not consider the words quite "respectful" enough for the White House, he asked Mr. Porter to add some more fitting rhymes--perhaps something of a salute to President Roosevelt. The Yaleman (Class of 1913) who wrote "Bulldog. Bulldog" replied that he was "too busy." Therefore one Sid Kuller was commissioned to do the job. Last week the Meyer Davis orchestramen chanted the following conclusion:
You're the top,
You're higher wages
You'll be top in history's pages
Since you're prevalent, you're benevolent and kind
You're a brain that's ample, a true example of brilliant mind
You're the truth
That a torn world now gropes for,
You're the youth
That each mother hopes for.
You have steered a course
No human force, can stop
And if Roosevelt,--we're the bottom
You're the top.
*Reprinted by permission of the copyright owners, Harms Inc.
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