Topical Guide 259
Mark Dorset
Popular Culture: Songs: “Hooray for Captain Spaulding”
At last they spot Tudor, Tom, and Nathaniel, standing in the bow of the first ship, decked out in flamboyant outfits. For some reason not made clear in the film, the Sultan of Gujarat, his attendants, his guards, a bevy of girls in harem pants, four elephants, and a delegation of British colonial officials have come along with them. They are all singing, “Hooray for Freddie Tudor,” a number that is, it must be admitted, a pallid reworking of “Hooray for Captain Spaulding.” It is sung to the same tune:
Hooray for Freddie Tudor!
Yo ho! The iceman cometh!
“Did someone call me goniff?”
Yo ho! Yo ho! Yo ho!Herb ’n’ Lorna, Chapter 3
Schemes, Swindles, and Scams: Tono-Bungay
The Tono-Bungay company was just beginning to make a serious move toward expansion beyond the British Isles, and Eleazer’s intuition told him that now was the time to strike. If he could persuade his siblings to invest, they might obtain an American monopoly in Tono-Bungay, which ought to put them on a surer footing in the coming turbulent times that the palmist had predicted. This was surer than ice, as sure as sure can be.
The sons and daughters of Thomas Piper agreed, swept up by the force of Eleazer’s conviction and his hereditary gift for salesmanship. They divested themselves of everything ice had brought them and bid for and won exclusive rights to the American market for Tono-Bungay.
Within a month, Tono-Bungay collapsed.Herb ’n’ Lorna, Chapter 3
He thrust into my hand a label—that label that has now become one of the most familiar objects of the chemist’s shop, the greenish-blue rather old-fashioned bordering, the legend, the name in good black type, very clear, and the strong man all set about with lightning flashes above the double column of skilful lies in red—the label of Tono-Bungay. “It’s afloat,” he said, as I stood puzzling at this. “It’s afloat. I’m afloat!” …
“How’s Aunt Susan?” I asked.
“Exuberant. Never saw her so larky. This has bucked her up something wonderful—all this.”
“All what?”
“Tono-Bungay.”
“What is Tono-Bungay?” I asked. …
“It’s the secret of vigour. Didn’t you read that label?”
“Yes, but—”
“It’s selling like hot cakes.”
“And what is it?” I pressed.
“Well,” said my uncle, and then leant forward and spoke softly under cover of his hand, … “it’s nice because of the” (here he mentioned a flavouring matter and an aromatic spirit), “it’s stimulating because of” (here he mentioned two very vivid tonics, one with a marked action on the kidney.) “And the” (here he mentioned two other ingredients) “makes it pretty intoxicating. Cocks their tails. Then there’s” (but I touch on the essential secret.) “And there you are. I got it out of an old book of recipes—all except the” (here he mentioned the more virulent substance, the one that assails the kidneys), “which is my idea! Modern touch! There you are!”
The evening’s main attraction: Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World
From Kanopy: This revelatory documentary brings to light the profound and overlooked influence of Indigenous people on popular music in North America. Focusing on music icons … Link Wray, Jimi Hendrix, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Taboo (The Black Eyed Peas), Charley Patton, Mildred Bailey, Jesse Ed Davis, Robbie Robertson, and Randy Castillo, Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World shows how these pioneering Native American musicians helped shape the soundtracks of our lives. Winner of a Special Jury Award for Masterful Storytelling at the Sundance Film Festival and Best Documentary at Hot Docs. You can watch it through Kanopy, using your public library card for access.
[more to come on Monday, May 16, 2022]
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You’ll find an overview of the entire work in An Introduction to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy. It’s a pdf document.