X-Nico

4 unusual facts about Johnny Mercer


Crash Goes the Hash

The parrot's "Jeepers creepers! What a night!" exclamation combines the 1930s slang euphemism from "Jesus Christ" (made into the Johnny Mercer 1938 song "Jeepers Creepers, Where'd You Get Those Peepers?") and the parrot's "What a night!' from the Stooges' 1936 entry Disorder in the Court.

James Arthur Williams

In 1969, Williams purchased the home, which was originally built for General Hugh Weedon Mercer, great-grandfather of songwriter Johnny Mercer.

Paul Francis Webster

Altogether, sixteen of his songs received Academy Award nominations; among lyricists, he is second only to Johnny Mercer, who was nominated eighteen times, in number of nominations.

Second Chorus

"Love Of My Life": Johnny Mercer and Shaw wrote this song one day over lunch at Mercer's house, and when the excited Shaw wanted to show it to the studio, Mercer persuaded him to wait three weeks explaining: "If you tell them you just wrote it over lunch they won't think it's any good".


And the Angels Sing

And the Angels Sing (1944) is a classic example of a film musical written to capitalize on the title of a previously popular song; in this case Benny Goodman's 1939 number one hit song, "And the Angels Sing" by Ziggy Elman and Johnny Mercer, and sung by Martha Tilton although the song is not sung in the film.

Arthur Schwartz

Schwartz collaborated with some of the best lyricists of his day, including Dietz, Dorothy Fields, Ira Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein II, Edward Heyman, Frank Loesser, Johnny Mercer, Leo Robin, and Al Stillman.

Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue

#"Autumn Leaves (Les feuilles mortes)" (Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert, Johnny Mercer)

H. B. Barnum

Johnny Mercergave the o.k. for using Aken's re-written lyrics to his old standard of "Goody Goody."

Hot Swing!

The album draws upon the works of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli (and the Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, and Billy Strayhorn standard, Satin Doll) in addition to original works by O'Connor and Burr.

Johnnie Davis

He appeared in his first film in 1937, and the same year appeared in the film Hollywood Hotel, where he introduced the Johnny Mercer song "Hooray for Hollywood".

Matty Malneck

He composed several songs which became pop standards, including "I'll Never Be the Same" (recorded by Frank Sinatra, Teddi King and Jeri Southern), "I'm Through With Love", "Goody Goody", "Eeny Meeny Miney Mo", and "If You Were Mine" (lyrics by Johnny Mercer and recorded by Billie Holiday in New York City on October 25, 1935 for Brunswick 7554).

Meglio Stasera

Meglio Stasera (known in English as It Had Better Be Tonight) is a 1963 song with music by Henry Mancini, Italian lyrics by Franco Migliacci and English lyrics by Johnny Mercer.

Rhythm on the Range

"I'm an Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande" (Johnny Mercer) performed by Bing Crosby, Leonid Kinskey, Martha Raye, Bob Burns, and Louis Prima, accompanied by The Sons of the Pioneers

Sniffles and the Bookworm

Mother Goose characters come to life late at night in a bookshop, serenading Sniffles the mouse, and his bookworm friend (in his first appearance) with the swing song "Mutiny in the Nursery" by Johnny Mercer and Harry Warren, until the Frankenstein monster intrudes.

The Good Companions

On 11 July 1974 a musical adaptation, directed by Braham Murray with a libretto by Ronald Harwood, music by André Previn and lyrics by Johnny Mercer (in his last show) opened at Her Majesty's Theatre in London – the same venue of the stage play over forty years earlier (having had its world premiere at the Palace Theatre in Manchester).

The Movie Song Album

# "Emily" (from The Americanization of Emily) (Johnny Mandel, Johnny Mercer) – 3:25


see also

Chip Deffaa

Deffaa has written and directed in New York such plays as George M. Cohan: In his Own Words (published by Samuel French Inc.,), Yankee Doodle Boy (Drama Source), The George M. Cohan Revue (Baker's Plays), George M. Cohan & Co. (Eldridge Plays), The Seven Little Foys, The Johnny Mercer Jamboree, and Theater Boys.