The Handsome Territorial - Novelty Dance Crazes of the 1940s
Release Date: 05/10/2025
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info_outlineIn this episode, Lili Redman and Tom Carradine explore the significance of wartime songs, focusing on “The Handsome Territorial”. They delve into the life of the songwriters Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr, the evolution of the Hokey Cockey and the controversies surrounding it’s origins. They look at the other popular dance crazes of the 1940s, analyze the music and lyrics of “The Handsome Territorial” and reflect on why it has faded from public memory.
To listen to all the songs mentioned in the episode please visit their Spotify playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1FQDrBphYqYLAuN6Jm01PN
REFERENCES
The Loyal Enemy - Short Film
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35706430/
https://www.meltontimes.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/village-transformed-into-wartime-movie-set-5109722
https://www.meltontimes.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/wartime-movie-to-be-filmed-at-historic-hall-near-melton-4994460
Jimmy Kennedy Biography
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-Wrote-Teddy-Bears-Picnic/dp/1456778110
Nat Gonella Memorial
https://outgress.com/portals/nat-gonella-memorial.1256224/
Tom’s Scone Video
https://youtu.be/PowjfRG1eGE?si=ib9vV2DDUcXMLmIR
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro and Catch Up
04:36 H = The Handsome Territorial
07:38 The Life of Jimmy Kennedy
09:15 London's Tin Pan Alley
11:11 Lawrence Wright - Music Publisher
14:38 "The Teddy Bear's Picnic" and others
17:27 The Cokey Cokey
26:30 Jimmy Kennedy - Continued
27:24 Michael Carr
28:56 Discussing the Sheet Music Cover
30:01 C. L. Heimann and Novelty Dance Crazes
35:28 Music and Lyric Analysis
41:44 Discussing Recordings
48:57 If You Liked That You'll Like This ...
55:18 Mentioned in Dispatches
59:13 Teaser for Next Week
59:50 Outro
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
You can follow the podcast on social media:
http://instagram.com/warsongspod
https://www.facebook.com/warsongspod
Find more information about Lili Redman here:
https://liliredman.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lili__redman/
https://www.facebook.com/ScalaLil
Or Tom Carradine here:
https://www.tomcarradine.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tomcarradine
https://www.facebook.com/mrtomcarradine
CONTACT THE PODCAST
If there's a wartime song that you think they should discuss, or if you have a personal or family story connected to one, drop them a line at warsongspod@gmail.com to be "Mentioned in Dispatches".
LISTENING LINKS
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ktQ4nyudmPRLcCNyNxEfv?si=ac9e1babe6834f2b
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-a-to-z-of-wartime-song/id1806037318
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