Allan Sherman
November 30, 1924 – November 20, 1973
Allan Sherman was a popular humorist, television producer and parody singer-songwriter who had a massive top 40 hit with his 1963 novelty single, “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh,” a song about a child’s rough time at summer camp. It was sung to the tune of “Dance of the Hours” by Amilcare Ponchielli. That was followed by another humorous hit, “The Twelve Gifts of Christmas.” Such songs were a direct influence on likes of Weird Al Yankovic. Sherman’s career actually began in television. From 1952 to 1967, he was the producer of I’ve Got a Secret, which was based on an idea of his. He began putting out novelty records in the early ’60s. His specialty was taking old folk songs and changing the lyrics to poke fun at his Jewish heritage. One such hit of his was “Sarah Jackman” sung to the tune of “Frere Jacques.” Sherman’s popularity was short lived though, likely due to the fickle tastes of music fans. Some have even specualted that the changing mood in America after the assasanation of John F. Kennedy lead to his decline in popularity. Sherman tended to eat and drink heavily, leading to health problems as he grew older. He suffered from diabetes and lung disease and died of emphysema at the age of 48.
What You Should Own
When Steve Allen was writing his series of “Funny People” biographical sketches, I read his chapter on Sherman. Apparently Sherman proved the point that sudden success can really cause problems for you.