The heat wave we and the rest of the country have been going through in the past few weeks makes me long for winter, snow (quickly plowed here in New England!), and fresh cool air. So, gentle readers, bear with me because for this week’s musical musing I’m dredging up one of the most forgettable movies of the early 1940s, but one that gave us one of the most unforgettable songs of the era. The movie was that “rom/sno/com“ called “Sun Valley Serenade.”
The song is “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” . . .
. . . not the much earlier Hamlin/Craig song . . .
. . . or even Irving Berlin’s still earlier ragtime song “Down in Chattanooga.”
The movie was more or less about skiing and a refugee girl chasing a big band boy. And, of course, being both an expert skater and skier, she catches him!
Not surprisingly for the Hollywood of those days, the movie doesn’t have a thing to do with the city of Chattanooga and relatively little to do with trains—certainly not one from New York City heading south to Tennessee by way of Idaho. Maybe there is one, though. Made by Lionel.
But the film did feature the Glenn Miller orchestra and their lively rendition of our song. Many consider it to be one of his best on film.
Oh yes, the movie also gave us some great ice-skating choreography starring that three-time Olympic and ten-time World Champion figure skater, the Norwegian “Ice Pixie” –and one of Hollywood’s highest paid stars at the time—Sonja Heine.
The song opens up with the band, sounding like a train rolling out of the station, complete with the trumpets and trombones imitating a train whistle, before the instrumental portion.
The main song opens with a dialog between our singer—a passenger—and a shoeshine boy:
Our singer then describes the train’s route, originating from New York through Baltimore with “dinner in the diner” in North Carolina . . .
. . . before reaching the Chattanooga Railroad Terminal.
There, a woman he knew from an earlier time in his life will be waiting for him. WHOO WHOO!
The song is amusingly imaginative as no train ever went directly from New York to Chattanooga, and Pennsylvania Station had only twenty-four tracks at that time. Ah, musical Hollywood! But today’s residents of Chattanooga don’t seem to care that much about historical accuracy, not when they have a good thing chugging along!
Oh yes, the Chattanooga (Choo Choo) Station is now a hotel. How time goes by when you’re having fun, and have a song in your heart!
Moving on, I usually avoid relatively long YouTube segments in these musings, but this one is special—it has it all! Not only does it have an extended production version of our song but it also includes the whistling and singing of band members, the voice of Tex Beneke, and the trombone glissando of Glenn Miller himself. To many folks, including those around the world, “Choo Choo” is considered THE quintessential Glenn Miller song.
To me, an added highlight toward the end of the clip is the singing and dancing segment with Dorothy Dandridge, in one of her first film appearances, and the acrobatic Nicholas Brothers.
Our song was on the top of the charts back in 1941 and was the first certified Gold Record ever. It was even nominated that year for an Oscar! So, go to the lobby for some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the show!
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen.
You can skip this next YouTube since it doesn’t have a thing to do with our “Choo Choo” song. It is, however, one of the greatest ice-skating choreography scenes on film. It stars, of course, Sonja herself. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image if you have the time for a chilly Sun Valley treat! Time for some more popcorn, too!
“Choo Choo” has become such a singable, playable swing/jazz standard that it has found its way into the repertoire of a lot of amateur groups around the country and around the world. Tap or click on the next image or link to hear some of what the British lovingly call “Eldies” doing their ukulele thing. Don’t we white-hairs (Q -Tips!) have fun!
I don’t know the next time any of us will be taking a trip on a train anywhere, much less to Chattanooga. But, until that happy day, stay well, stay safe, stay as masked as you need be, . . .
. . . and STAY TUNED!
Oh, yes. Earworm Alert!
And, our favorite “Eldie” has another point . . .
NOHOBANJO OF NORTHAMPTON, AND NOW EASTHAMPTON, "MUSICAL MUSINGS" 