You'll have to color in the yellow polka dots in yourself
Posted on 09/28/2006 6:04:45 AM PDT by aculeus
A songwriter who co-wrote the 1960 pop hit “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” was stunned to read on a television screen this week that he had died — apparently after another man who claimed authorship of the song died and left behind confused survivors.
The Associated Press on Tuesday carried an obituary reporting that Paul Vance had died on Sept. 6 at his home in Ormond Beach, Fla., citing his wife as its primary source. The A.P.’s managing editor, Mike Silverman, who is based in New York, said yesterday that the news service report was prompted by an obituary published earlier this week in The News-Times of Danbury, Conn.
That obituary, for Paul Van Valkenburgh, a native of New Milford, Conn., reported that Mr. Van Valkenburgh wrote the song under the name Paul Vance.
The initial news service report was picked up by news outlets around the world, including by The New York Times. But Mr. Vance — at least the one who wrote the novelty hit, which was recently used in a Yoplait yogurt advertising campaign — is very much alive and believes the man who died may have misled his own family.
Mr. Vance, who is 76 and recently moved from Long Island to Coral Springs, Fla., said he was “kind of shook up” over reports of his demise. “What is happening is unreal,” he said. “My kids went nuts. My closest friends are still calling.” Mr. Vance said that two racehorses he owned were scratched from races yesterday because organizers believed he had died.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated!
NOt dead yet. I am happy!
Uh Oh! Am I going to find out my husband isn't really "The best thing since sliced bread" after he dies?
Is that you, Lazarus?
Oh, oh. You mean all of those posts of Rhinos wearing yellow polka dot bikinis was just a waste of time? Jeeze!
It was an Itsy bitsy teeny weeny case of mistaken identity in the obituaries today!
I was amused until I read the part about the horse racing.
The tune was most aptly employed as a form of torture in the Cagney flick "One, Two, Three!" Still, it must be grudgingly acknowledged it remains a cultural benchmark of sorts - if only in reverse, i.e., as yet another milestone in the decline of the West which began with the outbreak of World War I.
“kind of shook up”
Not to be confused with the song.."all shook up"
he did not write that one....or the Purple People Eater song..he didn't write that one either
Can the MSM do anything right anymore?
I heard the interview on F&F this morning. The way I understand it, the widow called the AP and told them that her husband, the author of "IBTWYPDB" had died, and they ran with it.
Okay, I don't know about anyone else, but when I was working at the AP in the early 80's, phone tips were generally followed up with some fact-checking, if only to confirm that the caller was not pulling a prank. Was there no research? No callbacks? Geez, we can't even use bias to explain away this level of incompetence.
I was blown out of the AP because I couldn't keep up with the sports reporting, which apparently is their bread and butter. I didn't get anything wrong, mind you. In fact, I was damned good on everything except sports reporting. I hope that whoever blew this one is out on their ear as well, if only to let me know they have some standards left.
(Yes, I do still have issues, and no, I still have no interest in professional sports, except sailboat racing.)
"Can the MSM do anything right anymore?"
They seem to be pretty good at giving away secrets which jeopardize national security.
Well, can you hang around a couple of minutes? He won't be long.
Thank you.
I believe the man that wrote the song also had three purple hearts and a NCM for service in the RVN. I have to believe the AP, they would never get a story screwed up as much as this was.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1709632/posts
Real `Itsy Bitsy' Songwriter Still Alive
abcnews.go.com ^ | September 27, 2006 | FRANK ELTMAN
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1708781/posts
`Itsy ... Bikini' songwriter dies at 68
news.yahoo.com ^ | Sept. 25, 2006 | SHELLEY K. WONG
>>There was *one more* original story thread, but now I can't find it.
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