Ol' Man River
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"Ol' Man River" (music by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II) is a song in the 1927 musical Show Boat that tells the story of African American hardship and struggles of the time. The song was first performed live by Jules Bledsoe in December 1927, and the most famous version of this song, one that is still noted today, was sung by Paul Robeson in James Whale's 1936 film version of Show Boat. Many musicians and musical groups have covered the song since the 1920s, and it is today a pop standard.
A parody version was performed on CBS Radio by Stan Freberg and Daws Butler circa 1960, entitled "Elderly Man River." The parody lampooned what would today be termed "political correctness" by featuring a prudish censor from the "Citizen's Radio Board" who repeatedly interrupts Freberg's performance of the song to criticize (and insist on changes on) the grammar and appropriateness of the song's lyrics.
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