"Harrigan" is a song written by

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

for the short-lived 1908

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical ''Fifty Miles from Boston'' when it was introduced by James C. Marlowe. It celebrates, and to some extent mocks, his own

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

heritage. It is also an affectionate homage to

Edward Harrigan Edward Harrigan (October 26, 1844June 6, 1911), sometimes called Ned Harrigan, was an Irish-American actor, singer, dancer, playwright, lyricist and theater producer who, together with Tony Hart (as Harrigan & Hart), formed one of the most celebr ...

, a previous great Irish American contributor to American musical theater. The song was performed by

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

and

Joan Leslie Joan Leslie (born Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel; January 26, 1925 – October 12, 2015) was an American actress and vaudevillian, who during the Hollywood Golden Age, appeared in such films as '' High Sierra'' (1941), ''Sergeant York'' (1941) ...

in the 1942 film ''

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Ro ...

'', a

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

of Cohan's life. In that film it was portrayed as an early work of Cohan's that he was shopping around. In real life, by 1907 he had already scored some major Broadway hits and had little need to try to sell individual songs to producers. Contemporary Irish-American singer Billy Murray made a very popular recording of the song for

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidi ...

(catalog No. 5197) in 1907. In his version, the answer "Harrigan!" to each question is shouted by a background group.

Edward Meeker Edward Meeker (January 22, 1874 – April 19, 1937) was an American singer and performer, best known for his appearances on the recordings of Thomas Edison both as an announcer and singer, performing songs such as " Chicken Reel", "Go Easy Mabel" ...

was another who enjoyed success with his recording of the song in 1907.

Lyrics

:Who is the man who will spend or will even lend? :Harrigan, that's me! :Who is your friend when you find that you need a friend? :Harrigan, that's me! :For I'm just as proud of my name, you see :As an emperor, czar or a king could be :Who is the man helps a man ev'ry time he can? :Harrigan, that's me! :H, A, double-R, I, G, A, N spells Harrigan :Proud of all the Irish blood that's in me :Divvil a man can say a word agin me :H, A, double-R, I, G, A, N you see :Is a name that a shame never has been connected with :Harrigan, that's me! :Who is the man never stood for a gadabout? :Harrigan, that's me! :Who is the man that the town's simply mad about? :Harrigan that's me! :The ladies and babies are fond of me :I'm fond of them, too, in return, you see :Who is the gent that's deserving a monument? :Harrigan, that's me! :H, A, double-R, I, G, A, N spells Harrigan :Proud of all the Irish blood that's in me :Divvil a man can say a word agin me :H, A, double-R, I, G, A, N you see :Is a name that a shame never has been connected with :Harrigan, that's me!

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

included the song in a medley on his album '' 101 Gang Songs'' (1961) The song was used decades later for a 1960-1961

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

, ''

Harrigan and Son ''Harrigan and Son'' is an ABC sitcom about a father-and-son team of lawyers, played by Pat O'Brien as Jim Harrigan Sr. and Roger Perry as Jim Jr.. In supporting roles, as secretaries, are Georgine Darcy as Gypsy and Helen Kleeb as Miss Claridge. ...

'', about a father-and-son law firm. Its lead players,

Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to: Politicians * Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons *Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament Others *Pat O'Br ...

and

Roger Perry Roger Perry (May 7, 1933 – July 12, 2018) was an American film and television actor whose career began in the late 1950s. He served as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force during the early 1950s. Career Television In th ...

, would sing the song, silhouetted behind the closing credits of the show. In his

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

gubernatorial campaigns in 1954 and 1958, as well as his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1956,

Averell Harriman William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891July 26, 1986), better known as Averell Harriman, was an American Democratic politician, businessman, and diplomat. The son of railroad baron E. H. Harriman, he served as Secretary of Commerce un ...

used a variation of the song, which sang of "H, A, double-R, I, M, A, N". In 1960,

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

's campaign released a recording of

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

singing a version of " High Hopes" that included lyrics written specifically for "K, E, double-N, E, D, Y" The song was adapted - replacing "H, A, double-R, I, G, A, N" with "G, I, double-L, I, G, A, N" - in the ''

Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells. It aired for thr ...

'' episode "The Little Dictator", when Gilligan dreams that he is the president of a

banana republic In political science, the term banana republic describes a politically unstable country with an economy dependent upon the export of natural resources. In 1904, the American author O. Henry coined the term to describe Honduras and neighboring ...

. It was also featured several times in the 1938 film "

Hold That Co-ed ''Hold That Co-ed'' is a 1938 comedy film directed by George Marshall, starring John Barrymore, George Murphy and Marjorie Weaver. Plot summary Former star quarterback Rusty Stevens believes he is being hired to be prosperous Clayton Universit ...

" as a campaign theme song for

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...

's character "Governor Gabby Harrigan". The song is subject of multiple parodies in American juvenile oral tradition, with versions about "L, O, Double L, I, P, O, P" or "D, A, V, E, N, P, O, R, T" and others. Examples can be found in "The Whim-Wham Book" by Duncan Emrich and in "Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts: The Subversive Folklore of Childhood" by Josepha Sherman and T. K. F. Weisskopf. The

Kidsongs ''Kidsongs'' is an American children's media franchise that includes Kidsongs Music Video Stories on DVD and video, The Kidsongs TV Show, CDs of favorite children's songs, song books, sheet music, toys and an ecommerce website. It was created by ...

Kids and the Biggles covered the song in their 1998 video "Adventures in Biggleland: Meet the Biggles". The term "divvil" is an Irish expression that often found its way into Irish songs of that era. It essentially means "nary" or "hardly".

Allan Sherman Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) (Al ...

's short medley of Cohan song parodies included this tune, reworked to sing about pianist

Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz; yi, וולאַדימיר סאַמוילאָוויטש האָראָוויץ, group=n (November 5, 1989)Schonberg, 1992 was a Russian-born American classical pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all ...

. A character sings the song in '' A Couple of Hamburgers'', a short story by James Thurber.

References

External links

Billy Murray's recording
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrigan (Song) Songs about actors Songs about writers 1907 songs Billy Murray (singer) songs Songs written by George M. Cohan