There’s a current Google commercial featuring on its soundbed the
1956 Savoy recording of Nappy Brown singing Fred Mendelsohn’s song
OPEN UP THAT DOOR (And Walk Right In My Heart).
Here’s the link to the ad:
Some of you may instantly recognize the sax intro of OPEN UP THAT DOOR
as the opening salvo in Bill Buchanan & Dickie Goodman’s groundbreaking
1956 break-in smash THE FLYING SAUCER.
Here’s a YouTube link to both sides of the single:
The reporter’s name John Cameron Cameron was a play
on the name of real life broadcaster John Cameron Swayze.
In addition to OPEN UP THAT DOOR, the imaginary radio news storyline
boldly used clips from 17 other then-current 45’s each of which was a top 20
hit here in ‘55 or ‘56. In order of occurrence they were: THE GREAT PRETENDER
by The Platters, I WANT YOU TO BE MY GIRL by Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers,
LONG TALL SALLY by Little Richard, POOR ME by Fats Domino, HEARTBREAK HOTEL
by Elvis Presley, EARTH ANGEL by The Platters, I HEAR YOU KNOCKING by Smiley Lewis, TUTTI FRUTTI by Little Richard, (You’ve Got) THE MAGIC TOUCH by The Platters, THE GREAT PRETENDER by The Platters, BAND OF GOLD by Don Cherry, AIN’T THAT SHAME by Fats Domino, DON’T BE ANGRY by Nappy Brown, BLUE SUEDE SHOES by Carl Perkins, MAYBELLENE by Chuck Berry, SEE YOU LATER ALLIGATOR by Bill Haley & His Comets and finally MY PRAYER by The Platters. Many of the original owners of the featured clips
sued but a judge ruled that the record was an original concept.
Hitting #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in August ’56, Buchanan & Goodman’s single
on their very own Luniverse label left such an impression that there was even a cover
version titled FLYING SAUCER by Sid Noel & His Outer Spacemen (Aladdin: 1956)
which featured the same line-up of song extracts performed by the New Orleans group
The Hawks.
In addition, it was largely parodied in THE SPACE MAN (Steve Allen) by Alan Freed,
Steve Allen, Al ‘Jazzbo’ Collins & The Modernaires w/George Cate’s Out Of Spacers
(Coral: 1956)
The actual label even included the words:
‘Our Lawyers Tell Us We Might Get Sued By Buchanan and Goodman’!
Other space-related & sci-fi break-in singles included…
THE LUNEY TAKE-OFF
by Captain Zap & The Motortown Cut-ups
Pro: David & William
(Motown: 1969)
MOONFLIGHT
by Vik Venus Alias: Your Main Moon Man
Pro: Lewis Merenstein
(Buddah: 1969)
OUT OF THIS WORLD With FLYING SAUCERS Pts1 & 2
(Vick Knight)
by Dave Barry & Sara Berner
Narration by Dave Barry
(RPM: 1956)
featuring clips of RPM masters of such songs as EDDIE MY LOVE by The Teen Queens
and ROLL WITH ME HENRY by Etta James & The Peaches with Richard Berry.
The narration was a parody of broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow.
THE BEATLE FLYING SAUCER (R. Harris)
by Ed Solomon
(Diamond: 1964)
Linked by a parody of Ed Sullivan.
Following THE FLYING SAUCER, Dickie Goodman spent a whole career
making break-in novelty 45’s including FRANKENSTEIN OF ’59 (again with Bill Buchanan)
and then branching out on his own and with other collaborators, his parodies ranged from
political themes such as WATERGRATE and the ENERGY CRISIS OF ’74 to fictitious &
comic book heroes such as BATMAN & HIS GRANDMOTHER, JAMES BOMB, SUPER FLY
MEETS SHAFT and THE TOUCHABLES. His other big hit was MR. JAWS co-authored
and co-produced by Bill Ramal on Cash in ‘75 which followed in the wake of the
Steven Spielberg movie success.
Inspired by Buchanan & Goodman’s success, countless other break-in singles
from a wide range of artists and producers followed.
Here are a few examples:
THE RETURN OF JERRY LEE
(Jack Clement/Barbara Pittman)
Narration by George & Lewis
(Sun: 1958)
Utilizing extracts from Jerry Lee Lewis’s Sun recordings including
GREAT BALLS OF FIRE, HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL and
WHOLE LOT OF SHAKIN’ GOING ON.
SOUL HEAVEN
by E. Rodney Jones & Friends
(Twilight: c.1971)
A tribute break-in 45. The melody is from Syl Johnson’s 1969 Twinight track
IS IT BECAUSE I’M BLACK
(Syl Johnson/Glenn Watts/Jimmy Jones).
DOUBLE O SOUL IN ACTION
(Harris)
by Jerry B. & The Soul Agents
A Boss Prod.
(Double Check: c.1965)
THOSE GOLDEN OLDIES
(Frank Slay/Bernie Binnick/Tony Mammarella)
by Marcy Jo & Eddie Rambeau w/Frank Slay & His Orchestra
(Swan: 1963)
THE TRIAL
(Lou Adler/Herb Alpert)
by Jerry Field & The Lawyers
(Parkway: 1958)
INTERVIEW OF THE FAB FOUR
(B. Poe/H. Moore)
by Harv Moore
(American Arts: 1965)
RENTA SANTA
(Chris Hill/Jonathan Staines)
by Chris Hill
Pro: Chris Hill & Jonathan Staines
Eng: Steve Brown
(UK Philips: 1975)
BIONIC SANTA
(Chris Hill/Jonathan Staines)
by Chris Hill
Pro: Chris Hill, Jonathan Staines & Nigel Grainge
(UK Philips: 1976)
Both RENTA SANTA and BIONIC SANTA were UK Top Ten hits.
JAMES BROWN – A TALK WITH THE NEWS
by Steve Soul
Pro: James Brown
(King: 1969)
PET ROCKS ARE COMING
by Walter Rockite
(Westbound: 1976)
‘Walter Rockite’ was a parody of the newsman Walter Cronkite.
WILL THE REAL DR. FRANKENSTEIN PLEASE STAND UP
(B.J. Hunter) by The Zanies
Pro: B.J. Hunter
(Dore: 1971)
In addition to Dickie Goodman’s WATERGRATE,
there were many other politically-themed break-in’s such as:
THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
(Don Imus)
by Road Hog & The Neon Cactus
Pro: Larry Fogel
(Epic: 1976)
THE IMPEACHMENT STORY
by Steel, Jake & Jeff
(Peach-Mint: 1974)
THE TALKING JUKEBOX Pts. 1 & 2
(Mitchell Torok)
by Mitchell Torok
(Republic: 1974)
POLITICAL CIRCUS ’72
(Jerry Osborne)
by Ratmore Slinky
(Jelly Roll: 1972)
I hope you enjoyed this bulletin and,
in the appropriate words of Buchanan & Goodman’s
first spaceman: ‘Goodbye earth people’!
As in all my postings, the recordings listed and referenced
above are in no way intended as definitive collections.
Please send any comments or suggestions to
Rock on.
Alan Warner
© Alan Warner, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Alan Warner with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.