In this episode of The A to Z of Wartime Song, hosts Lili Redman and Tom Carradine hop into the world of one of WWIIās catchiest tunes: āRun, Rabbit, Run!ā. Made famous by comedy duo Flanagan and Allen, the song took on a life of its own - boosting morale, teasing the Luftwaffe and even becoming a favourite of Winston Churchill. They explore the songās theatrical roots in Noel Gayās The Little Dog Laughed, its transformation into a patriotic earworm and its cheeky parody lyrics aimed at Hitler and co. Along the way, they dive into the extraordinary lives of Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen, their role in the beloved Crazy Gang and the genius of Noel Gay - the man who gave us everything from Leaning on a Lamp-post to The Lambeth Walk. Expect tales of daring vaudeville careers, bombed-out theatres, Pathe propaganda films and performances by everyone from Gracie Fields to Jack Hylton. Plus, Lili and Tom share some of their favourite wartime comedy songs and read a touching message from a devoted listener all the way from Australia. SPOTIFY PLAYLIST You can listen to ALL of the songs that Tom and Lili talk about in the episode on their Spotify playlister here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1FQDrBphYqYLAuN6Jm01PN?si=b777dc33a703408a REFERENCES Liliās Tribute to Tom Lehrer @ Crazy Coqs https://www.instagram.com/reel/DM4kZeoIQia/ Tomās āI Got It From Agnesā https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G0jaAP6MfY Tom Lehrerās Back Catalogue https://tomlehrersongs.com/ Lili Redman Siren @ Edinburgh Fringe https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/lili-redman-siren Richard Townsley - āCaptian TikTokā https://www.tiktok.com/@absolutehistory/video/7010804201668234502?q=ww1%20medicine&t=1754644830469 Richard Townsley https://richard-townsley.com/ Zeitgeist Battlefield Tours https://www.zeitgeisttours.com/ Captain John Lauder - son of Sir Harry Lauder https://www.cwgc.org/stories/stories/captain-john-currie-lauder-soldier-son-of-scotlands-greatest-ever-ambassador/ Noel Gay https://noelgay.com/history/ https://noelgay.com/noel-gays-music/ The Lambeth Walk - 1937 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPItn6Kp6D0 Bud Flanagan - London Locations https://www.londonshoes.blog/2019/05/21/the-legendary-bud-flanagan-from-cradle-to-grave-an-east-end-boy-done-good/ Flanagan and Allen https://www.andmeetings.com/blog/post/meetings-that-made-entertainment-history-when-flanagan-met-allen Chesney Allenās Military Service https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/30483 The Crazy Gang http://www.turnipnet.com/crazygang/gang.htm The Last Night of the Crazy Gang @ the Victoria Palace https://youtu.be/3hSrjU6nLuo?si=4pHbZO407P96THyJ Underneath the Arches - Derby Connection https://martinlloydauthor.blogspot.com/2015/01/flanagan-allen-and-friargate-bridge.html Dadās Army Theme Tune https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XroU9_tNF7A Run Rabbit Run as WW2 Propaganda https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-50354168 Oma Rapeti - Run Rabbit Run in Maori! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCQFXi09Ww4 Run Adolf Run - Parody (Pathe Films) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvETi4KNZgg Mairzy Doats and Dozy Doats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vqnym8Mhx8 Mairzy Doats and Dozy Doats (with British Sign Language) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yjcaznCggE Ivor Moreton and Dave Kaye https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iebRRG7_3U CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 00:52 Catch Up 03:37 R = Run, Rabbit, Run! 04:49 Noel Gay 10:58 Bud Flanagan 14:10 Chesney Allen 15:52 The Crazy Gang 19:26 Flanagan and Allen 22:43 Discussing the Sheet Music 24:11 When Did We Discover the Song? 24:38 Discussing the Lyrics and Music 32:17 Discussing Recordings: Jack Hylton 33:53 Joe Loss 34:52 Harry Roy 36:16 Flanagan and Allen 36:45 Gracie Fields 38:08 If You Liked That You'll Like This 41:25 Mentioned in Dispatches 43:03 Teaser for Next Week 43:48 Outro SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS You can follow the podcast on social media: http://instagram.com/warsongspod https://www.facebook.com/warsongspod Find more information about Lili Redman here: https://liliredman.com/https://www.instagram.com/lili__redman/ https://www.facebook.com/ScalaLil Or Tom Carradine here: https://www.tomcarradine.com/https://www.instagram.com/tomcarradine https://www.facebook.com/mrtomcarradine CONTACT THE PODCAST If there's a wartime song that you think they should discuss, or if you have a personal or family story connected to one, drop them a line at
[email protected]Ā to be "Mentioned in Dispatches". LISTENING LINKS Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ktQ4nyudmPRLcCNyNxEfv?si=ac9e1babe6834f2b Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-a-to-z-of-wartime-song/id1806037318 If youāve enjoyed this episode Lili and Tom would be grateful if youād leave a review and make sure youāve subscribed and turned on notifications so youāll never miss an episode.