Oscar-Nominated Songs: Chattanooga Choo Choo

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Well, howdy! I didn’t sleep very well last night (lots of weather warnings, nothing wrong with me personally). With all the high-water rescues they’ve had this morning around town I thought it’d just be best to stay home. Just because I’m not escaping the house doesn’t mean you get to escape another Oscar-nominated song, though. Here’s today’s classic. Chattanooga Choo Choo - Glenn Miller and His Orchestra Or as Archie Campbell said to Roy Clark on Hee Haw, “Pardon me, Roy, is that the cat that chewed your new shoes?” Here’s one that I didn’t know was in a movie. Ah, but it was: Sun Valley Serenade featured the song, along with the legendary Glenn Miller. Sun Valley is a real place (in Idaho). In 1941, however, it was nothing more than a backlot locale on 20th Century Fox’s soundstage. Sun Valley Serenade, if you can’t tell by the presence of Miller and the word serenade in the title, was a musical. It also featured a few names that I remember: in addition to Miller, skater Sonja Henie was the star, groundbreaking African-America actor Dorothy Dandridge was in the film, and “Mister Television” was IN A MOVIE???? Yep, Uncle Miltie (Milton Berle) was in the film (you’ll see him in the clip linked below). I have no clue what the gist of the movie was, but based on other musicals from the era, I’d guess there was romance, comedy, and singing. “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” on the other hand, I know very well. It’s also quite legendary in the city of Chattanooga, with an area that features a train, entertainment area, and the Glenn Miller Gardens. And most of you kids have no clue about Glenn Miller. No, he’s not Steve Miller’s dad. He was one of the best-known big band leaders of the 30s and 40s. When World War II started Miller, too old (38 at the time), married, and too nearsighted to be drafted, volunteered. He was made an officer in the Army Air Corps (the forerunner of the Air Force), with his job being morale boosting. His work is considered the advent of the military bands (although they’d existed in unofficial capacities for a long time). On December 15, 1944 the plane Miller was on disappeared over the English Channel. His body was never found. There is a memorial gravestone to him in Arlington National Cemetery. In addition to the Oscar nomination (losing to “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” which is another song that made me go “Oh, that was in a movie?”), “Chattanooga Choo Choo” gave us the gold record. In celebration of its sales of over a million copies, Miller’s label, RCA Victor, gave him a “gold record.” It is acknowledged as the first gold record award in history. This song is over 80 years old and it’s still a joy. Chattanooga Choo Choo Written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren Recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra From Sun Valley Serenade, 1941 Track 29!!