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“Bali Ha’i” and “The Jitterbug”

A while back I posted some observations on what my ears heard as the influence of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Bali Ha’i” (from the 1949 South Pacific soundtrack) on Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” and some others.  A deleted scene from The Wizard of Oz (1942), though, has me wondering if Rodgers and Hammerstein actually borrowed from Harold Arlen. The expensive, elaborate scene included an Arlen song (lyrics by E.Y. Harburg) called “The Jitterbug,” in which Dorothy and friends dance frenetically under the influence of the song title’s creatures (only the grainy version above, shot by Arlen himself, exists). Although “The Jitterbug” never made it to the final cut of the film, it did appear in a 1942 stage musical version, which is one way it might have seeped into Rodgers and Hammerstein’s consciousness.

One Response to ““Bali Ha’i” and “The Jitterbug””

  1. Boneyard Media » Blog Archive » Borrowed Tunes: Bali Ha’i Edition Says:

    […] Update, pt. 2: I’ve realized that Rodgers and Hammerstein may well have borrowed from Harold Arlen. […]

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