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Identify Short Music Excerpt in 'Gay Paree'

posted 20 years ago by andrewsk8s
9 replies | jump to latest

In the prologue to the song "Gay Paree" sung by Robert Preston, there is a short musical excerpt from a classical piece (probably more famous from cartoons) that I would like to identify. Does anybody know the title?

Robert Preston stands next to the piano and sings:

When people speak of gay Paree
they think that when they say Paree is gay,
they mean that gay Paree is gay.
It is.... not in the way Paree
was gay in yesterday Paree,
they mean today that gay Paree is "gay".
(then the accompanist plays the short musical excerpt, as Robert Preston pulls a handkerchief out of his sleeve)
Not *that* gay!

[–] belacane 20 years ago

I always thought that was just improv on the part of the pianist. It certainly sounds "gay" as in, you can imagine a bunch of homosexual men in tights dancing around to it!

[–] andrewsk8s 20 years ago

I've actually heard the entire song on a classical radio station,so I'm certain that it is not an improvisation. Plus, if you've watched Bugs Bunny cartoons, it is played a lot as background music (like when someone gets bonked on the head and is staggering around with stars). Sadly, much of my early exposure to classical music was through cartoons.

[–] young_country_gurl_2004 20 years ago

It reminds me of those old black and white movie musicals, where everybody is running around..

[–] KristinaMG 20 years ago

According to the close captioning for the movie, the riff is from
the aptly named "Dance of the Fairies" although, I can't find who
wrote it.

[–] kinanewilliams-1 20 years ago

It's Felix Mendlesonn's "Spring Song"

[–] gayspiritwarrior 20 years ago

Correct. "Spring Song" is one of a series of piano pieces Mendelssohn wrote, called "Songs Without Words."

[–] TheHungryAndAngryShow 18 years ago

This is lifted directly off the memorable quotes page on IMDb:

Toddy: [singing] When people speak of Gay Paree / They think that when they say Paree is gay / They mean that Gay Paree is "Gay!" / It is not in the way Paree was gay in yesterday Paree / It means today that Gay Paree *is* Gay.
[the pianist plays the Fairy Waltz. Toddy stops him]
Toddy: [spoken] Not that gay.

[–] car7186 18 years ago

Yeah, Imdb got it wrong on this point. It is The Spring Song by Mendelsohn.

NOW a warning?!?

[–] belacane 18 years ago

Yes, but don't forget those memorable quotes are submitted by readers of IMDB, not by the filmmakers.

"Good night, Vienna, city of a million something-or-others..."