As a child Anthony moved with his family to Cleveland, Ohio, where he began studying the trumpet with his father. He played in Glenn Miller's band from 1940–1941 and appeared in the Glenn Miller movie Sun Valley Serenade in 1941 before joining the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war he formed his own group. The Ray Anthony Orchestra became very popular in the early 1950s, with recordings that included Anthony's classic dance songs "The Bunny Hop" and the "Hokey Pokey," as well as the theme music from Dragnet. He had a #2 chart hit with a remake of the Glenn Miller tune, "At Last" in 1952.
From 1953-1954 Anthony was the musical director on the television series TV's Top Tunes, and he also appeared as himself in the 1955 film Daddy Long Legs. In 1955 Anthony married sex symbol actress Mamie Van Doren and began expanding his own acting career. He starred in a short-lived television 1956-1957 variety show, The Ray Anthony Show. Anthony also appeared in several films during the late 1950s, including The Five Pennies (where he portrayed Jimmy Dorsey), and Van Doren's movies High School Confidential as "Bix" and Girls Town. In the 1959-1960 television season, he guest starred in the episode "Operation Ramrod" of David Hedison's espionage series Five Fingers on NBC.
Anthony and Van Doren divorced in 1961, and Anthony's brief film career ended at about the same time. However, he continued his musical career and had another hit record with the theme from Peter Gunn, which reached #8 on Billboard's pop chart. Among his pianists was Allen "Puddler" Harris, a native of Franklin Parish, Louisiana, who had been a member of the original Ricky Nelson band and Kellie Green, who also played the vibraphone.
Anthony was considered one of the most modern of the big band leaders. In the lyrics to "Opus One", which imagine a number of players performing the song, he is cited along with Les Brown and his Band of Renown:
If Mr. Les Brown can make it renowned
And Ray Anthony could rock it for me
Anthony and his band were also featured in the movie, The Girl Can't Help It, and were treated as one of the rockers in the line-up, but also shown in performances with Mansfield that are essential to the plot.
Ray Anthony's compositions include "Thurderbird", "Bunny Hop", "Trumpet Boogie", "Big Band Boogie", and "Mr. Anthony's Boogie".
Anthony has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
As of 20 January 2011 (2011 -01-20)[update] his 89th birthday, Anthony is active as a bandleader and musician, and is one of the oldest and living big band bandleaders.
Anthony has a close friendship with Hugh Hefner, which has resulted in him appearing in numerous episodes of The Girls Next Door.
Oh Mein Papa
Ray Anthony & His Orchestra Lyrics
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Oh, my pa-pa, to me he was so good
No one could be, so gentle and so lovable
Oh, my pa-pa, he always understood
Gone are the days when he would take me on his knee
And with a smile he'd change my tears to laughter
Always the clown so funny in his way
Oh, my pa-pa, to me he was so wonderful
Deep in my heart I miss him so today
These lyrics are about the singer's love and admiration for their father. The singer describes their father as an incredibly kind, lovable, and understanding person. They have fond memories of the times their father would comfort them, making them laugh even when they were upset. The singer misses those special moments with their father that now seem to be gone. The memory of their father continues to live on in their heart today.
This song is a tribute to fathers, and specifically to the father of Swiss composer Paul Burkhard, who wrote the original German song "O mein Papa" in 1939. The song's English translation, "Oh My Pa-Pa," was popularized in the United States by a recording by Eddie Fisher in 1954. Ray Anthony & His Orchestra's version was also a hit in 1954.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, my pa-pa, to me he was so wonderful
My father was an amazing person to me
Oh, my pa-pa, to me he was so good
My father was a good person to me
No one could be, so gentle and so lovable
Nobody could be as gentle and lovable as my father
Oh, my pa-pa, he always understood
My father always understood me
Gone are the days when he would take me on his knee
Those days are gone when he used to take me on his lap
And with a smile he'd change my tears to laughter
He used to make me laugh even when I was crying
Oh, my pa-pa, so funny, so adorable
My father was funny and adorable
Always the clown so funny in his way
He was always joking and silly in his own way
Deep in my heart I miss him so today
I miss him deeply today in my heart
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Erik Charell, Jurg Amstein, Paul Burkhard, Robert Gilbert
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind