[Dixielandjazz] Not exactly OKOM, but of interests for tubists...

[David Richoux]

Saw this in the morning paper...
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/news/local/3991579.htm

BTW, there were later versions where Tubby meets a brass band, a circus band and a
jazz band (kind of boppish) that can be heard on a recent Tubby recording done by
the Manhattan Transfer.

Dave Richoux
--------------------------------

   Paul Tripp, creator of `Tubby the Tuba'

   By Myrna Oliver
   Los Angeles Times

   Paul Tripp, the actor, director, writer and lyricist who taught generations of
children about orchestral instruments with his imaginative ``Tubby the Tuba'' and
about history with his early children's television show ``Mr. I. Magination,'' has
died. He was 91.

   Mr. Tripp died Thursday in New York of causes associated with aging.

   ``Tubby'' is the indelible orchestrated story of a lonely, hapless little tuba
who wanted his own melody but was assigned to limit himself forever to ``oompah,
oompah.'' Derided as clumsy and overweight by the other instruments, he wanders off
to the riverbank, meets a helpful bullfrog who teaches him an ``oompah'' melody, and
then delights the rest of
the orchestra with his new tune.

   The moral and musical tale was first recorded by Mr. Tripp in 1945. It has been
rerecorded over the decades, selling more than 8 million copies.

   Mr. Tripp, a native New Yorker whose father was a singer and actor, was an
accomplished actor when ``Tubby'' emerged to point him toward children's educational entertainment.

   He made his Broadway debut in ``Cyrano de Bergerac'' in 1936, and four years
later was performing in George Kleinsinger's opera ``Victory Against Heaven'' when
he persuaded the composer to collaborate on his concept of ``Tubby.''

   The work was barely finished when Mr. Tripp was drafted in 1942, serving in the
Army Signal Corps during World War II.

   After the war, ``Tubby'' proved so successful that it became Mr. Tripp's natural
entree to the new medium of television. In 1949, he launched his first children's
show, ``Mr. I. Magination,'' riding into living rooms on a toy train and wearing
engineer's striped overalls.