[Dixielandjazz] Ish Kabibble

Tue Nov 22 07:04:33 PST 2005

Dear Bill,
Nosmo King was a British music hall comedian in the 1930s whose pseudonym 
came from "No Smoking" painted on two swing doors that happened to show that 
name as he approached them.Cheers.
Fred
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Gunter" <jazzboard at hotmail.com>
To: <ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu>; <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2005 3:01 PM
Subject: RE: [Dixielandjazz] Ish Kabibble


> Hi Dan,
>
> I'm sure you'll get tons of response to this one.
>
> Ish Kabibble was a musician (trumpet, I believe) in the Kay Kayser 
> orchestra - Remember "Kay Kayser and his College of Musical Knowledge"? 
> It was a popular radio program back in the '40s.
>
> Ish portrayed a silly character in some of the scripts who was sorta dumb 
> but quite funny, as the court fool or jester often is. He had a kind of 
> nasal twang in his speech.
>
> I remember the following exchange on one of the programs. It was broadcast 
> from an aircraft carrier during WW2 when the band was out entertaining the 
> servicemen.
>
> ISH KABIBBLE: I've seen a bunch of signs posted all over the ship with a 
> guy's name on it. Must be an admiral or something I guess . . . do you 
> know who Nosmo King is? Could he be related to Admiral King?
>
> KAY KAYSER: What? . . . You idiot! That sign says "No Smoking!"
>
> AUDIENCE: (large gales of laughter all around) "hahahaha"
>
> It was one of radio's finer moments.
>
> Respectfully submitted,
>
> Bill "Nosmo" Gunter
> jazzboard at hotmail.com
>
>
>>From: Dan Augustine <ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu>
>>To: DJML <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>>Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Ish Kabibble
>>Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2005 11:52:49 -0600
>>
>>DJML and others--
>>     Don Ingle's post on his 50th wedding-anniversary (congratulations, 
>> Don!) triggered a forgotten synapse in my noggin when he mentioned the 
>> name "Ish Kabibble", and this in turn got me trolling around on the web 
>> for info on him (Ish, not Don).
>>     See, the connection is that, back in about 1958, in Carson City, 
>> Nevada, my parents were interested in (and finally bought) a house on Elm 
>> Street.  I was 16 and knew nothing about entertainers from the 1930's. 
>> After we bought the house, my father said that one of the people looking 
>> at the house was--Ish Kabibble.  Since my father had had false teeth 
>> since he was 18 (got 'em all pulled one fine icy day in western 
>> Pennsylvania and then rode 50 miles home on his Pennsylvania State 
>> Highway Police motorcycle, grinning grimly), i attributed this 
>> pronouncement to a sudden slippage in his dentures, but later discovered 
>> my error.  (I was born and lived in Washington PA until 1952.)
>>     Anyhow, now i'm curious about Ish Kabibble, and i found out some 
>> interesting stuff about him, which of course i have to tell you folks or 
>> bust:
>>-------------------------
>>"Everyone's heard the name, but from where? Ish (Merwyn Bogue) got it from 
>>his comedy version of an old Yiddish song, "Isch Ga Bibble" (loosely 
>>translated, it means "I should worry?"), which he performed after joining 
>>Kay in 1931. The public (and band) began calling HIM Ish and the name 
>>stuck. Raised in Erie, Penn., the fine cornetist developed the rural "Ish" 
>>character with pudding bowl hair, who constantly interrupted the show to 
>>recite nonsensical poems to a frustrated Kay, becoming his onstage comedy 
>>foil. But he was no dummy offstage- he handled the payroll! Ish stayed 
>>with the band 'til Kay's retirement. He then went on to a solo career, 
>>sold real estate, and played Vegas with his fine Dixieland outfit, The Shy 
>>Guys. LSU Press published his autobiography written w/ his sister in 1989. 
>>No book has been published on Kay himself. Ish died shortly after Ginny in 
>>1994." (http://www.kaykyser.net/band.html)
>>---------------------------
>>"In his autobiography, entitled "Ish Kabibble" (written with his sister 
>>Gladys Bogue Riley), published by Louisiana State University Press in 
>>1989, he states the name derived from a song he performed with the band 
>>and had become identified with. The song was titled "Isch Gabibble (I 
>>Should Worry)," words by Sam M. Lewis, music by George W. Meyer, copyright 
>>1913. Bogue says he changed the spelling to make it easier to say. A 
>>sample of the lyrics:
>>
>>I never care or worry...Ish Kabibble...Ish Kabibble
>>I never tear or hurry...Ish Kabibble...Ish Kabibble
>>
>>When a friend says he's feelin' blue
>>When a friend says his room rent's due
>>Just tell him in a friendly way
>>      Get used to it
>>      Get used to it
>>
>>When I owe people money...Ish Kabibble...Ish Kabibble
>>
>>If they befriend or lend me...that's their lookout
>>They shouldn't yell or shout
>>I should worry if they steal my wife
>>And let a pimple grow on my young life
>>
>>Ish Kabibble...I should worry? No! Not me!
>>
>>What, me worry? (to quote a modern variant)
>>
>>Lawrence Rungren Bedford Fre Public Library, MA lrungren at mln.lib.ma.us"
>>(http://listserv.dom.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind9403&L=stumpers-l&O=D&F=&S=&P=24969)
>>------------------------
>>     So there you go.  You now know some more useless information about 
>> someone you probably never heard of before, but on the other hand, maybe 
>> (like me) you'll get intrigued by him and his performances (he also 
>> appeared in eight films), and you'll get some pleasure out of knowing 
>> about him.  Would that someone in the future will do the same about us, 
>> eh?
>>
>>      Dan
>>--
>>**--------------------------------------------------------------------**
>>**  Dan Augustine  --  Austin, Texas  --  ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu
>>**    "I don't jog.  If I die I want to be sick."  --  Abe Lemons
>>**--------------------------------------------------------------------**
>>
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>
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