Who’s Your Little Who-Zis?

_____________________________________

Who’s your Little Who-Zis? (m. Ben Bernie, Al Goehring, w. Walter Hirsch)

Busby Berkeley choreographed dance number from the film Night World (1932)

Transcription of the intermittent dialog during the number, mostly banter between chorus girls as they dance:

A. big plantation

girl 1: He’s got a big plantation down in Nicaragua. He wants me to go down there and grow nuts?
girl 2: Go nuts?

B. post-Depression work

girl: And I said to him “I know the Depression’s over and you’ve got to find work for your hands. But keep them offa me.”

C. sugar daddy

girl: Say Ruth, you’re a sap if you turn down that tall guy. He’s loaded with sugar and loves to give milk.” [See “sugar daddy.”]

D. plastered

girl 1: Look at that kid. He’s been here three nights in a row, plastered [very drunk, stiff].
girl 2: Yeah, he’s still fighting the same jag, poor kid.
girl 1: Haven’t I seen his picture in the paper?
girl 2: Yeah, the Radman case.
girl 1: Oh, yeah. His mother killed his father.
girl 2: Yeah, in the other woman’s apartment.

E. going low

girl 1: There’s ol’ Papa Movert again
girl 2: Yeah, and the more he comes here the lower he gets.

F. phone number

patron: Brian 8-7-8-4-3, baby.
girl: My husband will be glad to see you.

G. Mister Baby

girl: “Hello, baby.”
patron: [effeminate voice] “Mister Baby to you!”
girl: “My mistake.”

_________________________

Who’s your little who-zis
Who’s your turtle dove
Who’s your little who-zis
Who do you love

Who’s the little what’s-it
That you’re dreaming of
Who’s your little who-zis
Who do you love

Tell me, who has you a-flutter
Whenever they’re passing by
Melts your heart like butter
Oh me, oh my

Say, when you get the blue-zis
Who you thinking of
Who’s your little who-zis
Who do you love

Selected other recordings:

Victor Arden-Phil Ohman Orchestra, vocal: Sylvia Froos — 1931

Vic Irwin and his Orchestra, with vocals by The Eton Boys: Jack Day, Earl Smith, Art Gentry and Charles Day

The side was recorded on 27 November 1931, and issued on Oriole 2386, b/w “I Don’t Blame You.” The Oriole 78 rpm discography for catalog numbers 2000 to 2500 at 78discography.com gives the recording artist for both sides as the Allstar Collegians (led by I. Abrams on “I Don’t Blame You”).

discography notes:

Oriole 2386 matrix numbers: “Who’s Your Little Who-Zis?” 11025=3, “I Don’t Blame You” 11027=2*
In addition to Oriole, the same two recordings were also released as the opposite sides of a single on at least two other labels. The band name credits for the two sides varies according to the label they were released on, as follows:
- Oriole 2386: “Who’s Your Little Who-Zis?” by Allstar Collegians, “I Don’t Blame You” by Allstar Collegians and (separately) Vic Irwin and his Orchestra
  - The Oriole 78 discography at http://www.musiktiteldb.de identifies two different versions of Oriole 2386 (Matrix 11027=2), one with the “I Don’t Blame You” side by Vic Irwin and his Orchestra and another with “I Don’t Blame You” by the Allstar Collegians. It’s possible that these two names refer to the same band.
- Banner 32331: “Who’s Your Little Who-Zis?” by Allstar Collegians, “I Don’t Blame You” by Vic Irwin and his Orchestra
- Romeo 1757: both sides by “Vic Irwin’s Allstars,” a name which may be a combination of parts of the two band names credited on the other two labels

The label displayed in the video below indicates that “Who’s Your Little Who-Zis?” is the A-side of Oriole 2386.

Ben Selvin’s Knickerbockers, vocal: Dick Robertson — recorded in New York on 29 December 1931; issued on Columbia 2591-D, c/w “With Love In My Heart” (Prager, Quinto, Klenner)

Jack Hylton and his Orchestra — recorded on 3 March 1932; issued on Decca F.2904, b/w “With Love in My Heart”

Ampico Lexington Roll # 213911, played by Paul Rickenbach — released in March 1932

Anson Weeks And His Hotel Mark Hopkins Orchestra — 1932 radio broadcast transcription included on the 1979 (or 1980) compilation Hindsight Records HSR-146

Dean Martin — recorded on 20 November 1952; issued on 12 January 1953 on Martin’s first studio album Dean Martin Sings

Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra, vocal duet: Shirley Ost and Ray Michaels — from the 1960 album Ballroom Date, Columbia CS 8182, Columbia CL 1387