Sunrise Tea Cozy

Three quarters of a century ago Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Kelley ran a dance studio where they taught the “waltz clog.” The steps were too difficult for their youngest pupils, so Clarence and George H. Sanders wrote a simple song with pantomime-like movements anyone could master. (No, not THAT George H. Sanders. The voice of Shere Khan was George Henry Sanders, the songwriter was George Harold Sanders.) “The Teapot Song” and its accompanying dance were very popular; and not just with small children. In 1941 it became a big band hit. Performed by Ronnie Kemper with the Horace Heidt Orchestra, the record sold over a million copies. The tune was even used in Lipton Tea commercials. Better known as “I’m a Little Teapot,” the song has several different versions of lyrics. I’ve searched in vain for the one I grew up with. I remember it being a sort of mash-up with “Polly Put the Kettle On.”