Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Flint Artifacts: College Inn Hotel Matchbook



7 comments:

  1. Seeing the College Inn Hotel matchbook brought back memories of the cocktail lounge there with a singer named Ralph whose theme song was "I've Got The Cutest Little Dingy In The Navy? Maybe I have the wrong bar, I was young and foolish. Let me know.

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  2. Nana Agatha's "Dinghy" Song
    (a.k.a. "The Dinghy Song" by Ruth Wallis)

    Sailing, sailing, over the ocean blue
    My Davey's got a dinghy
    So he paddles his own canoe.

    He's got the cutest little dinghy in the navy
    And all the girlies know that its so.
    The cutest little dinghy in the navy
    They love to watch him go -- Heave Ho (You know it!)

    Now just for a lark, he went and painted it green
    It's the only green dinghy that the girls have ever seen.
    The cutest little dinghy in the navy -- Heave Ho, Heave Ho.

    Now all the sailors take their girls canoeing,
    It's an old, old, navy technique.
    But Davey gets more girlies with his dinghy,
    And what is worse, it never springs a leak.
    Now every time it rains, his little dingy gets wet,
    But Davey says it's waterproof, so he doesn't fret.
    The cutest little dinghy in the navy - Heave Ho, Heave Ho.

    To keep it from the girlies, Davey says it's very hard
    It isn't even safe down at the Navy Yard.
    The cutest little dinghy in the navy - Heave Ho, Heave Ho.

    It isn't very narrow; it isn't very wide,
    But you should see that thing
    Go in and out with the tide.
    The cutest little dinghy in the navy - Heave Ho, Heave Ho.

    Now it isn't very long
    And it isn't very short,
    It's build for speedy action and it gets them into port.
    The cutest little dinghy in the navy - Heave Ho, Heave Ho.

    Now the Admiral has a flag ship,
    The captain's got a cruiser
    But Davey's got a dinghy -- it's a lolly palooza!
    The cutest little dinghy in the navy - Heave Ho, Heave Ho.

    And the old Admiral was heard to say
    If he had Davey's dinghy
    He would always feel springy,
    He'd ride the waves night and day.
    The cutest little dinghy in the navy - Heave Ho, Heave Ho.

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  3. You can hear "The Dinghy Song" by Ruth Wallis on CDBaby.com. It's free and it's funny.

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  4. Here's the URL for Ruth Wallis on CDBaby:

    http://cdbaby.com/cd/ruthwallis

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  5. this is the same College Inn that was the strip bar, right? we'd hit there after shift change at Otto Liebold's. There was one stripper who performed in a wedding dress, and the routine was done in reverse-she'd come up on the "stage" and put Her clothes on...GY, notice I put on no dinghy double entendres or puns. that is my XMas gift to You!and GY says "Ken, You know You've always only had one oar in the water..." EveryBody have a Happy Holiday and Hold Your Loved Ones Close! Pray for Peace-Sliante! ken crane

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  6. so, what was wrong w/the posting last night? no swearing, no lurid language. did the system eat it? found a photo of my Siblings and myself from summer 0f '55 am sending out to you in a.m.. I know another old Friend from Flint had one similar taken-an elderly Italian gent would go all over the South end w/his critter and photo. all the kids up on "Speedy". en manyana...leave this one off also--kc

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  7. Re the cutest little dinghy in the navy -- I am English and first heard this sung in a coffee bar in London in 1954 called The Cat's Whisker. It was often followed by a variation which included the follwing:

    'xxxx xx xx x a big parade,
    To show off the ships that the Navy made.
    xxx xxxx xxx xx
    But Davy's little dinghy stood right out from the rest.

    Ship ahoy! Sailor boy!
    Don't you get too springy.
    The Admiral's daughter is down by the water
    And she's out to get your dinghy!'

    Does anyone know the rest of the words, or anything about this song?

    JAG

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.