Ukulele trivia

Gadzukes!

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 8, 2011
Messages
435
Reaction score
0
I thought a ukulele trivia thread might be fun. I'll start:

Did you know that Aquila is Italian for eagle, and is pronounced ah-kwee-lah?

Did you know that Cliff Edwards was the voice of Jiminy Cricket?
 
The first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong was an avid ukulele fan. When he returned from the moon, he was required to have a short stay in quarantine and he requested that he take his ukulele in with him.
 
I thought a ukulele trivia thread might be fun. I'll start:

Did you know that Aquila is Italian for eagle, and is pronounced ah-kwee-lah?

Did you know that Cliff Edwards was the voice of Jiminy Cricket?

Yes and yes. What do I win? :)

Did you know that the song "Singin' In The Rain" was written for the ukulele and made its debut in the 1929 film "Hollywood Revue of 1929," where it was sung by Cliff Edwards (billed as Ukulele Ike), who accompanied himself on his ukulele?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GdN_NncZkM
 
Yes and yes. What do I win? :)

Did you know that the song "Singin' In The Rain" was written for the ukulele and made its debut in the 1929 film "Hollywood Revue of 1929," where it was sung by Cliff Edwards (billed as Ukulele Ike), who accompanied himself on his ukulele?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GdN_NncZkM

Hey I knew that :)

Here's a similar one - the Gershwin tune "Little Jazz Bird" was written for Cliff Edwards, to be played on uke, in the show "Lady, Be Good." To the best of my knowledge, no recording of this version exists. Can anybody prove me wrong?
 
I was looking forward to this thread but is kind of petered out. I think we ought to make up our own trivia about the Uke. Here is mine:

Steve McQueen in the famous scene in the Great Escape where he escaped by jumping a fence on a motorcycle originally had a uke strapped to his back. It was supsequently airbrushed out during editing, I attached a rare frame that survived the editing room. It looks like a Baritone to me.

greatescape w uke.JPG
 
On Thursday, February 14, 1929 the St Valentine day massacre occurred. Although the movies portray the weapons being carried in Violin cases it is a little know fact that Ukulele cases were actually used to hide some of the smaller sawed off /shortened weapons. One of those cases was later used by Cliff Edward to carry his ukulele to the sound stage where he sang "When You Wish Upon a Star" in the 1940s classic "Pinocchio". It later won an academy award for best score and best song. It is rumored that Warren Buffet now carries his uke in the same case.
 
Wow, ukes really looked badly anti-aliased and not the same resolution as other objects around them, back then! ;)

I was looking forward to this thread but is kind of petered out. I think we ought to make up our own trivia about the Uke. Here is mine:

Steve McQueen in the famous scene in the Great Escape where he escaped by jumping a fence on a motorcycle originally had a uke strapped to his back. It was supsequently airbrushed out during editing, I attached a rare frame that survived the editing room. It looks like a Baritone to me.

View attachment 33731
 
As A McQueen myself . Steve had always loved fast cars, fast motos and fast necks on ukes. It was a tenor. Theres also a spot in the great escape where he jousted with it much like Indiana Jones in the last crusade.It to was cut for fear of people trying this dangerous stunt.
I was looking forward to this thread but is kind of petered out. I think we ought to make up our own trivia about the Uke. Here is mine:

Steve McQueen in the famous scene in the Great Escape where he escaped by jumping a fence on a motorcycle originally had a uke strapped to his back. It was supsequently airbrushed out during editing, I attached a rare frame that survived the editing room. It looks like a Baritone to me.

View attachment 33731
 
There are a lot of gangs around here, and they are always trying to recruit me because of my ukulele skills.
 
The original ukuleles were much smaller than the ones we play today. The first were so small they would use the hairs of a flea (hence the name jumping flea) to pluck the strings. None are known to exist today as all were lost during an allergy season that struck all the islands of Hawaii.
 
The original Stradivarius volins were tuned in GCEA, and didn't require a bow, and had 12 frets. It only changed after a musician named Parvulus Timmone made it decrease sharply in popularity.
 
Top Bottom