In this episode of The A to Z of Wartime Song, hosts Lili Redman and Tom Carradine hop into the world of one of WWII’s catchiest tunes: “Run, Rabbit, Run!”. Made famous by comedy duo Flanagan and Allen, the song took on a life of its own - boosting morale, teasing the Luftwaffe and even becoming a favourite of Winston Churchill.
They explore the song’s theatrical roots in Noel Gay’s The Little Dog Laughed, its transformation into a patriotic earworm and its cheeky parody lyrics aimed at Hitler and co. Along the way, they dive into the extraordinary lives of Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen, their role in the beloved Crazy Gang and the genius of Noel Gay - the man who gave us everything from Leaning on a Lamp-post to The Lambeth Walk.
Expect tales of daring vaudeville careers, bombed-out theatres, Pathe propaganda films and performances by everyone from Gracie Fields to Jack Hylton. Plus, Lili and Tom share some of their favourite wartime comedy songs and read a touching message from a devoted listener all the way from Australia.
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
You can listen to ALL of the songs that Tom and Lili talk about in the episode on their Spotify playlister here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1FQDrBphYqYLAuN6Jm01PN?si=b777dc33a703408a
REFERENCES
Lili’s Tribute to Tom Lehrer @ Crazy Coqs
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DM4kZeoIQia/
Tom’s “I Got It From Agnes”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G0jaAP6MfY
Tom Lehrer’s Back Catalogue
https://tomlehrersongs.com/
Lili Redman Siren @ Edinburgh Fringe
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/lili-redman-siren
Richard Townsley - “Captian TikTok”
https://www.tiktok.com/@absolutehistory/video/7010804201668234502?q=ww1%20medicine&t=1754644830469
Richard Townsley
https://richard-townsley.com/
Zeitgeist Battlefield Tours
https://www.zeitgeisttours.com/
Captain John Lauder - son of Sir Harry Lauder
https://www.cwgc.org/stories/stories/captain-john-currie-lauder-soldier-son-of-scotlands-greatest-ever-ambassador/
Noel Gay
https://noelgay.com/history/
https://noelgay.com/noel-gays-music/
The Lambeth Walk - 1937
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPItn6Kp6D0
Bud Flanagan - London Locations
https://www.londonshoes.blog/2019/05/21/the-legendary-bud-flanagan-from-cradle-to-grave-an-east-end-boy-done-good/
Flanagan and Allen
https://www.andmeetings.com/blog/post/meetings-that-made-entertainment-history-when-flanagan-met-allen
Chesney Allen’s Military Service
https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/30483
The Crazy Gang
http://www.turnipnet.com/crazygang/gang.htm
The Last Night of the Crazy Gang @ the Victoria Palace
https://youtu.be/3hSrjU6nLuo?si=4pHbZO407P96THyJ
Underneath the Arches - Derby Connection
https://martinlloydauthor.blogspot.com/2015/01/flanagan-allen-and-friargate-bridge.html
Dad’s Army Theme Tune
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XroU9_tNF7A
Run Rabbit Run as WW2 Propaganda
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-50354168
Oma Rapeti - Run Rabbit Run in Maori!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCQFXi09Ww4
Run Adolf Run - Parody (Pathe Films)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvETi4KNZgg
Mairzy Doats and Dozy Doats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vqnym8Mhx8
Mairzy Doats and Dozy Doats (with British Sign Language)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yjcaznCggE
Ivor Moreton and Dave Kaye
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iebRRG7_3U
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:52 Catch Up
03:37 R = Run, Rabbit, Run!
04:49 Noel Gay
10:58 Bud Flanagan
14:10 Chesney Allen
15:52 The Crazy Gang
19:26 Flanagan and Allen
22:43 Discussing the Sheet Music
24:11 When Did We Discover the Song?
24:38 Discussing the Lyrics and Music
32:17 Discussing Recordings: Jack Hylton
33:53 Joe Loss
34:52 Harry Roy
36:16 Flanagan and Allen
36:45 Gracie Fields
38:08 If You Liked That You'll Like This
41:25 Mentioned in Dispatches
43:03 Teaser for Next Week
43:48 Outro
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
You can follow the podcast on social media:
http://instagram.com/warsongspod
https://www.facebook.com/warsongspod
Find more information about Lili Redman here:
https://liliredman.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lili__redman/
https://www.facebook.com/ScalaLil
Or Tom Carradine here:
https://www.tomcarradine.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tomcarradine
https://www.facebook.com/mrtomcarradine
CONTACT THE PODCAST
If there's a wartime song that you think they should discuss, or if you have a personal or family story connected to one, drop them a line at warsongspod@gmail.com to be "Mentioned in Dispatches".
LISTENING LINKS
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ktQ4nyudmPRLcCNyNxEfv?si=ac9e1babe6834f2b
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-a-to-z-of-wartime-song/id1806037318
If you’ve enjoyed this episode Lili and Tom would be grateful if you’d leave a review and make sure you’ve subscribed and turned on notifications so you’ll never miss an episode.
