If memory serves, I believe the Mikado lyrics and dialogue were often changed…depending on where it played, who was present and the big issues of the day.They would incorporate these changes, for comedic purposes, to make fun of local dignitaties, local issues, and the big stories national stories at the time.

Hi Mike!

I think you must have meant to put in a link, either that or I’m blind!

I was able to find a bit of "As Some Day It May Happen" , the Little List song, that you can listen to by Danny Kaye and Martyn Green. It’s a 29 second clip of the song.

http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/window/ … 05,00.html

Hi-

Link:

http://gasdisc.oakapplepress.com/ms_dkaye.htm

Mike

Hi Seagull-

I listened and that track seems to be only Martyn Green singing. Maybe Danny Kaye sings some tracks and Green the others. I do not know if Kaye ever sang the song and what changes, if any, he may have made to the lyrics. The most likely explanation for the letter is the one advanced whereby Z had heard a recording of the song and write down what he recalled form memory. He did not understand some parts, so they got mangled in his recounting of the lyrics.

Mike

Yes, the Executioner’s song is always changed by the actor fulfilling the role, to keep it topical.
I’m sure the exact version copied by The Zodiac Killer has already been found. The Groucho one. No doubt.
(Please have a look on the other threads, and the transcription by Tahoe….).
I don’t think he had memorised it and was recounting it, personally, or he’d have found a little more logic, perhaps.
I think he was listening to it – and replaying it – writing down what he thought he was hearing as he went. (JMO).

I don’t know that I’m convinced by the theory, that this was the result of Zodiac listening to the Mikado and then writing what he thought he heard. The errors are just too bad to be true in that context. I’m particularly drawn to the line " And the idiout who phraises with inthusastic tone".
It just looks deliberately contrived….OUT-IN.
It also seems, to me at least, since he seemed to identify with it and quote from it more than once, that he would have been much more familiar with it. Possibly even seen/played it several times. If that’s the case, it’s hard to believe he got it so wrong. I favour the idea that he was well aware that the lyrics were often changed and did exactly that himself, to serve his own purpose.

Hi-

Yeah. Now that I compare the lyrics of Groucho’s version versus Z’s, it actually looks pretty good. Had never done a side by side before…So now we go from Z being a Gilbert and Sullivan fan to a Marx Brothers’ fan. Interesting. Silly me for believing MK’s explanation in his book about Z writing this from auditory memory of the original lyrics that he had heard but not read.

Mike

It appears that the "Groucho" version was actually done for T.V. First showing 1960

http://gasdisc.oakapplepress.com/mikmarx.htm

Hey Mike, this question may be totally ludicrous but i’ll pose it anyway.

Considering that, according to the FOIA Documents at least, Kane’s name was actually Kaye, I wonder if Danny and Larry are related even distantly because both are of Jewish descent and both were born just after the turn of the century in Brooklyn, NY?