Theme: "Ku-ku"

    [aka: "The Ku-ku Song",
     aka: "Coo! Coo!", 
     aka: "Dance of the Cuckoos",
     aka: "The Laurel and Hardy Theme"]
     
    [Liner notes to the Beau-Hunks "Laurel and Hardy" CD reveal 
     that the motif of this ditty was originally composed as 
     a comic time cue for a radio program. This program aired on
     radio station KFVD located at the Hal Roach Studios in L.A.

     The show was called "The Cuckoo Hour". According to composer
     Marvin Hatley, when Stan Laurel heard it, he asked the 
     composer if he could use it for his theme song, so Hatley
     embellished the short motif, incorporating a background
     motif in another key representing "Babe" Hardy.

     According to the book "Stan and Ollie, the roots of comedy:
     The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy" by Simon Louvish, the
     revised radio time "Coo Coo!" clock timecue theme -- now called 
    "Ku-Ku", or "The Ku-Ku Song" was first used as a background cue
     in the 1930 Laurel and Hardy feature film "Night Owls." But 
     when it was re-used in the feature called "Brats" during the
     scene when Laurel and Hardy play themselves as babies, the
     audience howled. Roach was said to have paid Hatley a flat 
     fee of $50 for the rights to use the "Ku-Ku" song from that
     point on, and Hatley was given more work at the Roach studios.
  
     Marvin Hatley had worked his way up in the Hal Roach organization
     from a member of a "The Happy-Go-Lucky" Trio which played music
     live for the radio station, to a composer of music for comic 
     short soundfilms. Eventually he became the primary composer of
     Hal Roach feature films. Another up-and-coming composer Roach
     hired later was Leroy "Roy" Shield, who followed in Hatley's
     footsteps, and first wrote for the Laurel Hardy soundfilm shorts, 
     while Hatley scored the longer feature-length films. But the
     copyright notice in 1932 credited Leroy Shield as the "arranger"
     of the work.]

     Composer: T. Marvin Hatley (ASCAP/BMI)
    [original arrangement by Leroy Shield, credited in 
     the copyright notice.]

    [In 1932, lyrics were added for the piece, now called
    "Dance of the Cuckoos", which was played by the London
     Symphony Orchestra. The lyrics were by Harry Steinberg.]

     Original Publisher: Southern Music Ltd. (ASCAP)

     1978 Publisher: Hatley Music Co. (ASCAP), and
                     Herman Music, Inc. (ASCAP)

     1997 Publisher:  APRS (BMI),
                       [Southern Music Pub. Co.]
                        c/o Peermusic, of New York, NY

     Composition Date: circa 1928 for radio station KFVD.
               
     Copyright Dates: 
       (as the "Coo! Coo!" time signal): Feb 12, 1930;
       (as "Ku-Ku"): Aug 29, 1932;
       (an arrangement of "Ku-ku" by LeRoy Shield, which was
        an expanded version published by Robbins Music): 
                     July 30, 1936; E Unp[ublished] 129352

     Recordings:
          LP: "Laurel and Hardy On The Air"
              [contains a "dance version" of the music theme
               recorded in England in 1932, with the 
               orchestra conducted by Van Phillips]
               Radiola MR-1104 (1979)

          CD: "The Beau Hunks Play...
               The Original Laurel and Hardy Music" Vol. 1
               Basta Music (The Netherlands) 30-99003 (1992)

          CD: "The Beau Hunks Play...
               The Original Laurel and Hardy Music" Vol. 2
               Basta Music (The Netherlands) 30-99025 (1993)

          CD: "The Beau Hunks Play...
               The Original Laurel and Hardy Music" [Box Set]
               Basta Music (The Netherlands) 30-99026 (1993)

               Basta AudioVisuals (The Netherlands) Web Site: 
               http://max.eastsite.nl:80/BASTA/

---

Secondary Opening Theme: "On To The Show"

    [Liner notes to the Beau-Hunks "Laurel and Hardy" CD state 
     this ditty was often used behind opening credits after the
    "Ku-ku" theme above. This tune was also heard in another
     Hal Roach production: the "Our Gang Comedies", known on TV
     as "The Little Rascals".]

     Composer: LeRoy (Dr. "Roy") Shield (ASCAP)
     Original Publisher: Southern Music Pub. Co. (ASCAP)
     1978 Publisher:     Roy Shield Music Co. (ASCAP)
     1997 Publisher:   Roy Shield Music Company (ASCAP),
                         of Portland, OR
     Copyright Date: Jan 10, 1931

     Recordings:
          CD: "The Beau Hunks Play...
               The Original Laurel and Hardy Music" Vol. 1
               Basta Music (The Netherlands) 30-99003 (1992)

          CD: "The Beau Hunks Play...
               The Original Laurel and Hardy Music" Vol. 2
               Basta Music (The Netherlands) 30-99025 (1993)

          CD: "The Beau Hunks Play...
               The Original Laurel and Hardy Music" [Box Set]
               Basta Music (The Netherlands) 30-99026 (1993)

               Basta AudioVisuals (The Netherlands) Web Site: 
               http://max.eastsite.nl:80/BASTA/  

          CD: "The Beau Hunks the Little Rascals Music" (1994)
               by The Beau Hunks
               Koch Screen 3-8702-2

          CD: "On To The Show!" (1995)
             ["The Beau Hunks play More Little Rascals music"]
               by The Beau Hunks
               Koch Screen 3-8705-2