FAVORITE SELECTION: “What it Was, Was Football”
ABOUT THIS ALBUM: The 1958 CAPITOL Records LP of JUST FOR LAUGHS (T962) features Andy Griffith in his original country bumpkin dialect role. The first track, “What it Was, Was Football” was recorded in 1953 at a Greensboro, NC insurance convention. It was released as a single by an independent label called COLONIAL and after selling 50,000 copies, CAPITOL purchased the master and another ¾’s of a million discs quickly moved. As a result of this career-making 45’s popularity, Andy performed the routine on both the Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen variety shows in 1954.
Two of this LP’s tracks have Griffith’s simple-minded character explaining individual lines to popular songs of the day. On three others, he gives a common man’s analysis of an Elizabethan play, an opera and a ballet. “There’s No Time For Sergeants” is a march, and “Conversation with a Mule” has a farmer talking to his obstinant hee-hawer.
WHY I CHOSE THIS ALBUM: This album represents my long love of humor in its many forms. I used to have the 1953 45 RPM record with “What it Was, Was Football” on side 1 and “Romeo and Juliet” on side 2. Both of these are still very funny today. Andy Griffith subsequently had a long career in films and television, but this was his (very funny) start.
Principled Thoughts 