Summer is officially here and that means high fire danger. Here’s a little song to get stuck in your head that will remind you to be careful with fire, and about a fire fighter’s best friend, Smokey Bear. If you grew up in the ’50s or ’60s, you may fondly recall this Smokey theme song sung by Johnny Jones and performed by the Peter Pan Orchestra.
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Wow, I was born in the early fifties but, I have ZERO recollection of this song. As a child, TV stations REGULARLY aired “Public Service Announcements” on a variety of topics. These days, I rarely see/hear PSAs anymore.
Last November we stopped at Smokey Bear State Historic Site [NOT “Smokey the Bear”] near the Lincoln National Forest in Capitan, New Mexico. Smokey was found clinging to a burned tree during a 1950 forest fire. The cub was nursed back to health and went to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. until shortly before his death 24 years later. He is buried in the area where he was found, which is about twelve miles west of Lincoln, New Mexico. Lincoln is where Billy the Kidd escaped from jail after shooting a deputy and the sheriff. Lots of interesting history sites across the country..
Per this Wikipedia article, the writers of the song changed it to Smokey the Bear to fit the tune rhythm and it caught on with many because of this, but the official name is Smokey Bear…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Bear
Uh oh, maybe I was wrong about “THE” being Smokey’s middle name. Gasp! I wonder if I can look up my third grade teacher and sue her . . .
I beg to differ with Chris. The bear’s name WAS “Smokey THE Bear”. We used to sing this song in grammar school in the 50’s. I can still sing along with it word for word. Just look at the record sleeve, which shows the name as “Smokey The Bear”. Listen to the words to the song. He’s called “Smokey The Bear”. Somewhere along the line someone decided the name should be changed to “Smokey Bear”. Silliness! Smokey The Bear was always, and still IS “Smokey The Bear” as far as I’m concerned. No amount of official foolishness changes that!
Incorrect record title. It’s “Smokey Bear”
Nice post Chuck.