Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo by Perry Como & The Fontane Sisters

Album: The Long Lost Hits (1949)

Charted: 14

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Also known as "The Magic Song," this novelty number was penned by Al Hoffman, Mack David and Jerry Livingston for Disney's 1950 animated fairy tale Cinderella. The Fontane Sisters appeared on Perry Como's self-titled variety show dressed as mice and previewed a medley of songs from the film along with actress Ilene Woods, who played Cinderella. Como recorded "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" with the trio of New Jersey sisters with the film's "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" on the flip side.
In Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother (Verna Felton) performs this song as she transforms the title servant girl into an elegant princess for the royal ball. Felton was a popular character actress who loaned her voice to several other Disney films (she was Dumbo's mother, Flora the good fairy in Sleeping Beauty and the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, to name a few). She also appeared on I Love Lucy as Mrs. Porter, the tough-as-nails maid in "Lucy Hires a Maid" and gruff neighbor Mrs. Simpson in "Sales Resistance."
Pop singer Jo Stafford and actor/singer Gordon MacRae recorded this song just two months after Como in 1949. Their version peaked at #19 on the Billboard charts.
In Shrek 2 (2004), Fiona's Fairy Godmother, voiced by Absolutely Fabulous actress Jennifer Saunders, parodies this song.

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Comments: 2

Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn May 23, 1958, the Fontane Sisters were guests on the Dick Clark ABC-TV network weekday-afternoon program 'American Bandstand'...
At the time they did not have a record on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart...
Their biggest hit was "Hearts of Stone", and on January 20th, 1955 it peaked at #1* {for 1 week} on Billboard's Best Sellers in Store chart, it spent 20 weeks on the Top 100...
* Another trio of sisters, the McGuire Sisters, with their record, "Sincerely", replaced "Hearts of Stone" at the #1 position.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyAs stated above; Verna Felton, voice of the Fairy Godmother, sang the song in the movie...
And Ms. Felton was nominated twice, in 1958 & 1959, for an Emmy Award for 'Best Supporting Actress, Comedy Series' for the TV series 'December Bride'...
Also the B-side of Perry Como's version of "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" was another song from the motion picture, "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes".

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