Don't Shoot the Hooey to Me, Louie

"Don't Shoot the Hooey to Me, Louie" is a song from the musical Over Here!, which opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre (Broadway) on March 6, 1974. The song was written by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, and is sung by the train porter played by Samuel E. Wright. In the story, the Porter cannot seem to get a break; not by coincidence, the Porter is African-American. Years later, Samuel E. Wright sang the, now famous, Academy Award winning song, "Under the Sea" from Walt Disney's animation film The Little Mermaid.

Historical context with regard to racism in the 1940s
  • Over Here! director, Tom Moore believed that Sam should sing the song with an angry attitude. However this was not how the songwriters intended the song to be performed. Robert Sherman insisted that the angry lyrics should be sung while smiling. "Sam" (i.e: the character), he suggested, would have only gotten away with raising objection if he did so wearing a grin. A black person in the 1940s would have only hinted his protest and wouldn't have dared to make waves. Eliciting the help of a ranking Black U.S. Army general, Sherman had the general sit through a rehearsal of the show. He convinced Moore to have Sam play the part his (Sherman's) way, (smiling). When the show was over, he asked the General if there were anything wrong with what he saw. The general replied, "No. That's exactly how it was!" Consequently, the song was performed "ironically" (while smiling).
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Literary Sources
  • Sherman, Robert B. Walt's Time: from before to beyond. Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998.
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