Here we have a soundie from 1942…and for those of you who don't know: Soundies were the music videos of that era. They were seen in a special kind of jukebox that was equipped to run movies instead of records.
The offering is "Who's Yehudi?" as recorded by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra, with Lane Truesdale as the vocalist. The song was written by two gents named Bill Seckler and Matt Dennis, who were inspired (if that's the word) by one of the many catch-phrases of comedian Jerry Colonna. Mr. Colonna, who was then a regular on Bob Hope's radio broadcasts, liked to make sport of the name of Yehudi Menuhin, a prominent violinist and conductor. For a time, no matter what sketch or bit Colonna found himself in, he'd find a way to ask the question, "Who's Yehudi?" and audiences would howl and I don't quite understand why it was funny, either. Maybe it was the way he said it. In any case, it inspired the following tune…