Do you remember EDDIE HODGES?

Digging a little deeper into my old record collection I found this little ditty sung by Eddie Hodges. I’m pretty sure if you mentioned Eddie Hodges to anyone under let’s say 50 you’ll get a bland stare or bored sneer. That bored sneer seems to be too common today. The facial version of “whatever!”

I bought this 45 when I was a kid in Hawaii and remember making up special dance routines for it. I’m sure I bored my best friend with it each time she came for a visit. I was notorious for planning shows when I knew she was coming over.

The story of Eddie Hodges is one of a kid in show biz having the sense to get out of it before being eaten alive. There must certainly be some old Eddie Hodges fan out there.

Eddie Hodges
Hodges was born in March 5, 1947 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Hodges traveled to New York City with his family in 1952. This began a long career in show business for Hodges in films, on stage and popular recordings.

Acting career
Hodges made his professional acting debut on stage in Wilson's 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man. He made his film debut in the 1959 film A Hole in the Head with Frank Sinatra and Edward G. Robinson, in which Hodges and Sinatra performed a song called High Hopes. Hodges did not perform on Sinatra's hit recording of the song.

Hodges made eight feature films and numerous TV guest appearances. He is probably best remembered for the title role in Michael Curtiz's 1960 film 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which is considered one of the best of the many attempts to film Mark Twain's classic. Both Hodges and his co-star as Jim, Archie Moore, received generally positive reviews for their performances. He also appeared in the 1963 Disney film Summer Magic and the 1967 film The Happiest Millionaire.

Guest appearances on network TV productions included Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Cimarron Strip and The Dick Van Dyke Show, among others. He was also a Mystery Guest on What's My Line?

Recording career
At the age of 14, Hodges recorded for Cadence Records and his biggest hit was "I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door" in 1961. He also scored a minor hit with "(Girls, Girls, Girls) Made to Love," a song written by Phil Everly and originally recorded by The Everly Brothers. He recorded for several other record labels. Before he left Hollywood, he was a union musician, record producer, song writer and music publisher. He collaborated with Tandyn Almer ("Along Comes Mary") with whom he wrote and published several songs and owned his own music publishing business. Hodges continues to write songs today but is no longer involved in the music business.

Personal life
Hodges was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, but remained in the USA in a non-combat assignment. After he was discharged, he returned to Hollywood and became disillusioned with show business. He decided to return to his native Mississippi and entered The University of Southern Mississippi where he received his B.A. in Psychology and an M.S. in Counseling. He became and is still a mental health counselor. He converted to the Roman Catholic faith in 1998. He is divorced and has two grown children and four grandchildren. He occasionally gets in touch with his old show business friends and still writes songs, though he is unable to play guitar due to spinal nerve injuries. Hodges rode out Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and informed his fans that he was fine after being without water, electricity and telephone/internet contact for 19 days when the utilities were restored. He enjoys hearing from fans and makes occasional appearances around the USA. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

There's a very good possibility one of those dancers in the background is one of my best friends. Shindig was just one of the shows she danced on.

And here's a real step back in time. Raise your hand if you remember Arlene Francis. Bennett Cerf? Dorothy Kilgallen? The handsome Ben Gazarra? Or perhaps you just a had thing for Mr. Daly?