Does anyone know the origin of the song Keep Your Eyes on the Hands? It's on JB's Hawaiian Beach Party album from about 1953. The lyrics are really clever and I'm wondering who wrote it... was it part of a movie score? I searched the title on the BMI and ASCAP sites and came up with nothing.
I've been looking for the sheet music for this song for a long time. Anyone have any info?
This was written by Tony Todaro and Mary Johnson and published in 1956. Tony was famous also in Hawaii for raising $75000 during WW2 to purchase a PT boat. Wonder what the cost would be today. Jane Russell sang this song in the movie "the revolt of mamie stover" Send me your snail and I'll send you a copy of the sheet music. CC
Well Jody, CCJ beat me to it. He has supplied all the correct answers. He did not mention the great book which Tony put together shortly before he so suddenly left us in 1976 of a heart attack. His book is titled:
"THE GOLDEN YEARS OF HAWAIIAN ENTERTAINMENT 1874-1974" and is now a collector's item. Tony composed well over 30 Hawaiian hits including "I'll See You In Hawaii"; "There's No Place Like Hawaii", just to name but 2 plus his greatest hit, "Keep Your Eyes On The Hands". A little aside: "In Hawai'i, if you want to learn the story, keep your eyes on the hands...whereas in Tahiti, if you keep your eyes on the hands, you'll miss the entire story!"
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