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Sportsmen Quartet collection (ARA)
PA Mss 170
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Title: Sportsmen Quartet collection (ARA)
Identifier/Call Number: PA Mss 170
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
Physical Description:
17 Linear Feet;
(38 boxes: 37 document boxes, 1 flat box)
Creator:
Garsen, Robert (1927-1992)
Date (inclusive): circa 1892-1967
Date (bulk): 1938-1967
Abstract: The Sportsmen Quartet were a Barbershop Quartet that performed renditions of songs written in the early half of the twentieth
century. Many of their performances occurred between the late 1930s and late 1960s where they often performed on both radio
and television. The Sportsmen Quartet Collection comprises the musical scores that were written for the various programs they
appeared on, most notably for the Jack Benny Program. Robert Garsen, the later member of the Quartet and collector of this
collection, also contributed photographs and publicity material pertaining to the Sportsmen Quartet; along with photographs
pertaining to his earlier career with the quartet The Continentals as well as inscribed photographs of various performers
of the time.
Physical Location: Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library.
The collection is open for research.
Property rights to the collection and physical objects belong to the Regents of the University of California acting through
the Department of Special Research Collections at the UCSB Library. All applicable literary rights, including copyright to
the collection and physical objects, are protected under Chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code and are retained by the creator
and the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns.
All requests to reproduce, quote from, or otherwise reuse collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Department
of Special Research Collections at UCSB at special@ucsb.edu. Consent is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of
California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB as the owner of the physical items and is
not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright
owner, heir(s), or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or their assigns for permission to publish where the UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
[Identification of Item], Sportsman Quartet Collection, PA Mss 170. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara
Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
This collection forms part of the American Radio Archives (ARA), which documents the early history of broadcasting, with an
emphasis on California. The ARA was formerly housed at the Thousand Oaks Public Library and was owned and administered by
the Thousand Oaks Library Foundation. It was transferred to the UCSB Library in 2021.
The Sportsmen Quartet was founded in 1938 by Bill Days and Max Smith, who had left the Paul Taylor Choristers to form their
own quartet. They joined with Don Craig and Art McCullough as a group they called The Metropolitans, later renamed The
Sportsmen. Over the years the membership of the quartet changed frequently. By 1947, the Sportsmen were best
known for their work on the Jack Benny Program, where they often provided a "singing commercial," in
which the group poked fun at or parodied the sponsor of the program. As a recurring gag on the
program, Benny threatened to fire the group, which he pretended to actually do on March 9, 1947,
replacing them the next week with a quartet that included Bing Crosby, Andy Russell, Dick Haymes,
and Dennis Day.
The Sportsmen did not perform exclusively with Benny, but also appeared on other radio programs such
as Burns and Allen, the Eddie Cantor Show, the Judy Canova Show, and the Sealtest Village Store. On
many of these programs they performed comic songs or commercials, similar to their work on Benny's
program. In addition, they appeared in films, worked with other singing groups, recorded albums, and in
the 1950s appeared on television programs as well, including the televised version of the Jack Benny
Show.
Tenor Robert Garsen founded a musical-comedy group called The Continentals in 1954. They
performed in live venues, such as the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, and also on several television
programs, including the Red Skelton Show, the Milton Berle Show, and the Ed Sullivan Show. Garsen
was best known within the group for his whistling rendition of "Flight of the Bumblebee," and for
portraying the character of Casey in "Casey at the Bat" - acts he continued to perform with The
Sportsmen, whom he joined in 1957.
Most of the musical scores and arrangements in the collection are arranged alphabetically by song title,
since they bear no notations as to which programs or performances they were used on. Those that do
have identifying notations are arranged according to the programs; the remainder are scores for songs
used on albums that the group recorded, and miscellaneous papers, primarily publicity material and
photographs.
Since the collection was compiled by Robert Garsen, some material relating to his career with The Continentals
is also included, and there is no way to identify those scores that may have been solely performed with that group. Garsen
joined the Sportsmen relatively late, but he obtained many scores from other
group members that were clearly identified as having been performed by them prior to Garsen's
involvement, and these scores comprise the bulk of the collection.
The materials in this collection are arranged into eight series by type.
Series 1: Musical Scores and Arrangements, general; Series 2: Albums, Sub-Series A: Christmas Album, Capitol Records, Sub-Series
B: Barbershop Album, Sub-Series C: Tiny Tunes, Capitol Records, Sub-Series D: Other Musical Score Record; Series 3: Commercials;
Series 4: Radio Programs, scores, Sub-Series A: Barrel of Fun, Sub-Series B: Burns and Allen Show, CBS/NBC, Sub-Series C:
Dennis Day Show, Sub-Series D: Eddie Cantor Show, Sub-Series E: Electric Hour, CBS, Sub-Series F: It's time for Music, ABC,
Sub-Series G: Jack Benny Show, NBC/CBS, Sub-Series H: Jack Kirkwood Show, Sub-Series I: Jimmy Durante Show, Sub-Series J:
Mel Blanc Show, CBS, Sub-Series K: Phil Harris Show, Sub-Series L: Rudy Vallee Show, Sub-Series M: Sealtest Village Store,
NBC; Series 5: TV-Scores, Sub-Series A: Hurdy Gurdy, KABC, Los Angeles, Sub-Series B: Scores for Miscellaneous Performances;
Series 6: Publicity Material, Photographs; Series 7: Scores for Songs, by Instruments; Series 8: Scores: Oversized.
Forms part of the American Radio Archives (ARA).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Barbershop quartets (Musical groups) -- United States -- Archives
Popular music -- United States -- 20th century -- Vocal scores without accompaniment
Humorous songs -- United States -- 20th century -- Scores
Vocal scores
Barbershop (Music)
Humorous songs
Arrangements (Music)
Promotional materials
Photographs
Garsen, Robert (1927-1992) -- Archives
Sportsmen Quartet -- Archives
Continentals (Musical-comedy group) -- Archives