Aired on Treasure Island Oldies – March 2, 2025

Tonight marks the 97th edition of the Academy Awards which pays tribute to those involved with the motion pictures released in 2024.

Sixty years ago, on April 5, 1965, legendary comedian Bob Hope made his 14th of 19 appearances hosting the Awards. Having never been nominated or winning an Oscar, he jokingly commented in 1968 and 1975 that in his house the Academy Awards were referred to as “Passover.”

For 1964, My Fair Lady won Best Picture with actor Rex Harrison winning Best Actor honors. Nominated alongside My Fair Lady were Beckett, starring Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole; Zorba The Greek, starring Anthony Quinn; Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews (Best Actress), and Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb, starring Peter Sellers. All great films in their own right.

However, the shocker for many fans was the winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

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Four of the five songs nominated for this category made it onto the Billboard Hot 100. They include Patti Page’s Top 10 hit, “Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte” (#8) from the movie of the same name; “Dear Heart,’ also from the movie with the same name that charted three times by different artists – Andy Williams (#24), Jack Jones (#30), and Henry Mancini (#77); and “Where Love Has Gone,” again from the movie with the same name and also performed by Jack Jones (#62).

The only original song that didn’t chart on the Hot 100 came from the movie Robin And The Seven Hoods – “My Kind of Town,” a song that has become a classic, associated with Frank Sinatra and the city of Chicago since its release.

So, what was the song that won the Oscar that year?. Well it came from Mary Poppins and it’s a good bet that no one was more surprised by the win than the New Christy Minstrels who took the song to the #81 position on the pop charts.

One can still envision Bert, the chimney sweep (Dick Van Dyke) serenading Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) and children Jane & Michael Banks with “Chim, Chim, Cheree,” this week’s Tom Locke moment in time.

YouTube listing of the song:

This “Moments In Time” story is yet another example of a “golden oldie” or forgotten favorite that earned its place in the evolution of Rock & Roll.