I don’t recall how Eileen Holleran’s nickname started, perhaps from her sisters who also were nurses, maybe from her Morristown moms group, but it fit aptly.
“Florence of the St. Lawrence’’ worked on several levels – her home overlooking the river, her 47-year career at A. Barton Hepburn Hospital, and the alliteration stemming from Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
When I looked up the spelling of Nightingale, a marvelous coincidence landed in my lap. In 1947, a Broadway showtune was recorded entitled “The Thousand Islands Song.’’ It tells of the plight of a young romantic who rows his boat up and down the St. Lawrence River, searching for the girl of his dreams. Loverboy can’t remember where he dropped her off, so he calls out “Florence! Florence!’’ as he row, row, rows his boat among 1,864 islands.
Sadly, the song wasn’t prominent in my youth. If it was, I could imagine the late Pat Sargent of Brier Hill, fueled by a few adult beverages, launching into a rendition with all the gusto she invested in “On Top of Old Smoky’’ or “Lydia Pinkham.’’ Ah, if only there were VCRs back in the day to record the antics of the Fearsome Fivesome – Janet Woodside, Shirley Moore, Caroline Haines, Sargent and Holleran. They could gather in the afternoon, settle all the issues of the world, and still pull a meal out of a Crockpot in time for the dinner hour.
Beyond Crockpot wizardry, technology was advanced enough to preserve at least five renditions from the late 40’s, each recorded by a pre-eminent artist. You want heavyweight crooners? Try Johnny Mercer, Bing Crosby and Louis Prima. Even a novelty group, The Korn Kobblers, hopped on the bandwagon. But the most storied version came from Arthur Godfrey with the Too Fat Trio.
The song originated on Broadway, the brainchild of lyricists Bob Hilliard and Carl Sigman. They wrote for a musical revue “Angel in the Wings’’ that debuted at the Coronet Theatre (now Eugene O’Neill Theatre) on West 49th Street on Dec. 11, 1947. Among the mix of songs and skits, the “Thousand Islands Song’’ made a big enough impression that popular artists wanted to boost their record sales by recording a pop hit. TV remained in its infancy with only one in 10 U.S. homes owning a set. Radio was the primary source for news, sports and music.
There was no bigger radio star in 1948 than the Old Redhead, Arthur Godfrey. He talked, he pitched products, played his ukelele, and sang mediocrely as a baritone, but his ratings were king. He was on air live Monday through Friday and taped shows for Saturdays and Sundays so his light-hearted recording gained a lot of notoriety for the region.
The mayor of Alexandria Bay, W. Grant Mitchell, who also operated the Monticello Hotel, pounced on the chance to promote tourism. He traveled to New York during the week of Feb. 28, 1948, made a brief appearance on the studio show, and presented Godfrey with a map of the Thousand Islands and a deed to Island 793, popularized in the lyrics.
It was situated along the International Rift. Photo by Clark Brandenburg
Tom French, writing for Thousand Islands Life website, said the island was located along the border in the International Rift between the stone bridge and Lake of the Isle. Mitchell’s grandson, Tom, was quoted: “The island was in Canada, but the dock was in the United States.’’
Mitchell owned the island and never conveyed it to Godfrey, but it made for good publicity. Mitchell even outfitted his brother Thomas’s construction barge with a grand piano, decorative banners, U.S. and British flags and a handful of models, and dubbed it Florence’s Barge. The barge was towed among the islands, but there was no record of Godfrey participating, although he was said to have struck up a friendship with Mitchell and made a few visits to the Monticello.
For Alex Bay, the whole affair made for good notoriety. For my family, Florence of the St. Lawrence made for good needling.
Four online recordings from 1948 of the “Thousand Islands Song’’ written Bob Hilliard and Carl Sigman:
Arthur Godfrey and the Too Fat Trio
Johnny Mercer with Paul Weston and his orchestra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzB9yAehxOE
Bing Crosby with The Rhythmaires
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVk3zUtIIWk
Louis Prima and orchestra
More photos and stories about the Thousand Islands:
http://www.riverstories.org/1000_Islands_Admiralty.html
The Thousand Islands Song (Oh! Florence)
by Bob Hilliard and Carl Sigman
From the Broadway Revue "Angel In The Wings" (1947)
(Row, row, row your boat, up the river St. Lawrence)
(Hollering, hollering, hollering, hollering) Hollering for Florence (Row your boat)
I left the one I love on one of the Thousand Islands (Row, row your boat)
But unfortunately I can't remember which one
So I row, row, row, row up the river St. Lawrence
And I'm hollerin' Florence, oh! where can you be?
(Where, oh, where, where, oh, where can she be?)
I wouldn't be so lost up here on the Thousand Islands (Row, row, your boat)
If we only had met down on the Isle of Capri
Now I just can't find the place you marked on the post card
Call the Navy and Coast Guard
Oh! where, where can you be?
(Where, oh, where, where, oh, where can she be?)
Mustn't take a nap, gotta watch the map
That was Island seven-ninety-three
Row from shore to shore, knock on every door
How many Thousand Islands can there be?
I better find you soon 'cause I see a thousand row boats (Row, row your boat)
And the fellers inside look mighty lonesome to me
When they row, row, row, row up the River St. Lawrence
They're all hollerin' "Florence, oh! where can you be?"
(Row, row, your boat up the River St. Lawrence
Hollering, hollering, hollering, hollering, hollering for Florence)
I better find you soon 'cause I see a thousand row boats (Row, row your boat)
And the fellers inside look mighty lonesome to me
When they row, row, row, row up the River St. Lawrence
They're all hollerin' "Florence, oh! where can you be?"
(Row, row, your boat) Hey Florence (Row, row your boat)
Hey Florence! Hey Florence! Hey Florence!
Hey Flowie! You're harder to find than Chloe!
Holleran Gets It Write 