Me Ol' Bamboo facts for kids
"Me Ol' Bamboo" is a fun song from the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was written by the famous Sherman Brothers. The song features a lively dance. This dance was first planned as a morris dance, which is a traditional English folk dance. But it ended up looking more like a Romanian folk dance called Căluşari.
The Song and Dance
The song and its dance are performed by the actor Dick Van Dyke and about fifteen other men in the movie. Dick Van Dyke has said that "Me Ol' Bamboo" was one of the hardest dances he ever had to learn.
In the film, Dick Van Dyke's character, Caractacus Potts, performs this dance. He does it to get away from someone who is angry because of his broken hair-cutting machine. The dance uses bamboo sticks as props. By the end of the dance, Potts collects enough money to buy the special car, Chitty.
The Story Behind It
"Me Ol' Bamboo" is a happy song about different men and how they use cane-like sticks. Robert B. Sherman, one of the songwriters, was inspired to write the song. He used a bamboo walking stick himself after he hurt his knee during World War II.
Similar Songs
This song is very similar to "Step in Time" from the movie Mary Poppins. The Sherman Brothers also wrote "Step in Time." Dick Van Dyke performed that song too. Both "Me Ol' Bamboo" and "Step in Time" are a bit like an old British song called "Knees Up Mother Brown." This older song was popular in music halls, which were like old-fashioned variety shows.
