ABC once broadcast a 4-part television special in 1960 called The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis. This was to be the hip-swiveler’s first television appearance in three years since being discharged from military service.
Poster art by Al Hirschfeld, yes?
At one point, Elvis threatens to get upstaged by a fresh, jazzy near-instrumental but for the phrase, “uh oh” that sounds as if voiced by a pair of “nutty squirrels” (i.e., poor man’s Alvin & the Chipmunks):
“Uh Oh“
The Nutty Squirrels (1959)
“Uh Oh” — the debut single by The Nutty Squirrels, a creation of Sascha Burland and Don Elliott — would enjoy release in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia & New Zealand. The duo would follow “Uh Oh” with “Uh Huh” (a 4-song EP) and a third single, “Eager Beaver” b/w “Zowee” — all tracks from their debut Hanover album — before making the leap in 1960 to almighty Columbia, who issued an LP and Christmas 45.
In 1963, The Nutty Squirrels would issue a 45 on RCA and one final LP (A Hard Day’s Night) on MGM the following year.
Wikipedia claims that [1] “The Squirrels actually preceded the Chipmunks on television in an animated cartoon, but with much less success”; [2] “Uh Oh (pt. 1)” just about grazed the Top-40 (#45), while “Uh Oh (pt. 2)” climbed to #14 Pop and #9 R&B in 1959; and [3] The Squirrels would have one last fling with commercial success in 1976 as “Shirley & Squirrely” via a CB-radio novelty single, “Hey Shirley (This is Squirrely),” that reached #48 Pop and #28 Country.
