The Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps is the ninth "Silly Song with Larry" that debuted on VeggieTales' second sing-along video, "The End of Silliness?."
Larry portrays a Swiss veterinarian who thinks he can heal animals by yodeling to them, while Pa Grape, his nurse, sneaks clients the actual treatments beneath the table. However, when Larry declines to offer Pa Grape a pay raise, Pa Grape is left to fend for himself, which leads to a grizzly bear stuck in a trap getting sweet revenge.
Lyrics
(The title card is shown, depicting Larry as a vet with a blue-footed penguin on an examination table in front of him.)
Announcer (In later prints): And now it's time for silly songs with Larry, the part of the show, where Larry comes out and sings a silly song.
(It crossfades to The Scallions and Frankencelery as a quartet, standing on the countertop in front of a freestanding red curtain with and a single microphone in front.)
Quartet Singers: Mmmmmmmmm …
There lived a man so long ago his memory's but faint,
Was not admired, did not inspire like president or saint.
But people came from far and near with their afflicted pets,
For a special cure they knew for sure
Wouldn't come from other vets.
Whooooooooa …
(The camera whip pans over to a set made to look like an Alpine veterinarian’s hospital examination room. As seen in the title card, a penguin with blue feet lays on the examination table in front of his worried owner, Junior Asparagus. Looking on is Pa Grape as the nurse and Larry as the veterinarian.)
Larry: This is a song for your poor sick penguin.
He's got a fever! And his toes are blue.
But if I sing to your poor sick penguin,
He will feel better in a day or two!
Yodel-leh-hee Yodel-leh-hee Yodel-leh-hoo!
Yodel-leh-hee Yodel-leh-hee Yodel-eee-ooo!
Yodel-leh-hee Yodel-leh-hee Yodel-eee-ooo!
Ya-de Ya-de Ya-de Ya-de Ya-de-ooo!
(The penguin sneezes and spits out his thermometer.)
Pa Grape: (to Junior) He's gone a little loopy, in case you haven't heard.
Here's a couple penicillin for your sickly arctic bird.
(Pa gives Junior a bottle of penicillin. The camera whip pans back over to the Quartet.)
Quartet Singers: Mmmmmmmmm…
No skeptic could explain just how, nor could one oft rebut
The wondrous deeds that went on in that little alpine hut!
Some would stand in silence while some just scratched their scalps,
For the curious ways of the Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps!
Whooooooooa…
(The camera whip pans back to vet’s office. Pa Grape is on the phone.)
Pa Grape: Good news on the penguin, Doc. … He's up and kicking!
(A pregnant cat is sitting on the examination table now, with its owner, Bob, looking on.)
Kitty: Meow.
Larry: This is a song for your pregnant kitty.
She's looking nauseous! And a week past due.
But if I sing to your pregnant kitty,
She will feel better in a day or two!
Yodel-leh-hee yodel-leh-hee yodel-leh-hoo!
Yodel-leh-hee Yodel-ye-dee Yodel-dee-ooo!
Yo-didly-ayee Yo-eee-aye-ooo Yodel-aye-ooo!
Yada Yada Yada Yada Ya-ga-doo!
(The pregnant cat jerks with a slight hiss as if she felt a kitten kick in her belly.)
Pa Grape: (to Bob) Jump in your car,
Drive into the city.
Buy a jug of milk,
For your nauseated kitty.
(Pa hands Bob a coupon for milk. Camera whip pans back to the Quartet again.)
Quartet Singers: Mmmmmmmmm…
The practice grew, their profits flew,
Until one fateful day.
When the nurse who did assist the doc
Asked for a raise in pay.
The doctor pondered this a while,
Sat back and scratched his scalp.
Then said:
Larry: No way, Jose!
Quartet Singers: To the Nurse of the Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps!
Whooooooooa…
(The camera whip pans back to the vet’s office. Pa Grape is on the phone again, this time much more perturbed.)
Pa Grape: Good news on the kitty Doc. ... She's feelin' great … 6 kittens … named one after you …
(The camera pulls back to reveal a large grizzly bear covered in bear traps sitting on the examination table, with his owner, Percy, looking on. The bear roars.)
Larry: This is a song for your bear-trapped teddy.
He looks uncomfy, think I'd be too.
But if I sing to your bear-trapped teddy,
He will feel better in a day or two.
Yodel-leh-hee Yodel-leh-hee Yodel-leh-hoo!
Yodel-yeh-hee O-la-hee Oly-ooo!
Yodel-leh-hee Yodel-leh-hoo Layo-lay-hoo!
Yodel-leh-hee Yaba-daba Yaba-doo!
(The bear looks to the camera, unimpressed. He roars out in anger and pain.)
Pa Grape: Oh yeah … That'll work. … He's good.
(The bear continues to roar over Larry’s yodeling.)
Larry: Yodel-leh-hee! Yodel-leh-hoo!
No, wait, this should work …
Yodel-leh-hee! Yodel-leh-hoo! Yodel-leh-hoo!
Ooo! Yodel-hoo!
(The camera slowly pans to the Quartet as crashing and smashing noises are heard offscreen.)
Quartet Singers: Mmmmmmmmm…
Now the moral of our story,
It's the point we hope we've made …
When you go a little loopy —
Better keep your nurse well paid!
(Larry runs back and forth in front of the Quartet being chased by the bear.)
Larry: Yodel-leh-hee!
Yodel-leh-hoo!
Yodel odle odle aye de
Aye de ooo-ooo-ooo!
Quartet Singers: Oh!
Some would stand in silence while some just scratched their scalps,
For the curious ways of the Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps!
(The camera pulls out to reveal the entire set in shambles. Larry is seen behind the debris, still running from the bear.)
Larry: Yodel-hoo!
(Iris out.)
Fun Facts
Trivia
- This song was later featured on the following video releases:
- "The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown"
- "Veg-O-Rama Jukebox"
- "God Made You Special"
- "Sing-Alongs: I Can Be Your Friend"
- "If I Sang A Silly Song"
- "And Now It's Time for Silly Songs with Larry: The Complete Collection"
- "Parade of Animals"
- This was also featured on some international releases of King George and the Ducky.
- The song was featured on the following audio releases:
- "A Queen, A King, and A Very Blue Berry"
- "Silly Songs with Larry"
- "VeggieTales Greatest Hits" (as a CD-ROM video)
- You Are a Friend! Chick-fil-A CD-ROM
- "25 Favorite Silly Songs"
- VeggieTales Silly Songs, Vol. 2
- "All the Songs: Volume One"
- "And Now It's Time for Silly Songs with Larry: The Complete Collection" (album)
- "The VeggieTales Collection"
- Very Veggie Silly Stories: "Dealing with Change"
- This is the first Silly Song without the Announcer. However, the narration was added in a Chuck E. Cheese's showtape from August 1999 and the DVDs "God Made You Special" and "Parade of Animals."
- The version seen on the Chuck E. Cheese's showtape reused his line from the "Bear Trap" scene at the beginning of "His Cheeseburger."
- The "God Made You Special" version reused his line from "The Hairbrush Song."
- The "Parade of Animals" version reused his line from "Perfect Puppy."
- A different title card was used for "God Made You Special" to remove the footage of the title card appearing in to the TV jukebox.
- It is unknown what happened to the original file of the Silly Song title card, whether it was got lost or was even deleted. However, as of 2024, the original title card in its original state (without it appearing on the jukebox TV screen) only exists in a Chuck E. Cheese's showtape from August 1999 that had been leaked onto YouTube.[citation needed]
- Following The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, this is the second Silly Song not to be paired with a regular episode.
- According to Kurt Heinecke, the voice on the telephone is John Wahba.
- The animation on the quartet was animated solely by Joe McFadden.
- The bear's voice changed in subsequent appearances of the song on other videos and albums. Robert Ellis did the original voice, while Mike Nawrocki re-recorded the voice afterwards.
- This is the last Silly Song to be rendered in Softimage as well as the last of the 90’s.
- According to a Veggie Gazzette page on bigidea.com in 2001, it is stated that this Silly Song was put on hold due to the cancellation of Larry's silly songs segment as a result of the incident with his previous silly song.
- The melody of the quartet's part(s) sound fairly similar to the intro of the 1960s sitcom, "Car 54, Where Are You?"
- The pregnant cat was added because Mike Nawrocki’s wife Lisa was pregnant with their first child Ally at the time the song was being written.
Goofs
- The bolts on Frankencelery often have a different texture in some shots.
- Various shots of the quartet show Frankencelery’s eyes clipping through his uni-brow.
- During one of the transitions from the quartet to the doctor's office, for a split second, you can see the curtain on the countertop, but the quartet is strangely not there.
- Near the end of the song, Larry's body clips through his costume when the bear is about to bite him.
- In the same scene, Frankencelery's costume clips through Scallion #3.
- Pa Grape referred to the sick penguin as an arctic bird. However, penguins are native to the Antarctic, not the Arctic.
- In one shot, the Scallion #1 and Frankencelery's positions are swapped.
Inside References
- The logging textures are the same ones used from "Oh, Santa!".
- The sick penguin is the same model as the penguins used in "The Toy That Saved Christmas."
Fast Forward
- The barbershop quartet will eventually return in the compilation releases, "Larry Learns to Listen" and "Bob Lends a Helping Hand."
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