Patti loved her fans and her fans LOVED her! The jacket on display was given to her by the New York Area Patti’s Platters Fan Club in 1957. It was presented to her the night before her first opening of “The BIG Record Show”. The show was done weekly at the Ed Sullivan Theater.
Some of the teenage fans had been dropping in during rehearsals all week and they kept the theater freezing due to all of the massive Kleig lights. She was always wearing a jacket, so they got this for her to wear. She had her own private dressing room with a locked closet that she kept her gowns in, as well as that little jacket with all of her hits embroidered on it. She would put it on over her gowns between rehearsals or fittings and especially if any of her fan club members were around.
Mercury records was going to put out a group of children’s records under their Playcraft series of 78s. Bob Merrill had written “Doggie in the Window” for that purpose. Patti and her manager Jack Rael went into the studio on December 18, 1952 for a recording session.
Joe Reisman, who was the arranger for all of Patti’s songs, went into the studio with Patti and Jack for the session. After hearing the playbacks, Jack thought it would be funny to add the dog barks into the song along with Patti’s overdub of the second harmony voice. Mac Ceppos who was lead violin had a very deep voice for the big dog bark that he was to provide. Joe was to supply the little “Yip Yip” to go along with it.
Patti was not prepared for what was to take place and got hysterical and laughed uncontrollably, spoiling several takes. Everyone in the studio was in stitches. If you look at the original 45 and 78 rpm Mercury singles, it gives credit to: Vocals by Patti Page and Barks by Joe and Mac.
Rarely did Patti ask to take a test pressing with her but she had so much fun with the tune they cut an acetate copy right there in the studio and gave it to her. Little did she know that the song was and always will be tied to her name. On April 4, 1953 the song hit number one on the charts and stayed at number one for 8 weeks. The ad campaigns for everything from dog food to stuffed toy dogs were soon to follow. The record displayed is that original acetate pressing that she requested.
