Data Source

National Museum of American History

Description (Brief)

The Oscar-winning song, “On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe” was written by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Johnny Mercer for the 1946 motion picture, The Harvey Girls. In the film, the song is an important element in a nine-minute sequence which charts the growing excitement in the Arizona community of Deadrock as the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe train arrives. Among the passengers aboard the train are young women who have come to the Southwest to be waitresses, or “Harvey Girls,” in a Harvey House restaurant. The song became a staple in the repertoire of Judy Garland, the film’s star. Garland’s photograph is central to the design on the sheet music cover. The illustrations of dance hall girls and Harvey House waitresses that flank the photo convey graphically the central plot conflict in the movie.

Location

Currently not on view

maker

Leo Feist, Inc.

date made

1945

Physical Description

paper (overall material)

ink (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 12 in x 9 in; 30.48 cm x 22.86 cm

Object Name

sheet music

Object Type

Sheet Music

subject

Music

Movie

See more items in

Cultural and Community Life: Entertainment

Music & Musical Instruments

Popular Entertainment

Transportation

Highlights from the Culture and the Arts Collection

ID Number

1985.0392.13

accession number

1985.0392

catalog number

1985.0392.13