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Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!)

original song with music and lyrics by Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman and Danny Russo; from the 1921 musical "Bombo"

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMar 17, 2026
Entity authorityQ60763019 ↗
Source-derived summary

Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!) is a 1922 song with music and lyrics by Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman and Danny Russo, per the credits on the original sheet music cover. Some other sources also credit Ted Fio Rito and Robert King for the song, but make no mention of Dan Russo. It debuted in the Broadway musical Bombo, where it was a major hit. It was first recorded by Al Jolson with Frank Crumit's orchestra for Columbia Records on September 9, 1922. It was further popularised by the racy singer-comedian Eddie Cantor.

This song has become associated with the age and image of the flapper during the Roaring Twenties. While the Jolson version was the most popular, other high-selling versions in 1923 were those by Ernest Hare & Billy Jones, Vincent Lopez, and Benson Orchestra of Chicago.

"Toot, Toot, Tootsie" appeared in the films The Jazz Singer (1927), Rose of Washington Square (1939), The Jolson Story (1946), I'll See You in My Dreams (1951), Goodfellas (1990), and Remains to Be Seen (1953). Also, the Kansas City R&B band Bloodstone performed "Toot, Toot, Tootsie" in their 1975 movie Train Ride to Hollywood.

It was also performed in "Aunt Bee's Medicine Man" episode of The Andy Griffith Show , the Beatles' film, Magical Mystery Tour, the fifth episode of The Brady Bunch Hour and the eleventh episode of season 4 of Gimme a Break!.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!)” as original song with music and lyrics by Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman and Danny Russo; from the 1921 musical "Bombo". This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Toot, Tootsie and Goo'.

Editorial reviewA productive route into publication, performance and collection histories when the underlying object or edition remains clearly identified. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1922, 1923, 1927, 1939—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1922. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Toot, Tootsie and Goo' providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!)”, the useful work is to connect “original song with music and lyrics by Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman and Danny Russo; from the 1921 musical "Bombo"” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q60763019. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1922, 1923, 1927 and 1939.

Critical limits

Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!) primary sources, Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!) archive and Toot research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!)”?
  2. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
  3. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.