DESCRIPTION:
The Laughing Policeman is a music hall song by Charles Jolly, the pseudonym of Charles Penrose. In 1922, Penrose made the first recording of this song, (Columbia Records FB 1184). The composition of the song is officially credited to his wife Mabel under the pseudonym "Billie Grey", however the music and melody are taken from The Laughing Song by George W. Johnson which was recorded in approximately 1901. The Penroses wrote numerous other laughing songs (The Laughing Major, Curate, Steeplechaser, Typist, Lover, etc), but only The Laughing Policeman is remembered today, having sold over a million records. Its popularity continued into the 1970s, as it was a frequently-requested song on the BBC Radio 1 show Junior Choice.