“On The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe"

Description:

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.

Publishing Date: 1945

Publisher: Leo Feist, Inc.

Location: Currently not on view

Place Made: United States: New York, New York

See more items in: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment, Popular Entertainment, Music & Musical Instruments, Movies, Highlights from the Culture and the Arts Collection, Transportation, Sheet Music

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: 1985.0392.13Accession Number: 1985.0392Catalog Number: 1985.0392.13

Object Name: sheet music

Physical Description: paper (overall material)ink (overall material)Measurements: overall: 12 in x 9 in; 30.48 cm x 22.86 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a4-eb31-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_681446

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.