Sammy Davis Jr. — Talk to the Animals

[Applause]

In the film, Dr. Doolittle,
for those of you who do not...

believes in the philosophy that

man should be able to communicate
with animals.

Leslie Bricusse has written one song
for Rex Harrison,

in which he says,
as only Rex Harrison can:

[British accent] "If
we could talk to the animals,

imagine chatting with a chimp
in chimpanzee."

Well, I figured...
if I sang it like that,

I wouldn't get back
in my neighborhood again.

[Laughter]

So, we did a different version.

And it goes like this.

Look out! Ha, ha!
[Stamps feet]

[Orchestra]
[Lively music]

Ha! [Sings]

If I could talk to the animals...

Just imagine it...

Chattin' with a chimp
in chimpanzee.

Imagine talking to a tiger,

chattin' with a cheetah,

oh what a neat achievement
it would be.

If we could talk to the animals,

and learn their languages,

maybe take an animal degree.

I'd study elephant and eagle,
buffalo and beagle,

alligator, guinea pig, and flea.

I would converse in polar bear
and python,

I would curse in fluent kangaroo.

If people asked me,
"Can you speak rhinoceros?"

I'd say "of course-eros.
Can't you?"

[Groovy music]

Ho!

If I conferred
with our furry friends,

man to animal,

think of the amazing
repartee.

If I could walk
with the animals,

talk with the animals,

grunt, squeak, and squawk
with the animals,

and, Lord,

they could talk to me!

[Lively, groovy music]

Ho!

If I could talk to the animals,

think what fun we'd have,

asking over crocodiles for tea.

Or maybe,
lunch with two or three lions,

walruses and sea lions,

what a lovely place
the world would be.

If I spoke slang
to orangutans,

oh the advantages!

Any fool on earth
can plainly see.

Discussing Eastern
arts and dramas

with intellectual llamas,

that's a big step forward,
you'll agree.

I'd learn to speak
in antelope and turtle.

My Pekingese
would be extremely good.

If I were asked
to sing in hippopotamus,

I'd say "Why not-amus?"

And I would!

[Music]

Stop and think of it.

There's no doubt of it.

I could win a place
in history.

If I could walk
with the animals,

talk with the animals,

grunt, squeak, and squawk
with the animals,

and they could...

squeak, and

squawk, and

speak, and

talk

to me.

And they could talk to me.

[Groovy music]

Uh yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah!

[Groovy music]

They could talk to me.

[Music fading]

And they could talk to

me!
[Music abruptly ends.]

[Applause]