Before Pooh, Cedartown’s Sterling Holloway sang “Manhattan”

A show that outgrew its plan

Holloway was born in Cedartown in 1905. His training took him through Georgia Military Academy and then the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, where he graduated in 1923. Work in smaller productions preceded his place in The Garrick Gaieties. [2] [3]

The revue began as a Theatre Guild fundraiser. Its sketches poked fun at city life and the theatre itself; Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart supplied the music and lyrics. After special performances in May and early June 1925, it settled into an open-ended Broadway run on June 8. Holloway worked in a young cast that also included Libby Holman, Sanford Meisner and Lee Strasberg. [4]

The printed bill shows how much more there was to his evening than “Manhattan.” Richard Rodgers was credited with directing the orchestra. Holloway appeared in the opening subscription sketch, joined a vocal quartet and shared “Three Musketeers” with Romney Brent and Philip Loeb. Another sketch cast him in a parody of actress Emily Stevens. Songs, impersonation and ensemble comedy belonged to the same program. [8]

“Manhattan” became the breakout song. The show ran for 211 performances, and a new edition followed in 1926. Holloway sang another enduring Rodgers and Hart number in that edition: “Mountain Greenery.” [4] [2]

The second show after the show

The Billboard’s October 24, 1925 issue catches that career while it was happening. It announces new cabaret work at Ciro’s after Holloway’s nightly appearance at the Garrick Theatre, with new songs being prepared. The notice also names June Cochrane as his partner in the success of “Manhattan.” [1]

A week later, the paper reports the result. Its October 31 issue says Ciro’s new revue had opened on Thursday night. Suggested by George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” the show included Holloway, Frances Williams, Margaret Davies and Max Hoffmann Jr. Sammy Lee staged it; Dave Dryer and Herman Ruby wrote it. [7]

Another paragraph in that same issue describes the performers working at Ciro’s after their theatre engagements. Holloway’s second show was underway. For this stretch of his Broadway career, the familiar future voice belonged to a performer moving from one live audience to another in a single night. [7]

A performer in many places

Film and radio widened his audience. Roles in American Madness and Blonde Venus in 1932 were part of an expanding screen career. During World War II, his Army Special Services work included producing a variety show for servicemen and touring in North Africa and Italy. [3]

Television later brought him into The Life of Riley and guest appearances on shows including The Andy Griffith Show and The Twilight Zone. The range of jobs can be easy to miss when one beloved character becomes the whole memory of an actor. [2]

The voice behind the bear

Disney first used Holloway as the messenger stork in Dumbo in 1941. Other assignments included the adult Flower in Bambi, the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, Kaa in The Jungle Book and Roquefort in The Aristocats. He also narrated “Peter and the Wolf.” [5]

That list carries a surprise of its own: the comforting bear and the hypnotic snake came from the same performer. Character, rhythm and delivery gave the recognizable voice very different work to do. Disney’s account describes an association lasting nearly forty years, across more than twenty animated shorts, features and television specials. [5]

Holloway received the Disney Legends honor in 1991, the year before his death. His Georgia story continued through returns to Cedartown to see old friends, remembered in the New Georgia Encyclopedia. [5] [2]

The next time that familiar voice arrives from a speaker, there is another sound to imagine alongside it: a young performer singing a new Broadway song. Cedartown’s connection reaches through both careers—the one we recognize instantly and the earlier one preserved in a small theatre notice.

Sources and further reading

Sources reviewed October 29, 2026.

1. The Billboard, October 24, 1925, printed page 30
   Original page image inspected. “Sterling Holloway to Double at Ciro’s,” datelined October 17, announces future cabaret work and identifies his pairing with June Cochrane.
2. S. K. Brehe: Sterling Holloway, New Georgia Encyclopedia
   Early songs, television roles and Cedartown visits. The entry explicitly acknowledges conflicting January birth dates. Its 1967 Walt Disney audition date is not used.
3. Georgia Historical Society: Marker Monday, Sterling Holloway
   April 23, 2018; education, early films and Army Special Services work. No single move-to-Hollywood year is asserted here.
4. Rodgers & Hammerstein: The Garrick Gaieties, 1925 Broadway
   Production history distinguishes the earlier special performances from the June 8 open-ended run; cast and 211-performance total.
5. Disney D23: Sterling Holloway, Disney Legend
   Official studio account of voice roles, career scope, 1991 honor and death in 1992. Exact birthday differs from the Georgia Historical Society.
6. Internet Broadway Database: Garrick Gaieties, 1925 production
   The Broadway League’s production record corroborates June 8–November 28, 1925 and 211 performances; opening-night credits are marked not yet finalized.
7. The Billboard, October 31, 1925, printed pages 22 and 31
   Both original page images inspected. Page 22 reports the revue’s opening, datelined October 24; page 31 independently describes the performers doubling after their theatre engagements. These are two notices in the same issue, not two independent publications.
8. The Billboard, June 20, 1925, printed pages 46 and 51
   Both original page images inspected. The printed Garrick Gaieties bill credits Rodgers with directing the orchestra and Holloway with songs, sketches and the Emily Stevens parody. These are printed credits, not a record of every performance night.