After 48 years, I finally solved a mystery

Actually, two mysteries in one.

It was the summer of 1966, which was a rather mystical and magical time for me. Regular school-year TV shows were giving way to summer replacements. One of the summer shows was hosted by none other than Jim Backus, aka Mr. Magoo, aka Mr. Howell. There was a distinctly exotic air about the show that my elementary school mind, which had rarely even been out of Arkansas, was not yet able to fully comprehend. But it became a must-see show for me in those carefree summer nights.

One of my most enduring memories of that show was a dreamy, almost eerie scene showing shadows of legs that were dancing to music that immediately captured my attention. For 48 years, I remembered that music, but never knew the name. Today, I finally found out not only the name of the music, but also the name of the TV show.

The name of the show was "Continental Showcase" and it featured performances from Europe. Ah, that would explain the exotic air about the show! And the music, I would learn, was used as the theme song for a kids' show that I had never seen, Wonderama. As it turns out, the Wonderama song is actually from a musical that came out in 1964 called "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". The name of the song is "I Ain't Down Yet".

So after 48 years, I finally know