Krokodiloes
Encyclopedia
The Harvard Krokodiloes are Harvard University
's oldest a cappella
singing group, founded in 1946. Four members of the Hasty Pudding Club
at 12 Holyoke Street, popular for its all-male, burlesque musical theatre productions, began singing popular hits of their time in four-part harmony. The Krokodiloes, deriving their name from the ancient Greek word for crocodile, krokodilos, now consists of twelve to fourteen tuxedo-clad undergraduates who sing songs from the 1920s through the 1960s. The group is no longer a part of the Hasty Pudding Club but retains a close informal relationship, including rehearsal and office space in the Club's headquarters.
The Krokodiloes have performed around the world for such luminaries as Ella Fitzgerald
, Princess Grace of Monaco
, Princess Caroline of Monaco
, The Aga Khan
, King Bhumibol of Thailand
, Yo-Yo Ma
, and Julia Roberts
. They had a particularly close relationship with Leonard Bernstein
, who became friends with the group first in 1973, when he composed a setting to an E. E. Cummings
poem "if you can't eat." In 1983 Bernstein wrote an original song for the group, "Screwed On Wrong," and provided an introductory letter that helped launch the group's first of a continuing string of annual international summer tours.
The group has performed on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Good Morning America
, National Public Radio, and on numerous international national television programs.
Each year, the Krokodiloes continue to travel around the world on an eleven-week, six-continent tour. They have recorded 31 albums.
Some of the group’s notable accomplishments include the following:
The group's motto is Nunc Est Cantandum, or “Now is the time to sing.”
In the episode "The Breakup" of the show 30 Rock
, the character Toofer, a Harvard graduate, says that he was in the Kroks and had a solo on "Like a Prayer."
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's oldest a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
singing group, founded in 1946. Four members of the Hasty Pudding Club
Hasty Pudding Club
The Hasty Pudding Club is a social club for Harvard students. It was founded by Nymphus Hatch, a junior at Harvard College, in 1770. The club is named for the traditional American dish that the founding members ate at their first meeting...
at 12 Holyoke Street, popular for its all-male, burlesque musical theatre productions, began singing popular hits of their time in four-part harmony. The Krokodiloes, deriving their name from the ancient Greek word for crocodile, krokodilos, now consists of twelve to fourteen tuxedo-clad undergraduates who sing songs from the 1920s through the 1960s. The group is no longer a part of the Hasty Pudding Club but retains a close informal relationship, including rehearsal and office space in the Club's headquarters.
The Krokodiloes have performed around the world for such luminaries as Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Princess Grace of Monaco
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
, Princess Caroline of Monaco
Caroline, Princess of Hanover
Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Monaco , formally styled Her Royal Highness The Princess of Hanover , has been heiress presumptive to the throne of Monaco since 2005, a position which she previously held from 1957 to 1958.She is the wife of...
, The Aga Khan
Aga Khan
Aga Khan is the hereditary title of the Imam of the largest branch of the Ismā'īlī followers of the Shī‘a faith. They affirm the Imamat of the descendants of Ismail ibn Jafar, eldest son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, while the larger Twelver branch of Shi`ism follows Ismail's younger brother Musa...
, King Bhumibol of Thailand
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...
, Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist, virtuoso, and orchestral composer. He has received multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011...
, and Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
. They had a particularly close relationship with Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
, who became friends with the group first in 1973, when he composed a setting to an E. E. Cummings
E. E. Cummings
Edward Estlin Cummings , popularly known as E. E. Cummings, with the abbreviated form of his name often written by others in lowercase letters as e.e. cummings , was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright...
poem "if you can't eat." In 1983 Bernstein wrote an original song for the group, "Screwed On Wrong," and provided an introductory letter that helped launch the group's first of a continuing string of annual international summer tours.
The group has performed on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, National Public Radio, and on numerous international national television programs.
Each year, the Krokodiloes continue to travel around the world on an eleven-week, six-continent tour. They have recorded 31 albums.
Some of the group’s notable accomplishments include the following:
- Performing at the Inaugural Ball celebrating the inauguration of US President Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
- Performing at the June 30, 1997 Hong Kong handover ceremonies commemorating the return of Hong Kong province to China.
- Appearing four times at Carnegie HallCarnegie HallCarnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, debuting there to a sold-out audience in 1989 at a concert to benefit world hunger, in the spring of 1995 in an American Red Cross benefit, in May 1998 in a concert for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and most recently at Zankel Hall in March 2008.
The group's motto is Nunc Est Cantandum, or “Now is the time to sing.”
In the episode "The Breakup" of the show 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, the character Toofer, a Harvard graduate, says that he was in the Kroks and had a solo on "Like a Prayer."
Notable alumni of the Harvard Krokodiloes
- Paris BarclayParis BarclayParis K.C. Barclay is an American television director and producer. He has directed over 100 episodes of television to date, for series including NYPD Blue, ER, The West Wing, CSI, Lost, The Shield, House M.D., Law & Order, Monk, Numb3rs, City of Angels, Cold Case, and more recently The Mentalist,...
, Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning television director - James Bundy, current Dean of the Yale School of DramaYale School of DramaThe Yale School of Drama is a graduate professional school of Yale University providing training in every discipline of the theatre: acting, design , directing, dramaturgy and dramatic criticism, playwriting, stage management, sound design, technical design and production, and theater...
- Frank CabotFrancis CabotFrancis Higginson Cabot, was an American gardener and horticulturist.A 1949 graduate of Harvard College, Cabot was active in the Hasty Pudding Theatricals and was one of the four founders of the a cappella singing group, the Harvard Krokodiloes...
(one of the group's founders), horticulturist/author - George Howe ColtGeorge Howe ColtGeorge Howe Colt is an American journalist and author. He is the author of November of the Soul: The Enigma of Suicide and The Big House . He is married to the American author Anne Fadiman....
, National Book AwardNational Book AwardThe National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
-nominated author - Gregory Craig, White House CounselWhite House CounselThe White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States.-Role:The Counsel's role is to advise the President on all legal issues concerning the President and the White House...
to President Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. - Fred GwynneFred GwynneFrederick Hubbard "Fred" Gwynne was an American actor. Gwynne was best known for his roles in the 1960s sitcoms Car 54, Where Are You? and The Munsters, as well as his later roles: Pet Sematary and My Cousin Vinny...
, star of TV shows Car 54, Where Are You?Car 54, Where Are You?Car 54, Where Are You? is an American sitcom that ran on NBC from 1961 to 1963. Episodes had various directors, the most recognized being Al De Caprio. Stanley Prager and Nat Hiken also directed several episodes. Most of its filming was on location in The Bronx, and at Biograph...
and The MunstersThe MunstersThe Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
, and such films as My Cousin VinnyMy Cousin VinnyMy Cousin Vinny is a 1992 American comedy film written and produced by Dale Launer, directed by Jonathan Lynn and starring Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, Marisa Tomei, Mitchell Whitfield, Lane Smith, Bruce McGill and Fred Gwynne... - Winthrop JordanWinthrop JordanWinthrop Donaldson Jordan was a professor of history and renowned writer on the history of slavery and the origins of racism in the United States....
, National Book Award-winning author - W. Leo Kiely, CEO, MillerCoorsMillerCoorsMillerCoors is a joint venture between SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing Company, announced on October 9, 2007. The joint venture has the responsibility of selling brands such as Miller Lite, Miller High Life, Miller Genuine Draft, Coors, Coors Light, Molson Canadian, and Blue Moon in the United...
- Peter LerangisPeter LerangisPeter Lerangis is an author of children's and young-adult fiction.-Career:Lerangis's work includes The Viper's Nest and The Sword Thief, two titles in the New York Times–bestselling children's-book series The 39 Clues, the historical novel Smiler's Bones, the YA dark comedy-adventure novel wtf,...
, children's book author - Ryan LeslieRyan LeslieAnthony Ryan Leslie, known professionally as Ryan Leslie, is a Grammy nominated American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, entrepreneur, and singer. Founder of the media company NextSelection Lifestyle Group, Leslie has produced singles for a number of artists in a variety of genres...
, producer, arranger and recording artist responsible for breaking the first internet pop star, Cassie - George C. LodgeGeorge C. LodgeGeorge Cabot Lodge II is an American professor and former politician.-Early life:His father was Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, U.S. Ambassador to United Nations and South Vietnam, and 1960 vice presidential candidate for Richard Nixon against John F. Kennedy-Lyndon B....
, former assistant secretary of labor for international affairs in the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations - Stuart Malina, Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-winning music director and orchestrator for the Broadway musical Movin' OutMovin' Out (musical)Movin' Out is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel.Conceived by Twyla Tharp, the musical tells the story of a generation of American youth growing up on Long Island during the 1960s and their experiences with the Vietnam War... - Laurence O'KeefeLaurence O'Keefe (composer)Laurence O'Keefe , also known as Larry, is a composer and lyricist for Broadway musicals, film and television.O'Keefe is a graduate of Harvard College, where he studied anthropology and wrote humor for the Harvard Lampoon and sang with the Harvard Krokodiloes...
, composer-lyricist for musicals such as Legally BlondeLegally BlondeLegally Blonde is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and produced by Marc E. Platt...
(for which he received a Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-nomination) and Bat Boy: The MusicalBat Boy: The MusicalBat Boy: The Musical is a musical with a book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming and music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe, based on a June 23, 1992 Weekly World News story about a half-boy, half-bat, dubbed "Bat Boy", found living in a cave.... - Fred ReichheldFred ReichheldFrederick F. Reichheld is a United States business author and business strategist best known for his research and writing on the loyalty business model and Loyalty Marketing. His books include The Loyalty Effect , Loyalty Rules! , and The Ultimate Question: Driving Good Profits and True Growth...
, best-selling business-book author - David Rockefeller, Jr.David Rockefeller, Jr.David Rockefeller Jr. is an American philanthropist and an active participant in nonprofit and environmental areas. The eldest son of Margaret "Peggy" McGrath and David Rockefeller, he is a leading fourth-generation member of the prominent Rockefeller family, serving on many boards of the...
, philanthropist - Miles FisherMiles FisherMiles Fisher is an American film and television actor and musician. Born as James Leslie Miles Fisher, he was raised in Dallas, Texas until his family moved to Washington, D.C. He was educated at the St. Albans School in Washington, D.C...
, musician, actor