Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive

Here Come the Waves, starring Bing Crosby and Betty Hutton opens in theatres around the country in 1944, at a time when the United States is heavily involved in World War II. Ninety million Americans are going to the movies every week. The war has dramatically changed the nature of the movies, which are no longer mere entertainment, but a valuable morale-booster, and an instrument of public education. On this particular Saturday, one 15 year old boy sits glued to his seat, his eyes as big as saucers, lost in the scene before him.

Saturday at the movies is a fairly new treat. His family has recently moved to Oklahoma City from a small, nearby farm town. With new, better paying jobs that can more easily be found in a big city, they now own a radio, which provides hours of entertainment. But it is a hot Saturday afternoon in the summer, and this boy is treating himself to a Saturday afternoon at the matinee, having worked all week at Borden’s loading ice cream trucks. This Saturday should have been like any other, a two hour escape into another world. But on this particular day, in this particular movie, a song is introduced that would impact not only this boy’s life, but the lives of generations to come. It goes like this:

Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive (Don’t Mess With Mr. In-Between)

You’ve got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don’t mess with Mr. In-Between

You’ve got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale
Noah in the ark
What did they do just when everything looked so dark?

Man, they said we better
Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don’t mess with Mr. In-Between
Oh no. Don’t mess with Mr. In-Between.

Written by Johnny Mercer and Composed by Harold Arlen in 1944

That young boy left that theatre whistling the new tune. Over time, he grew up, got married, and became my dad. My dad is now almost 78 years old. Over the years, he has hummed, sung, or whistled that tune too many times to count. I remember as little children, piling into the car so he could drive us to school. As the bickering, whining, and general bad attitude bubbled to the surface, he did not scold; he did not lecture; he did not even demand that we ride in silence. He simply looked straight ahead as he drove and burst into song…You gotta accent-tchu-ate the positive, e-lim-i-nate the negative, latch on to the affirmative; don’t mess with Mr. In-Between. As he sang, his voice got sillier and he turned and made goofy faces until we burst out laughing and joined in the singing, our woes quickly forgotten. It was not just the drive to school. He was liable to burst into this song anytime…anywhere…in front of anyone.

About 32 years after he saw that movie, I started singing that song to my children. You can imagine the lump in my throat when I recently heard my daughter rocking her son, softly singing the song his great-grandfather first learned 62 years ago.

Now I’m not saying that movies, TV shows, or popular songs are generally profound. Certainly, my dad who loves to sing can be heard on any given day singing, whistling, or humming a song of praise and worship. What has made this song stand out in our family is that it came from an unlikely source, Hollywood, and yet is rich with biblical principals, and sound advice, not to mention a catchy tune. Having said that, except for the catchy tune part, I think the apostle Paul said it best:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything excellent or praise worthy- think about such things……And the God of peace will be with you.”
Philipians 4:4-8

Can’t you just see Paul singing that song in prison………