Episode 16 - That Old Banana Magic

 

Bananas used in a variety of ways
Bananas in the Modern Manner, 1930

Welcome to the supplemental blog post for Episode 16 - That Old Banana Magic! Banana availability during WWII for Americans was a bit of a roller coaster. When they couldn't get fresh, other alternative products were available to them in the form of powdered, dried, and flaked bananas as well as banana flavoring. Due to American obsession with bananas starting in the 1920s-30s, they came up with all sorts of ways to include this nutritious fruit into their diet whether using it as a fruit, starch, or vegetable. 

Enjoy the interesting resources I found during my research!

To check out the Vintage Banana Tuesdays series I did on HISTORY: Preserved click the link HERE:

SONGS:

First up is the classic song "Yes! We Have No Bananas" by Sam Lanin, 1923.

Sheet music cover for
"Yes! We Have No Bananas", 1923
wikimedia commons

Next, here's a fun one you may not have heard before: "I've Never Seen a Straight Banana" by The Columbians, 1927.

And finally, a really quirky song: "I Like Bananas Because They Have No Bones" by Chris Yacich and Lorraine Milne, sung by George Elrick, 1936.

PHOTOS:

Banana Cart, NYC, 1902
wikimedia commons

Longshoreman transferring bananas
New York, New York
July 1937
wikimedia commons

Shop with Bananas
Missouri, 1906

Soda jerker flipping ice cream into malted milkshakes
(bananas in background)
Corpus Cristi, Texas, 1939
wikimedia commons

COOKBOOKS:

And here is an original, unopened tin of banana flakes from 1930s!

COOKBOOK FEATURE:

Bananas...how to serve them
1942

If you're feeling brave, give this recipe for Banana Chicken Salad a try! 😁

RESOURCES:

Songs/Videos:

 I’ve Never Seen a Straight Banana by The Columbians, 1927

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wkMZLwPpLE

 

Yes! We Have No Bananas, 1923

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTTrXAE7OPU

Or if you prefer to hear it from The Muppets… 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vQ0XUNxJyQ

 

The Dark History of Bananas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esvycD1O3cM

Chiquita Banana commercial (1940s)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFDOI24RRAE

 

United Fruit Company 1940s Banana Production Film (A somewhat rosy view. Go to time stamp 10:06 to see how the banana plant grows)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPMoMLeJ9nA

 

1930s Iced Banana Cake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE92QcEENZc

 

Articles:

 British Mock Banana Recipe

https://the1940sexperiment.com/2016/02/28/mock-banana-recipe-no-148/

 

Going Bananas: United Fruit Ripened in WWII

https://www.houmatoday.com/article/DA/20030720/News/608095395/HC

 

They Became Banana Boats (U.S. Naval Institute)

https://www.navalhistory.org/2019/03/12/they-became-banana-boats

 

The Seldom Taught History of the Banana Wars (showing that things weren’t quite as rosy as newspapers made them out to be) (No citation of sources, so read with a grain of salt)

https://medium.com/history-of-yesterday/the-seldom-taught-history-of-the-banana-wars-416941c7114a

 

Images:

 Banana Cart, NYC 1902

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_banana_cart-LCCN2008678154.jpg

 

Longshoreman transferring bananas, 1941-42

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_York,_New_York_-_Longshoremen._This_shows_the_prevailing_method_of_transferring_bananas_from_the_end_on_the..._-_NARA_-_518791.tif

 

Shop with bananas, Missouri 1906

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Southeast_corner_of_Easton_Avenue_(M.L._King_Drive)_and_Euclid_Avenue._A_boy_on_stilts_stands_in_front_of_the_produce_stands_in_front_of_the_F.J._Voepel_Market.jpg

 

Soda jerker flipping ice cream into malted milkshakes, Texas 1939

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soda_jerker_flipping_ice_cream_into_malted_milk_shakes._Corpus_Christi,_Texas.jpg

 

Yes! We Have No Bananas sheet music cover

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yes!_We_Have_No_Bananas.png