"Minnie the Moocher" recorded in 1931 and remain as Calloway's most famous song. He even gaining the nickname "The Hi De Ho Man" (scat phrase from the lyrics) following the success of the song.
Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher" is based on Frankie Jaxon's 1927 "Willie the Weeper". Its lyrics are heavily laden with drug references. The phrase "kicking the gong around" in the lyrics was a slang reference to smoking opium, and "Smoky" is described as "cokey" meaning a user of cocaine.
"Minnie the Moocher" also performed in a series of short films for Paramount in the 1930s, and in 1932 Fleischer Studios Talkartoon, starring Betty Boop and Bimbo.
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