Songwriter. The creator of several hits of the 1960s, he shall probably be remembered for the best selling "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini". Raised in Brooklyn, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps after high school and served in the South Pacific during World War II; following the conflict he attended Brooklyn College, earned a graduate degree in music from New York University, and in 1950 won $100 in a songwriting contest. Thru the 1950s Pockriss produced music for television shows of the day including those of Jack Paar and Milton Berle and in 1957 wrote Perry Como's Grammy-nominated "Catch a Falling Star". The inspiration for his best known song came from a family outing to a Long Island beach when his young daughter lost her bikini bottom in the water leading him to write "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" on the half hour trip home. The piece was recorded by Bryan Hyland in 1960, reached #1 on the charts, became part of popular culture, helped make the skimpy suit socially acceptable, was used as 'torture' in Billy Wilder's 1961 comedy "One, Two, Three", and has been played ever since. Other Pockriss creations included Anita Bryant's 1960 "My Little Corner of the World" and Shelley Fabares' 1962 "Johnny Angel" as well as the 1963 Broadway musical "Tovarich" and the soundtracks for 1968's "The Subject Was Roses" and the 1970 animated feature "The Phantom Tollbooth". Essentially freed from the need to work by the royalties from "Itsy Bitsy..." he still wrote a number of songs for the television series "Sesame Street". Pockriss lived out his days in Connecticut and died following a protracted illness.
Songwriter. The creator of several hits of the 1960s, he shall probably be remembered for the best selling "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini". Raised in Brooklyn, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps after high school and served in the South Pacific during World War II; following the conflict he attended Brooklyn College, earned a graduate degree in music from New York University, and in 1950 won $100 in a songwriting contest. Thru the 1950s Pockriss produced music for television shows of the day including those of Jack Paar and Milton Berle and in 1957 wrote Perry Como's Grammy-nominated "Catch a Falling Star". The inspiration for his best known song came from a family outing to a Long Island beach when his young daughter lost her bikini bottom in the water leading him to write "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" on the half hour trip home. The piece was recorded by Bryan Hyland in 1960, reached #1 on the charts, became part of popular culture, helped make the skimpy suit socially acceptable, was used as 'torture' in Billy Wilder's 1961 comedy "One, Two, Three", and has been played ever since. Other Pockriss creations included Anita Bryant's 1960 "My Little Corner of the World" and Shelley Fabares' 1962 "Johnny Angel" as well as the 1963 Broadway musical "Tovarich" and the soundtracks for 1968's "The Subject Was Roses" and the 1970 animated feature "The Phantom Tollbooth". Essentially freed from the need to work by the royalties from "Itsy Bitsy..." he still wrote a number of songs for the television series "Sesame Street". Pockriss lived out his days in Connecticut and died following a protracted illness.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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