Bring me a dream, Mr. Sandman. Make him the cutest thing I have ever seen. It is 1958. President Eisenhower is in office, and the contemporary version of rock and roll is emerging. Don’t tell the Chordettes, however. The Sheboygan harmonizing girls’ primarily a cappella renditions of “Mr. Sandman” and “Lollipop”—Janet, Alice, Lynn, and Jinny—wowed the radio.

In this live television performance, the Chordettes, who are usually compared to a barbershop quartet, demonstrate their abilities. Do you remember all the songs’ “bum-bum-bums”? You’ll be surprised to find that every member of the ensemble sings a single “bum” in quick succession. How did they do it without a hitch? Even as the racially explicit lyrics implore Mr. Sandman to send them a gorgeous guy to bed with, these women’s charm and long, appropriate robes convey a feeling of previous properness.

In a funny sequence constructed expressly for this performance, Mr. Sandman appears on screen to accept their call, and he is wonderfully handsome and youthful. Even if you swoon to the melody of the legendary “Mr. Sandman,” you’ll giggle at this inset image.