"Straighten Up and Fly Right"

[Fred Shapiro]

Can anyone help me to determine whether the phrase "straighten up and fly
right" was popularized by Nat King Cole's 1944 song of that name, or
whether its currency predated the song?

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and     YALE DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS
  Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press,
Yale Law School                             forthcoming
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu               http://quotationdictionary.com
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