"On the Beach at Bali-Bali" is a song written by Al Sherman, Abner Silver and Jack Meskill. It was written in 1935 and recorded by Henry "Red" Allen among others. In 1937, it appeared in the Marx Brothers film A Day at the Races where Chico Marx played it on the piano.
History of the title
The original title was "On a Street in Baden Baden", but the writers soon realized that Baden-Baden was in Germany. Because in 1935, German dictator, Adolf Hitler threatened the peace of the world; the authors changed the "street" to a "beach" and the city of "Baden Baden" to the tropical (if not fictional) island of "Bali-Bali". Publishers commented that there was, in fact, no place called, "Bali-Bali" and insisted on the name being reduced to one "Bali". However, the writers refused to change the name any further, finally finding a home for their song, new name intact, with the publishing house: Joe Morris Music Co., Inc. of 1619 Broadway, New York City.