Oldsmobile Division of
General Motors used the song, with altered lyrics, for several decades as a marketing jingle. "In My Merry Oldsmobile" was used as the opening and closing themes for the 1927
Warner Bros. Pictures film
The First Auto. The song was featured in the 1931
Fleischer Studios animated short
In My Merry Automobile as a "follow the bouncing ball" sing-along feature. The short, directed by
Jimmy Culhane, was produced "by arrangement and in cooperation with" the
Olds Motor Works.
Bing Crosby featured the song in his film
The Star Maker in 1939 and recorded the song for
Decca Records on June 30, 1939. "In My Merry Oldsmobile" was often used by
Carl Stalling, long-time music director for
Warner Bros. Cartoons, especially when references to automobiles or driving were made. "In My Merry Oldsmobile" is one of the songs played on
Main Street USA in
Disneyland and the
Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom. It was also sung in episode The Best Of Enemies of
M*A*S*H by
Hawkeye Pierce (played by
Alan Alda) while driving a
Jeep in
Korea. The song was also featured in the Broadway musical
Tintypes. "In My Merry Oldsmobile" is one of the songs sung by the
BonziBuddy software application. In the song "
Lord, Mr. Ford" by Jerry Reed, he mentions the song. Oldsmobile sponsored several TV shows starring
Patti Page in the 1950s, including
The Patti Page Show from 1955 to 1956,
The Big Record from 1957 to 1958 and
The Oldsmobile Show starring Patti Page from 1958 to 1959. "In My Merry Oldsmobile" was used as the theme song on every telecast, and Page often sang some form of it with new lyrics. On some of the programs, the musical commercial segments were performed by
Bill Hayes and
Florence Henderson. It was used as the opening and closing theme on
Techdirt's
Podcast Episode 28: Is Car Ownership On The Way Out? ==References==