During World War II, he served in the US Army and entertained the troops with Red Skelton and Dave Brubeck for the USO.
In it, Standley plays a revivalist preacher who gives a (possibly inebriated) take on the children's tale Little Bo Peep, claiming his interpretation is in the Bible: "It's in the book!"
The number (featuring Heidt's orchestra) continues in that vein, with Standley praising "Grandma's Lye Soap", while the audience cheers.
The routine (which, at over six minutes long, had to be split over both sides of the record) shocked industry observers as it hit the Billboard charts in October and raced all the way to the number-one spot for the week ending November 22, 1952.
"It's in the Book" would attract further attention in 1971, when filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich used it in his movie The Last Picture Show, playing in the background in the film's final scene.