Where's Johnny Mercer? Beloved Ellis Square statue not gone, but may not return soon

The beloved Johnny Mercer statue that has graced Savannah’s Ellis Square since 2009 is missing in action, it seems, and that’s no “jive,” as the Academy Award-winning lyricist might say.

No doubt, the absence of the Mercer sculpture is disappointing tourists who hope to snap selfies with the bronze figure or take photos of friends and/or family behind or alongside the statue.

Apparently, the likeness of one of Savannah’s most popular native sons, was toppled over earlier this year and removed by the city for repairs to the base, according to the sculptor who created the statue at the request of The Friends of Johnny Mercer.

Rob Hessler: The city of Savannah is blessed to have Susie Chisholm and her famous statues

From the archives: Statue in Ellis Square honors Mercer legacy

Editorial: Fondly remembering Savannah’s songwriter, Johnny Mercer

“(The statue) was rocky anyway,” explained artist Susie Chisholm who went to great lengths to create the bronze work that depicts Mercer reading a newspaper and leaning against a fire hydrant. To begin with, the base of the statue was welded to (rods in the concrete) when it should’ve been secured in another way, she said.

Meanwhile, the city has been trying to determine the best way to repair the statue, according to a City of Savannah spokesperson. “(The City) is working with a local conservationist, who is in consultation with Susie, to assess the best way to secure the statue and base,” said Keturah Greene-Luckett, press secretary for the City of Savannah. “We do not have the final determination yet …”

Chisholm said it was only recently that heard the statue was missing from its familiar spot on the west side of the square.

“I was having lunch with my daughter and one of her friends texted her and said, ‘Your mom sculpted the Johnny Mercer statue, right? Where is it?’ My daughter told her that it was in Ellis Square and her friend said, ‘No, I’m here and it’s not here,’”

Chisholm said she was “shocked,” and did her best to try to find out what happened to the statue. After a couple of telephone calls and an e-mail or two, Chisholm found out that the statue had been knocked over, damaging its base in the process. She was able to examine the statue and saw that it was torn from its foundation.

Time Travel: Johnny Mercer was one of Savannah's best

She also learned that the city has been working with a local conservationist and talked to him. She is hoping that whoever repairs the bronze figure does not weld it. “The last I left it, I told (the city) that it can’t be done that way,” she said. “It needs to go to a foundry. Fine art is a different animal than welding.”

Chisholm took it upon herself to contact an Atlanta foundry and found out that repairs to the statue would only involve a “two-week turnaround.”

The renowned sculptor whose work is on display throughout the United States goes to great lengths to make her works as authentic as possible and that certainly was the case with the Mercer statue (and the runner at Lake Mayer).

Chisholm modeled the Mercer likeness after a photograph of the lyricist taken in the 1930s at Columbus Circle in New York City, according to her website. (A copy of the photo was loaned to her by the Friends of Johnny Mercer.) “He was looking down, but we decided to have him looking up so he could greet visitors with a smile as they approached him. He always had a smile and a welcoming personality, so we wanted the sculpture to convey this image of him.”

The Bridge: Talking Johnny Mercer with Miriam Center

Chisholm rented vintage clothing from Paramount Pictures in California that matched the suit, overcoat, shoes, and hat that Mercer was wearing in the photograph to use with her model. “I also located the company that makes the New York City fire hydrants and had them send me one to use,” she said.

The bronze plate on the ground beside the statue says Mercer penned nearly 1,400 sons, with the most famous being “Moon River.”

He was the co-founder of Capitol Records, Inc. and founding President of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He also was nominated for 18 Academy Awards for Best Song, winning four. The Johnny Mercer statue was unveiled Nov. 18, 2009, on what would have been Mercer’s 100th birthday.

Chisholm is hoping the city will do the right thing and send the statue to a foundry posthaste.

“It has been a fun thing for Savannah,” she said. “People like to pose for pictures. It saddens me that it’s not (in Ellis Square)."

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Johnny Mercer statue in Ellis Square needs repairs in Savannah GA