Mon, Jan 18 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1565 Our Monday novel serialization is Stephen Leacock's 1912 masterpiece, 'Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town.' Every single chapter of this book is wonderful! If you haven't heard the first Chapter yet, go back to Episode #1558 ( click here ) and listen to that first. Today we offer Chapter Two, 'The Speculations of Jefferson Thorpe' which delves into the investment bubbles of 1912 and shows us that today's financial situation is nothing new. And it's fu...
Jan 18, 2010•35 min
Sun, Jan 17 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1564 SUNDAY SALAD has a short, funny piece about two scared newlyweds arriving in the big city of Brooklyn. Stanley Huntley's 'Sure Protection' originally appeared in 1884, not long after the infamous 'Maybee Murders.' Time: approx three and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Stanley Huntley and Spoopendyke Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/Spoopendyke_Stori...
Jan 17, 2010•4 min
Sat, Jan 16 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1563 Our Saturday Night Special story by W. L. Alden concerns a Russian mad scientist with plans to blow up the Earth, but has a soft spot in his heart for cats. From 1907, we bring you 'The Tender Mercy of Letsoff.' Time: approx eighteen minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The W. L. Alden Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/alden.html John Kelly of The Washington Post ha...
Jan 17, 2010•18 min
Fri, Jan 15 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1562 Last week we read some of William J. Lampton's 'Yawps.' This week, we have been offering some of his fun short stories. Lampton was a popular magazine and newspaper writer until his death in 1917. He also was Mark Twain's first cousin, and the two were friendly and carried on correspondence for years. Today's story is excerpted from Lampton's 1912 book, 'Tame Animals I Have Known.' It's called 'Ezra, A Shark.' Hard-core Ernie Kovacs fans may enjoy thi...
Jan 16, 2010•13 min
Thur, Jan 14 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1561 Last week we read some of William J. Lampton's 'Yawps.' This week, we will be offering some of his fun short stories. Lampton was a popular magazine and newspaper writer until his death in 1917. He also was Mark Twain's first cousin, and the two were friendly and carried on correspondence for years. Today we are featuring a fairly early story from Lampton, published back in 1885. The tale concerns how boys and girls used to spark with each other in t...
Jan 15, 2010•4 min
Drawing by George Herriman, 1907 Wed, Jan 13 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1560 Last week we read some of William J. Lampton's 'Yawps.' This week, we will be offering some of his fun short stories. Lampton was a popular magazine and newspaper writer until his death in 1917. He also was Mark Twain's first cousin, and the two were friendly and carried on correspondence for years. Today an ancient prospector tells a Tall Tale involving A Grizzly Bear. From 1904, 'Baiting a Bear.' Time: approx eight a...
Jan 14, 2010•8 min
Tue, Jan 12 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1559 Last week we read some of William J. Lampton's 'Yawps.' This week, we will be offering some of his fun short stories. Lampton was a popular magazine and newspaper writer until his death in 1917. He also was Mark Twain's first cousin, and the two were friendly and carried on correspondence for years. Today we hear about a shabby poet making an offering to an inexperienced newspaper woman in the 1903 tale, 'The Rainy Day.' Time: approx twenty-four minut...
Jan 13, 2010•24 min
Mon, Jan 11 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1558 Today we begin a NEW Monday novel serialization! We have been meaning to read this novel almost since the beginning of the Basement Podcast -- Stephen Leacock's 1912 masterpiece, 'Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town -- starting with The Preface, and Chapter One, 'The Hostelry of Mr. Smith.' Listen to this chapter and you will get hooked. It is truly terrific! As always, your comments are welcome! Mail to: revry@panix.com Time: approx fifty-nine minutes...
Jan 12, 2010•59 min
Sun, Jan 10 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1557 SUNDAY SALAD features a very early Stanley Huntley piece, done for the Brooklyn Eagle back in 1879, concerning a person we may all be familiar with -- 'A Member of the Hog Family.' Time: approx three minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Stanley Huntley and Spoopendyke Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/Spoopendyke_Stories.html John Kelly of The Washington Post ha...
Jan 11, 2010•3 min
Sat, Jan 9 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1556 Our short but fun Saturday Night Special story is from Bill Nye's 1881 book 'Bill Nye and Boomerang.' It's called 'The Relentless Garden Hose.' Time: approx three and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Bill Nye Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/billnye.html John Kelly of The Washington Post has written a lively piece about the Basement. You can read it h...
Jan 10, 2010•4 min
Fri, Jan 8 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1555 This week we have been presenting poetic 'Yawps' by William J. Lampton from his 1900 book of the same name. Yawpery, simply put, is complaining poetically -- but sometimes (as in today's piece) - just the opposite! Today's Yawp is simply called 'Pie' and should put you in the mood for a slice. Time: approx five minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html John Kelly of The Washington P...
Jan 09, 2010•5 min
Thur, Jan 7 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1554 This week we are cranking out poetic 'Yawps' by William J. Lampton from his 1900 book of the same name. Yawpery, simply put, is complaining poetically -- but it's a bit more than that. Today we feature one of Mister Ron's favorite Yawps -- 'The Prince of Wales Has A Cold.' Don't miss this one! Time: approx three and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html John Kelly of The...
Jan 08, 2010•3 min
Wed, Jan 6 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1553 This week we are hearing poetic 'Yawps' by William J. Lampton from his 1900 book of the same name. Yawpery, simply put, is complaining poetically -- but it's a bit more than that. Today we hear a prophetic piece concerning that new invention -- 'The Automobile.' Time: approx four and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html John Kelly of The Washington Post has written a liv...
Jan 07, 2010•4 min
Tue, Jan 5 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1552 This week we will be hearing poetic 'Yawps' by William J. Lampton from his 1900 book of the same name. Yawpery, simply put, is complaining poetically -- but it's a bit more than that. We begin our Yawps with 'The Humidity' -- something well worth Yawping about! Time: approx four minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html John Kelly of The Washington Post has written a lively piece ab...
Jan 06, 2010•4 min
Mon, Jan 4 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1551 We conclude Ella Cheever Thayer's 1880 novel of cyber-romance, 'Wired Love,' with Chapter 16, 'O.K.' Of course, there's a happy ending, and a last bit of cyber-mischief to wrap everything up. Next week, we will begin a new serialized book! Time: approx twenty-six and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Wired Love index is at: http://ronevry.com/http://ronevry.com/wi...
Jan 05, 2010•26 min
Sun, Jan 3 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1550 SUNDAY SALAD examines the Gum fad of the 19th century with an 1880 Stanley Huntley poem about a Vassar student who was fanatical about the stuff, called 'She Would Have Chewing Gum.' Time: approx six minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Stanley Huntley and Spoopendyke Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/Spoopendyke_Stories.html John Kelly of The Washington Post has...
Jan 04, 2010•6 min
Sat, Jan 2 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1549 Our Saturday Night Special story, published in 1874 by Max Adeler, concerns a female doctor teaching anatomy to her students with an uncomprehending subject. It's called 'A Medical Woman.' A. B. Frost Time: approx sixteen minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Max Adeler Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/maxadeler.html John Kelly of The Washington Post has written ...
Jan 03, 2010•16 min
Fri, Jan 1 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1548 We are beginning 2010 and have been celebrating the New Year this week with some fun stories. Today we offer a tale by Thomas L. Masson from exactly 100 years ago -- from January, 1910, we feature 'The New Year.' Time: approx five and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Thomas L. Masson Index of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/masson.html John Kelly of The Washing...
Jan 01, 2010•6 min
Thur, Dec 31 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1547 We are ending 2009 and celebrating the New Year this week with some fun pieces. Today we wrap up the year with an 1882 poem by Eugene Field dealing with a roach and a paste pot, called 'A New Year Idyl.' Time: approx three minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html John Kelly of The Washington Post has written a lively piece about the Basement. You can read it here. Help Keep Miste...
Jan 01, 2010•3 min
Wed, Dec 30 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1546 We are continuing to celebrate the New Year this week with some fun stories. Today we offer a Bill Nye story from 1877, which takes a peek at a young lady's diary, starting with January 1st. It's called 'Diary of a Saucy Young Thing.' Time: approx four minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Bill Nye Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/billnye.html John Kelly of The ...
Dec 31, 2009•4 min
Tue, Dec 29 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1545 We are celebrating the New Year this week with some fun stories. Today's 1904 tale is from George Ade. It's called 'The Fable of Successful Tobias and Some of His Happy New Years.' Time: approx seven and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The George Ade Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/AdeCatalog.html John Kelly of The Washington Post has written a lively ...
Dec 30, 2009•8 min
Mon, Dec 28 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1544 Just about everybody in the cast of this novel gets together for a picnic in Chapter 15 of Ella Cheever Thayer's 1880 novel, 'Wired Love,' in 'One Summer Day.' This is the next-to-last chapter of the book, and some fascinating events occur. Time: approx thirty-three minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Wired Love index is at: http://ronevry.com/http://ronevry.com/wiredlove...
Dec 29, 2009•33 min
Sun, Dec 27 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1543 With all the 'respectable' citizens going to jail these days for financial shenanigans, it is comforting to know that this is nothing new, as we hear in Stanley Huntley's SUNDAY SALAD story from 1883, 'Rather A Tough Experience' Time: approx seven and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Stanley Huntley and Spoopendyke Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/Sp...
Dec 28, 2009•8 min
Sat, Dec 26 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1542 Our Saturday Night Special story is by Seba Smith, whom we have not featured in the Basement in years. From his 1856 collection 'Way Down East' we offer a tale of a young Yankee in business for himself in the big city, who regretfully breaks his own policy of making his customers Pay in Advance. The story has some fun twists and turns right up to the end. It is called 'Peter Punctual.' Time: approx twenty-five minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Ca...
Dec 27, 2009•25 min
Fri, Dec 25 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1541 This week we are reading pieces that have something or other to do with Christmas. Today we offer what could only be described as unique. On December 25, 1881, The Brooklyn Eagle featured, in what they called a Christmas Supplement, on page one, a lengthy story by Stanley Huntley entitled 'Peggy's Christmas.' Huntley described the story as being written by 'Charles Dickens, Edgar A. Poe, Sir Walter Scott, Bart., Victor Hugo, Bret Harte, and Jules Vern...
Dec 25, 2009•1 hr 4 min
Thur, Dec 24 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1540 This week we are reading pieces that have something or other to do with Christmas. Tonight we have a special story for Christmas Eve, from the sharply satirical pen of James L. Ford and his 'Literary Shop.' This episode is especially dedicated to the members of the press, who may find it strikes a familiar chord. From 1894, we bring you 'The Society Reporter's Christmas.' Time: approx fourteen and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog...
Dec 25, 2009•14 min
Wed, Dec 23 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1539 We are continuing with pieces that are (sort of) about Christmas this week. Today's poem has been reprinted ad infinitum over the last century, and been read online a considerable number of times (Librivox has at least one nice version). Up until now, virtually all of the reprints and readings have been credited to a writer named 'John Challing' whom we have discovered was a nom de plume for world-famous poet James Whitcomb Riley. Here then, from 1905...
Dec 23, 2009•5 min
Tue, Dec 22 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1538 We're beginning a week of Christmas stories with a piece that barely mentions the holiday at all, but is worth hearing nevertheless. From George Ade's 1912 collection, 'Knocking the Neighbors' we bring you a tale of 'The Dancing Man.' Time: approx four and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The George Ade Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/AdeCatalog.html Jo...
Dec 23, 2009•5 min
Mon, Dec 21 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1537 Quimby faces up to his 'proposal in the dark' in Chapter 14 of Ella Cheever Thayer's 1880 novel, 'Wired Love,' in 'Quimby Accepts the Situation.' Time: approx eleven and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Wired Love index is at: http://ronevry.com/http://ronevry.com/wiredlove.html John Kelly of The Washington Post has written a lively piece about the Basement. You...
Dec 22, 2009•12 min
Sun, Dec 20 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1536 SUNDAY SALAD offers a Stanley Huntley story for a snowy day from 1883, concerning a tramp staying warm and making himself comfortable in an editor's office, and chatting about the weather, and a plethora of other subjects in 'He Could Talk.' Time: approx seven minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Stanley Huntley and Spoopendyke Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/...
Dec 21, 2009•7 min
