Mon, Jan 31, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1865 Our current Monday Novel Serialization is W. L. Alden’s 1888 book, ‘A New Robinson Crusoe.’ This is the story of a sailor who gets shipwrecked with Robinson Crusoe’s pain-in-the-neck Grandson, who wants to do everything the way his Grandfather did. Chapter Six features old and young goats, wild and tame goats, and truly horrible goat-skin clothing! Time: approx fourteen minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mi...
Jan 31, 2011•14 min
Sat Jan 29, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1864 Our Saturday Night Special story is a 1908 speech from hotel keeper and orator Simeon Ford. It is called ‘Amenities of Street-Car Travelling.’ Time: approx nine minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html *There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 iProng Magazine (now known as Beatweek Magazine) which can be downloaded at a new URL as a free pdf file here. *John Kelly of Th...
Jan 29, 2011•9 min
Fri Jan 28, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1863 This week we are featuring odd, usually unsigned stories from Puck Magazine. From 1880, we are treated to the tale of a shy man needing to use a Public Bath in 'The Trials of a Modest Man Not Accustomed to the Ways of Germany.' Time: approx six and a half minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html *There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 iProng Magazine (now known as Bea...
Jan 28, 2011•7 min
Thur Jan 27, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1862 This week we are featuring odd, usually unsigned stories from Puck Magazine. From February, 1880, Puck magazine takes a look at the future century, printing headlines from 1880 to 1980 concerning Thomas Edison’s plans to introduce electric lights to New York City, in ‘Edison! Fate and the Light’. Time: approx seven and a half minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html *There is a nifty...
Jan 27, 2011•8 min
Wed Jan 26, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1861 This week we will be featuring odd, usually unsigned stories from Puck Magazine. From 1880, we examine a curious tournament unlike any other - - ‘The Chess Congress.’ Time: approx five minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html *There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 iProng Magazine (now known as Beatweek Magazine) which can be downloaded at a new URL as a free pdf file...
Jan 26, 2011•5 min
Tue Jan 25, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1860 This week we will be featuring odd, usually unsigned stories from Puck Magazine. Today’s 1880 piece is headlined ‘ELECTRIC LIGHT! EDISON DISCOUNTED!’ Time: approx ten minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html *There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 iProng Magazine (now known as Beatweek Magazine) which can be downloaded at a new URL as a free pdf file here. *John Kelly...
Jan 25, 2011•10 min
Mon, Jan 24, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1859 Our current Monday Novel Serialization is W. L. Alden’s 1888 book, ‘A New Robinson Crusoe.’ This is the story of a sailor who gets shipwrecked with Robinson Crusoe’s pain-in-the-neck Grandson, who wants to do everything the way his Grandfather did. In Chapter Five, our castaways search for a magnificent cave, and a valley full of grapes, but all they find is Cocoanuts! Time: approx fourteen and a half minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be...
Jan 24, 2011•14 min
Sat Jan 22, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1858 Our Saturday Night Special story is a rare piece from George Ade from 1911, about an ambitious country boy who finds he hasn’t the stomach for the food of success in The City. The story is called ‘The Honorable Ransom Peabody - - The Fable of the Hoosier Bill of Fare and How the Women Folks Cooked Up Things for the Well-Known Citizen.’ Time: approx twelve minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_C...
Jan 22, 2011•12 min
Fri Jan 21, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1857 We are wrapping up a week of some extremely short and hilarious pieces by Max Adeler from the Saturday Evening Post of 1873. Today we meet ‘Mean Mr. Burrows.’ And, yes, he’s the meanest man you’ll ever meet. Time: approx four minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of Max Adeler stories is located at: http://ronevry.com/maxadeler.html *There is a nifty interview with Mister...
Jan 21, 2011•4 min
Thur Jan 20, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1856 Time for some extremely short and hilarious pieces by Max Adeler from the Saturday Evening Post of 1873. Adeler’s stories rarely offered anything in social criticism or insights into human nature. But they were almost always very funny. Today’s tale is no exception. We call it ‘The Sleepwalker.’ Time: approx five minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of Max Adeler storie...
Jan 20, 2011•5 min
Wed Jan 19, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1855 Time for some extremely short and extremely funny pieces by Max Adeler from the Saturday Evening Post of 1873. Today’s tale concerns a newfangled invention of an improved stomach pump which included a ‘revrersible combination valve.’ Pandemonium, of course, ensues. We call this story ‘Dr. Bender.’ Time: approx five and a half minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of Max A...
Jan 19, 2011•6 min
Tue Jan 18, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1854 Time for some extremely short and extremely funny pieces by Max Adeler from the Saturday Evening Post of 1873. Today we listen in on a marriage proposal with one little problem - - We call it ‘What’s in a Name?’ Time: approx five minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of Max Adeler stories is located at: http://ronevry.com/maxadeler.html *There is a nifty interview with Mi...
Jan 18, 2011•5 min
Mon, Jan 17, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1853 Our current Monday Novel Serialization is W. L. Alden’s 1888 book, ‘A New Robinson Crusoe.’ This is the story of a sailor who gets shipwrecked with Robinson Crusoe’s pain-in-the-neck Grandson, who wants to do everything the way his Grandfather did. In Chapter Four, the Cast-Aways’ house gets flooded beyond belief - they build a new house - and Crusoe considers whether he ought to kill his friend, so he can be alone like his Grandfather. Time: approx...
Jan 17, 2011•15 min
Sat Jan 15, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1852 Our Saturday Night Special story is from one of our old favorites, C. B. Lewis, better known as M. Quad, from his 1875 collection, ‘Quad’s Odds.’ The story concerns a man pushed to the limit by a salesman. It is called ‘Confession of a Murderer.’ Time: approx five and a half minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of M. Quad stories is located at: http://ronevry.com/quad.ht...
Jan 15, 2011•5 min
Fri Jan 14, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1851 We have been reading Pre-Brownie stories from Palmer Cox this week! One of the funniest stories Palmer Cox ever wrote appeared in an 1889 collection - - it is called ‘Dudley and the Greased Pig.’ Time: approx twenty and a half minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of Palmer Cox stories is located at: http://ronevry.com/palmercox.html *There is a nifty interview with Miste...
Jan 14, 2011•20 min
Thur Jan 13, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1850 We are reading some more Pre-Brownie stories from Palmer Cox this week! It has been said that if you find a horse-shoe in your path and hang it above your door, it will bring you luck. From 1889, we hear a tale of a man who discovers (the hard way) what kind of luck the horse-shoe brings, in ‘Finding A Horse-Shoe.’ Time: approx ten and a half minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html ...
Jan 13, 2011•11 min
Wed Jan 12, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1849 We are reading some more Pre-Brownie stories from Palmer Cox this week! Our 1889 story today concerns an innkeeper who sets himself the task of dealing with bums who refuse to pay for their meals. It is called ‘A Terrible Take In.’ Time: approx six minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of Palmer Cox stories is located at: http://ronevry.com/palmercox.html *There is a nift...
Jan 12, 2011•6 min
Tue Jan 11, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1848 We are reading some more Pre-Brownie stories from Palmer Cox this week! Today we hear the story of a man leaving town in a hurry, from 1889. It’s called ‘Jim Dudley’s Flight.’ Time: approx twelve minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of Palmer Cox stories is located at: http://ronevry.com/palmercox.html *There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 iProng Magaz...
Jan 11, 2011•12 min
Mon, Jan 10, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1847 Our current Monday Novel Serialization is W. L. Alden’s 1888 book, ‘A New Robinson Crusoe.’ This is the story of a sailor who gets shipwrecked with Robinson Crusoe’s pain-in-the-neck Grandson, who wants to do everything the way his Grandfather did. Michael the sailor helps Mr. Crusoe build a home on the island, attempting to do it exactly the same silly way Crusoe’s Grandfather did, in Chapter Three. Time: approx fifteen minutes The Mister Ron’s Bas...
Jan 10, 2011•15 min
Sat Jan 8, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1846 Our Saturday Night Special story for this week is a truly delightful tale from the pen of Charles Battell Loomis (I know I use the word ‘delightful’ an awful lot in describing Loomis - can’t be helped) from 1901. A wealthy man wants to own one of those new-fangled automobiles, but his beloved wife is adamandly set against it, until he comes up with a clever scheme in ‘The Deception of Martha Tucker.’ You will love this story! Time: approx twenty and a...
Jan 08, 2011•21 min
Fri Jan 7, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1845 It appears we can really use some good laughs for the New Year, so we have been reading some more funny stories from George W. Peck’s 1884 collection, ‘Peck’s Boss Book.’ Thirsty? Peck gets down on weak beverages in ‘A Pop Factory Wanted.’ Time: approx five minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of George W. Peck stories is located at: http://ronevry.com/georgewpeck.html *T...
Jan 07, 2011•5 min
Thur Jan 6, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1844 It appears we can really use some good laughs for the New Year, so we will be reading some more funny stories from George W. Peck’s 1884 collection, ‘Peck’s Boss Book.’ Today’s very short tale concerns the powerful acting abilities of Edwin Booth - - it is entitled ‘Hamlet in a Seymour Coat.’ Time: approx six minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of George W. Peck stories...
Jan 06, 2011•6 min
Wed Jan 5, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1843 It appears we can really use some good laughs for the New Year, so we will be reading some more funny stories from George W. Peck’s 1884 collection, ‘Peck’s Boss Book.’ To really appreciate today’s tale, you have to realize that mentioning a woman’s legs back in the 1880s was not much different from discussing her ‘private parts,’ to put it delicately. Keep that in mind as we hear a story that you can interpret any way you’d like - - ‘To Remove Paint....
Jan 05, 2011•9 min
Tue Jan 4, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1842 It appears we can really use some good laughs for the New Year, so we will be reading some more funny stories from George W. Peck’s 1884 collection, ‘Peck’s Boss Book.’ Today, we get some advice about what to do about something that eventually strikes every fellow - - ‘A Crick in the Back.’ Time: approx seven and a half minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of George W. Pe...
Jan 04, 2011•7 min
Mon, Jan 3, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1841 Our current Monday Novel Serialization is W. L. Alden’s 1888 book, ‘A New Robinson Crusoe.’ This is the story of a sailor who gets shipwrecked with Robinson Crusoe’s pain-in-the-neck Grandson, who wants to do everything the way his Grandfather did. Mr. Crusoe gets an early start on being a pain-in-the-neck in Chapter Two, as they pick items to bring from the ship to the island, according to Crusoe’s Grandfather’s particular specifications. Time: appr...
Jan 03, 2011•13 min
Sat Jan 1, 2011 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1840 Back at Christmas, 2006, we presented Robert J. Burdette’s famous speech ‘The Rise and Fall of the Mustache’ which had been published in an 1877 book. You can hear that version in Episode Number 586 . At the time it was the longest story we had ever presented here in The Basement. Burdette presented that speech over Five Thousand times to audiences over the course of thirty-five years, and it grew and changed over time. Tonight, in celebration of the ...
Jan 01, 2011•1 hr 45 min
Fri Dec 31, 2010 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1839 We have found some pretty funny stuff by Wisconsin humorist, publisher, and politician, George W. Peck, from his 1884 collection ‘Peck’s Boss Book.’ This story was probably controversial in 1884 for completely different reasons than it might be considered so today. It is called ‘The Female Husband.’ Time: approx six and a half minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of Geor...
Dec 31, 2010•7 min
Thur Dec 30, 2010 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1838 We have found some pretty funny stuff by Wisconsin Mayor and Governor George W. Peck from his 1884 collection ‘Peck’s Boss Book.’ Today we feature a ‘boss’ reminiscnce of a very tough Educational Institution, indeed, and a meek, skinny, polite teacher, in ‘Breaking Up A School.’ Time: approx nine and a half minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of George W. Peck stories ...
Dec 30, 2010•9 min
Wed Dec 29, 2010 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1837 We have found some pretty funny stuff by Wisconsin Newspaper Man George W. Peck from his 1884 collection ‘Peck’s Boss Book.’ Today’s ‘boss’ story concerns a genuine discovery from South America and its possible ramifications, ‘The Cow Tree.’ Time: approx six and a half minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of George W. Peck stories is located at: http://ronevry.com/george...
Dec 29, 2010•6 min
Tue Dec 28, 2010 Mister Ron’s Basement # 1836 We have found some pretty funny stuff by Wisconsin Bad Boy George W. Peck from his 1884 collection ‘Peck’s Boss Book.’ Our first ‘boss’ tale from the book concerns the impropriety of young lovers from the Bible, ‘Jacob and Rachel.’ Time: approx eight minutes The Mister Ron’s Basement Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Index of George W. Peck stories is located at: http://ronevry.com/georgewpeck.html *There i...
Dec 28, 2010•8 min
