Sit in quietly once you've made the house all shiny. Downtime can be just fine playing bangers from the 90s. Tea break. Lunch break. Maybe listen to the earth break. Sometimes it's not time for some tombola, right? It's enjoying lasagna time, chilling with a book time, or time to visit your nan time. Go on, play some other time. Put your phone down. Tombola. Open for fun. Terms apply. 18 plus. GambleAware.org. It's the Sunday Showcase on the Mutual Audio Network.
The following audio drama is rated PG for parental guidance recommended. No, no, no. You don't understand how radio works. All I have to do to return is fade my voice out like this and cue the organist. And you see, here we are. Wait a minute. The Old Time Radio Essentials Podcast Thanksgiving Special. Will you pass the potatoes, please, Pat? Pete's closer. Why are you asking me? Pete passes by the handful. Hey!
Oh, well... See what I mean? You're lucky he didn't do you like he did me. What a waste of perfectly good gravy. Stop complaining, you two, or I'll start talking politics again. No! Don't you dare. Don't you dare. No. Anything but that. All righty, then. Ahem. Greetings all who gather here and welcome back to season four of Old Time Radio Essentials. If this is your first time joining us, and even if it ain't, I must inform you that this is episode 45, also known as our fifth episode of 2024.
a.k.a. Episode 8 of Season 4. My name is Pete. Hi, and I'm Paul. And this is Pat, I think. We are fans of old-time radio, and if you're tuning in, you probably are too. We gather together occasionally. like today, to present an episode from a particular old-time radio series. Is it indeed essential? That's what we hope to discover.
Last time we presented my pick, which was an episode of Hall of Fantasy from 1953 called The Black Figurine of Death, in case you missed it. Today is Pat's choice. And what's on the menu for today, Pat? Well, not to belabor the... We're celebrating an old-time radio Thanksgiving with an episode of Fountain of Fun, which first aired on station WLW out of Cincinnati, Ohio in 1942. Yes, Cincinnati!
Cincinnati. As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly. That's Cincinnati. Cincinnati. Now, not WKRP, but WLW. Now, unfortunately for me, I was... unable to find out very much about the show other than that it aired during World War II, that it was sponsored by M&M Mars, specifically their Milky Way candy bar commercial, and that it was aimed at kids and teenagers.
I'm hoping you might have learned more, Pat, and will share it with us. I did discover that WLW is still on the air and is still operating at 700 kilocycles on the AM dial and broadcasting at 50,000 watts on a 24... Yeah, it was, the station actually was a real powerhouse. It was... uh among the first of the so-called clear channel stations like it just had massive wattage at the time uh i've got uh if i could read in the dark here don't ask why i'm sitting here in the dark
Got to pay that electric bill. Why are you sitting there in the dark, Pat? Why are you sitting there in the dark, Pat? Oh, she said don't ask. Sorry. On the grounds I might incriminate myself. I'm going blind. WLW was founded by Powell Crosley Jr. Yeah, the guy who was responsible for Crosley radios and all that. Ah, the Crosley service, yeah. Yeah, so it was founded by Crosley in 1922.
In 1928, WLW was the fourth USA station to be on a 50,000 watt transmitter. 1934, it went up to 500,000 watts, and it was the first station in the world to be that powerful. This caused major interference all over the place, notably, according to Wikipedia, that great bastion of truth, but notably CFRB here in Toronto, Canada. complained big time about it, but there were other stations where the power of that transmitter was just completely swamping their broadcasts.
So in 1939, the FCC ordered WLW to knock it back to a mere 50,000 watts. wow that's a knockback that is a real knockback and um also they were limited to only using that kind of power just during the wee hours of the morning like really really overnight when it wouldn't interfere with too much and the smart stations were probably off the air Now, I have that in 1985, the station was so powerful that its broadcasts were picked up in Hawaii and in Greenland.
so that is a pretty powerful transmitter now of course the wlw that was format wise is completely different from the one now i think the one now is just all talk radio you know, as a great many stations have become. It's owned by iHeart Radio now. Yeah. Not sure if it still does, but I know at one time iHeart had bought CFRB, so, you know.
Yeah, that's what I've got about that station. As for the cast of this show, I did find out quite a bit about Bob Jellison and even about some other people in the cast. I don't know if we want to deal with that after or should we do the... Yeah, let's talk about it after. Do you have any basic information about the show itself? Not really. I mean, it was clearly aimed at...
teens and kids i mean the setting of a soda fountain is pretty much a dead giveaway of that and the fact that your sponsor is a candy bar yeah this kind of show for adults uh it would be sponsored usually by tobacco company or you know something more adult spark plugs washing machines yeah um so It's clearly a show for kids. The humor is not sophisticated. It's the kind of stuff that appeals to kids. When I was a teenager, if I'd heard that stuff, I'd be rolling on the floor.
It's unsophisticated, but kind of cute. And it kind of grows on you. And I did, in the interest of science, I did listen to all 11 episodes that are out there. You know, obviously it went on for a couple of years, so there's a whole bunch that is either hiding in some obscure archive or is being hoarded by a hardcore collector. Yeah. Who knows why. But...
Yeah, there's 11 episodes there, and it does kind of grow on you. Like a fungus. Okay. Yes, like a fungus. Like a mushroom. Yes. So now, without further delay, we present Fountain of Fun. This episode is referred to as Turkey Rationed from WLW, first aired on November 22nd, 1942. And now, friends. Adjust your radio dials to the proper frequency. Get comfortable and listen.
Mars Incorporated, makers of Milky Way candy bars, invite you to the Fountain of Fun with Frasier Thomas, Old Doc Fiddle Paddle, and Toby Tuttle. Hey, Toby, I hear you won something on a pinball machine downtown, but you were very disappointed. Oh, that's right, Tommy.
Well, how come you just farted? Well, Doc, if I'd have got $40,000 on that pinball machine, I'd have got a whole turkey. Yeah? $30,000 on the drumstick. Yeah? $15,000 on the wings. Well, what'd you get? $4,000, and I don't like that part. With a song by Norman Ravel. Don't know why There's no sun up in the skies Stormy weather A song by Mary Jean and Betty. Shoo, shoo, shoo, baby. Shoo, shoo, shoo, baby. And music by Bill Davis and the orchestra who opened the program with Thanksgiving.
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Oh, I don't know, Tommy. I was invited to my Aunt Bertha's, but I don't think I'll go, even if she is having turkey. Turkey? Gosh, I didn't think anyone here at home would be having turkey this year. They need so many for the boys in the service. How come Aunt Bertha's turkey didn't go to the Army? He's a pre-Pearl Harbor father. And if you're a turkey in one of those, you're old.
No kidding. Is this turkey man's birth is really so old? Is he old? Why, when that gobbler was an egg, he was rolled on the White House lawn by Mrs. McKinley. So I think I'll have my Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant. Maybe invite that pretty Miss Muffet girl along. She likes turkey. So do I. Turkey's my favorite side dish. You know, last Thanksgiving I had such a big turkey dinner, I looked like a turkey.
Yeah, you can still see the stuffing. Well, maybe so, but you know very well that here lately I've been eating like a bird. Yeah, and that's an awful messy way of eating stew. Gosh, I hope I can date Miss Muffet. It'd be wonderful being with her, eating turkey. You like the neck? Sure, but not while I'm eating. Oh. Oh, you mean the turkey's neck. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I like that. I like the wings, too. You like the back?
Well, how far back? I don't mind getting part of the fuselage just so long as I don't get the tail skid. Hi, kid. Hello, Tommy. How's everything, Toby? Hello, boss. How are you, Doc? Oh, tickety-boo, Bucky. Tickety-boo. Mighty busy, though. Got to get over at the Fallen Star Hotel after a bit and help wedge a new border in room 14. It's really crowded at the hotel, huh? I'll say it's crowded. Doc's been living in one of the dumb waiters. In one of the dumb waiters?
Gosh, that's terrible. Oh, it ain't so bad, Tommy. Wouldn't mind it a bit if them two roommates of mine was clean about the place. Hey, just thought of something else I gotta do. Got to get down to the railroad depot and watch the train full of gal sailors pull in. Oh, you're going to wave after the engineer? No, engineer after a wave.
I gotta get over to the Winterblakes for tea. You like to go to tea, don't you, Buster? Me? Oh, sure. There's nothing I like better than tea. Afternoon? Strip. Oh. But speaking about the widow Blake, Doc, is that where you're going to have your Thanksgiving dinner this year? Yeah. You know, I'm going to win a turkey in that raffle my lodges are running. You kids don't want to buy no chances, do you? They're only ten cents apiece.
Three for 35. Three for 35? Yeah. You see, the lodge is trying to discourage gambling. Look, Doc, how do you know you're going to win the turkey? Your raffle's fixed. You see, they're trying to discourage crooked gambling, too. Have you seen this turkey you're going to win, Doc? Sure. Got him outside the store right now. Hey, just wait a minute.
Hey, there's a healthy-looking bird. Yeah. You wouldn't think he had one foot in the gravy, would you? Well, I guess I'd better call Widder Blake and tell her what we're going to have for Thanksgiving dinner. Hello, operator. Give me central, one, zero, nothing, naught. Hey, hey, Hildegard, get away from them shells there. First thing you know, you'll knock all them heavy jars and things down and flatten yourself out. Oh, hello, smoochums.
This is poo chickens. Hey, do you like turkey roasted? You do, huh? Do you like turkey baked? Oh, you do, huh? Hey, Hildegard, look out! Hey, Smoochums, do you like turkey hash? It's a tune of the times that Mary Jean and Betty have for us today, Shoo Shoo Baby. Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby Bye Bye Bye Your poppers off to the seven-piece door.
So that he can be sweet to you another day Bye, bye, bye, baby Don't cry, baby Shoo, shoo, shoo, baby Don't cry, please Your papa's going off to the sea Tears were in my eyes as my man said goodbye. Shoo, shoo, shoo, shoo, shoo, shoo, shoo, baby. Shoo, shoo, don't cry, baby. We'll be right back. Shoot baby.
I really don't know, but there's a butcher shop down the way that's selling roast turkey, and their price is rather high. Yeah. If you want 50 cents worth of white meat, the butcher just rubs a piece of Kleenex over the turkey, and you get what sticks to the fuzz.
Gosh, Toby, there you were talking to Mrs. Updike, and look who's coming toward the store. It's a niece of hers. That youngster up there? Is that Mrs. Updike's niece? Yeah. Nice-looking 14-year-old, isn't she? Yes, but I bet she's going high society already. You know, one of those... Yes, Auntie dear. I'll be glad to pass the caviar. Well, hello there, little lady. Mr. Thomas here tells me you're Mrs. Updike's niece. What can I get for you, dear?
Give me a package of Beeman's Pepsin chewing gum, please. You could use a little gargle, too, couldn't you? Never mind the irrelevant side commentary. Wait on me. Well, I'm sorry, young lady, but we're all out of gum. Then let me have some mail pouch. Yeah, mail pouch. Now, wait a minute. It's different. Your aunt. Just when is she been chewing tobacco? Just since her pipe broke. Look, little girl, what's your name? I'm not going to tell you. Why not? Next thing you want to know is my telephone.
Oh, don't be... Don't be silly. Now I know what happened to my neophile. Look, little girl, don't be silly about me wanting to know your name and telephone number. You're just a sweet innocent child. me, young lady, but are you just in town to visit your aunt? No. My aunt said she was bringing me here to send me to a private school. Well, that's nice. That's what I thought, but she double-crossed me. What do you mean? There's not a private school.
Charming little hoodlum, isn't she? How do you do? How do you do? How do you do? Hello there, Mr. Twitchem. How are you? How are you today, Twitch? Full of vim, vigor, and vitality? Just loaded. I know that, but what about your bimfigger and vitality? Say, what have you got in that box you're carrying there, Mr. Twitchem? Oh, yes, the box. Gentlemen?
I have here a rare collection of Thanksgiving Day greeting cards, which I am prepared to sell to you at a great financial loss to myself. Well, why take a great financial loss? Oh, I don't know. I just feel so mean today I want to cheat myself. Listen to this beautiful verse which I, Rudolph J. Twitchem, created. Because turkeys are scarce as elastic, they've had to take measures quite drastic.
So don't think it very fantastic if your turkey this year tastes like plastic. Lovely thought, isn't it? Believe me, gentlemen, that is verse. It's worse than anything I ever heard. Have you got any more cards, Mr. Twitchem? Oh, yes, indeedy. Here's a charming one. We'd like to have turkey at our house. But they're scarce, and you know I'm not bluffing. So this year, with no bird to stuff full of stuff, we're stuffing the stuffing with stuffing. Do you like that card?
Only if it has Betty Grable's picture on it. Here's one that I myself am sending to all my relatives and friends. Listen. In arithmetic, they taught us... that pi was equal to 3.1416, and I'm quite sure that is true. I hope you have pi for Thanksgiving. As for me, what I hope you will do... is give me some pi plus .8584 so that I may then have 3.2. Hey, here's one that's okay.
Yes, that's the one about the boys in the service. How does it go, Toby? It goes... Our boys can't help Mother roast turkey or help Grandma fry fillet of mousse. But they are a great help this Thanksgiving, for they're all helping cook Hitler's goose. Well, to the front in the scrapbook of modern melody favorites is this selection Norman Revelle sings for us, Stormy Weather. There's no sun up in the sky Stormy weather Since my gal and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time. Life is fair. Gloom and misery everywhere. Stormy weather. Just can't get my poor self together. I'm weary. If she stays away, old Rock and Ted will get me. Once more Can't go on Everything I had is gone Stormy weather Since my girl and I Together, keep raining on. Penelope, our dishwasher. I haven't seen her for hours. Oh, she's in the back room. Oh. Penelope! Penelope! Here I am. Hi. What have you been doing? Oh, I was just...
Just looking at the cartoons and the comical strips in the funny paper. Well, that's a good place to find them. Well, where have you been for all these hours? Well, it takes me a little while for to understand the funny papers. Are you looking forward to a nice Thanksgiving, Penelope? Yeah. We're all going out to Uncle Benji bugle boxes.
The whole family is going to have a gathering of the pans. You mean a gathering of the clan. When our family gets together, everyone's put on the pans. Me boyfriend's going to be dead, too. You know, do the friend frack. Oh, yeah. He's the one that's supposed to be a college boy, isn't he? What a nitwit. I'll bet I have more education than he has. I went to college three years. That's nothing.
Judy's gone to every grade in school for three years. What a character. Now, what does your family think of Judy, Penelope? Oh, Mom and Pop is very fond of Judy. They like for me to go around with a moron. They like for you to go around with a moron. Yeah. They think it is nice for me to associate with people who are smarter than I am.
Yeah, it's very stimulating. Anyway, duty is very good looking in my opinion. In your opinion? Well, that's what makes horse racing. If I'm not mistaken, your dream man's coming in now, Penelope. Joanie looks snappy. So collegiate. He looks like something out of Esquire. Yeah, throwin' out. Is this a fountain of fun for her, Missy?
Well, what did the sign on the door say? Vote for Wendell, Wilkie. Don't know whether to take that sign down or have it repainted. Oh, there you are, Penelope. Gosh, you're a fright for sore eyes. That's the first nice thing anybody said to me all day. How are things on the campus these days, Judy? Oh, hot seat, hot seat. I'm taking a course in physical culture. Building yourself up, huh? Yeah. Every morning I get up. And then what? Then what? That's pretty good for a starter, ain't it?
I don't like to criticize duty, but I've heard that you spend a lot of time in pool rooms. I've given that up. That's good. Well, you know, Tommy, bowling alleys and pool rooms aren't like they used to be. Nowadays, they have them all fixed up fancy. Well, that's true. These days, they look like beauty parlors. Yeah, that's just the trouble. The other day, I had some time to kill, and I went into one and asked for an hour of pool. What do you know? They gave me a bubble bath.
Norman Rebell joins with Mary Jean and Betty to recall an ever lovely memory of the mid-twenties. Sleepy time gal. Sleepy time gal. You're turning night into day. Sleepy time gal, you dance the evening away. Before each silvery star bleeds out of sight. Give me one little kiss, then let us whisper goodnight. It's getting late, dear, and your pillow's waiting. Sleepy time, gal, when all your dancing is through.
Sleepy time gal, I'll find a cottage for you. You'll learn to cook and to sew. What's more you'll love it, I know. When you're a stay-at-home, play-at-home, 8 o'clock, sleepy-time gal. Sleepy-time gal, you're turning night into day. Sleepy time gal, you dance a whole long evening away before a silvery star in the sky begins to fade from sight.
Please give me just one little kiss and then let us whisper goodnight. It's getting late and do your pillow's wings. Sleepy time, gal, when all your dancing is through. Sleepy time gal I'll find a college for you You'll learn to cook and to sew What more you'll learn to love that I know When you're Stay at home. Play at home. giving turkey yet? Well, I went to the butcher shop yesterday, Tommy, and was it crowded?
I finally got to the turkey counter. I bought one. I threw it over my shoulder and started down the street. On the corner, a policeman stopped me and asked me where I was going. I told him I was taking the turkey home for Thanksgiving. He said, you better take that back, bud. That's the butcher you got there.
Yes, sir, it's a tough year in some ways, all right. Guys, Tommy, I'd have liked to have been around in the time of our country's first Thanksgiving, in the pioneer days. I should have been one of those early settlers, like Miles Standish. What a leader of men I'd have been.
I can see myself now. Captain Miles Tuttle. There I'd be, talking with the governor on affairs of the state. Captain Tuttle, I've summoned you here for a very difficult task. Yes, Governor. Corporal Thomas and I are ready for anything. If you succeed, you're going to be against great odds. You'll be outnumbered. Your opponents will be skillful, strong, and brave. You know, so far they have ferociously conquered all who have opposed them. Please, Governor, don't make us play against Notre Dame.
Or the Iowa Seahawks, either. No, sir. I decided to proclaim next Thursday at Thanksgiving. Are you sure that's when you want to have Thanksgiving? Now, I'm the governor, and I'll have Thanksgiving any time I want it. Mm-hmm. You can tell this happened before the New Deal. I've chosen next Thursday because it's my wedding anniversary. I want you to go out and get a wild turkey so I can celebrate. Why kill a poor turkey? He didn't have anything to do with you getting married.
Why, such a thing for you to say. My boy, you never know what happiness is until you get married. Yeah, then it's too late. Of course, marriage does present problems. You know, lately my wife's been staying up till two or three o'clock in the morning. What does she do, go to nightclubs and parties? No, she wakes up for me. But never mind that now. I want you to go forth on a hunting expedition for wild turkeys for our Thanksgiving feast. Yes, Governor.
And as you know, you'll have to go through Indian territory, and if you should meet any Indians... Yes. Well, you remember that we gave them $24 and a barrel of whiskey for the island of Manhattan. Yes. Well, the... See if you can get back some of the whiskey, will you? Because, you see, my racing car is all used up until December. All right, Governor. Corporal Thomas and I are off for the wilderness. We'll be back with plenty of turkeys or my name isn't Bob Hope.
Well, your name ain't Bob Hope. Yeah, you better have some baked beans warmed up, just in case. Somebody paging us, Thomas? Here we are out in the vast wilderness, Thomas, far from civilization. Captain, how do you find your way around in these uncharted lands so far away from every familiar landmark? How do you do it?
I just wait till Mrs. Roosevelt comes along and follow her. Ah, these woods are filled with dangers. If something should happen and you're unable to defend yourself, lie down and play possum. Do what? Play possum. Don't you know what a possum is? When things get tough, it lies low and seems to be dead. Then unexpectedly it comes to life, more active than ever. Oh, sure, like a Republican. Yeah. Look.
Turkey feathers behind that tree. I'll sneak up and bop that turkey on the noggin. Be careful, Captain. There, I got you. Oh, for goodness sake. Oh, gosh, an Indian. I'm sorry, Mr. Indian. I thought you were a turkey. Why do you wear those feathers on your head? To keep my wig warm. Hey, how did you hear that joke way out here in the wilderness? Major Bo's unit. Gee, many Christmas were surrounded by Indians. Yeah, and they're on the warpath. Listen to those blood-curdling war hoops.
Say, Mr. Remy, and how's come you're not yelling with the rest? Oh, me no give a hoot. I'm afraid we're goners, Thomas. Who is the chief here? I am the chief. You're the chief? That's good. I've ridden on your train several times. I am Chief Runningwater. These are my sons. Hot, cold, and Luke. I suppose those two over there are clean and dirty. What are you going to do to us?
I must scalp his face. Gosh, our only chance is for the governor to send help. Silence. I can't hear smoke signals. Look. Look, Captain, they're sending smoke signals from over there. Yeah, I wonder what they say. What is it, Chief? What do they say? Oh, over and over. They say the same thing. L-S-M-F-T. L-S-M-F-T.
Maybe when they finish the commercial, they'll play Pistol Pack and Mama. Time has come. Tie him up. Oh, please, Chief. We're done for unless the governor sends help. Look, Thomas, airplane! The governor is sending help by planes. Look, there's dozens of them. But, Captain, it's impossible. There aren't any airplanes in 1621. Shucks are gone. You and your big education.
But look, Captain, here comes someone. It's a girl. An Indian Belle. I wonder what she wants. Father, Father, let pale faces go. Please, let pale faces go. No. Please, Father, I beg of you. Oh, darn it, all right. I never get to have no fun. Let him go. I cannot refuse my daughter anything. Because she is the belle of the tribe. Gosh, what a beautiful belle. Gee, that was a close call, Thomas. What do you know? Just when we were done for, saved by the belle.
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Just wait until you open that crisp wrapper and bite into the thick milk chocolate coating, the layer of golden smooth caramel, and the luscious center of creamy chocolate nougat, richly flavored with real malted milk. It's a truly delightful taste sensation. So when you crave good candy, eat a Milky Way.
Mars Incorporated, makers of Milky Way candy bars, invite you to visit the Fountain of Fun again next Sunday at the same time, 5 o'clock Central Wartime. Attend the broadcast in person, won't you? For tickets, write the ticket department, WLW Cincinnati, Zone 2, Ohio.
Next week, Norman Rebell, Mary Jean and Betty, Phil Davis and his orchestra, Old Doc Fiddle Paddle, Penelope Bugleboxer, and Frazier Thomas will all be here, along with Toby Tuttle. So you'll be here, too, won't you? Bye now. See you next Sunday. William speaking, this is the Nation State. We're back with Old Time Radio Essentials. This is Pete with Pat and Paul. And that was an episode of Fountain of Fun, originally broadcast on Cincinnati station WLW on November 22nd, 1942. And now Pat's...
Since this was your pick, please tell us why you chose this particular episode. As God is my witness, I thought it was a good idea at the time. I like the fact that... It's really obscure. Most people haven't touched it. I think we have a pretty good idea why. Yeah, it's a cute little piece of what you might consider a local station because Cincinnati was not one of the big three areas like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. But at the same time, WLW had such a powerful transmitter.
At one point, it did actually start referring to itself as the nation's station because it could be picked up everywhere. It is kind of cute. I, too, was not really able to find...
much information at all about the show, although I did find out about some of the people who were in the show. Yes, tell us, tell us. Okay, well, you had... the three girl singers the thrasher sisters now there's a heck of a name uh the thrasher sisters that was their their family name they really were three sisters um i hope i was gonna say i hope they didn't come up with that as a stage name no no that was for real but later on after they had done
After the show went off the air, after a couple of years, they got an agent and the agent said, no, Thrasher Sisters is not a good name. We'll call you the Morgan Sisters. And there are some records that they did release. like Boogie Wiggy, Close Harmony Singing. If you look on Discogs under Morgan Sisters, you will find a few records. Okay, good. Another person on the show, and I recognize the name in the credits.
Or, you know, just sort of the tease, because I guess you wouldn't really call them formal credits. Frasier Thomas. Now, I've been researching vintage kids shows. And Chicago's WGN. garfield goose and friends yes and uh family classics classics and bozo circus bozo circus yeah yeah so the name frazier thomas in chicago is yeah everybody knows that we got cable in my hometown in Pekin in 1976 or so. And we got WGN and I watched it every day.
mainly because of the old movies they'd show, but also because of family classics and because of Bozo and that sort of thing. That's where I got to fall in love with the movie Robin Hood. Oh yeah, every year they'd show that spring time yeah and spring was in the air because family classics was playing robin hood yeah yeah and he uh i mean young tom edison with mickey rooney he had such control over that show i mean you know they
WGN had this package of old movies and that, and they wanted him to host, and he said, okay, few conditions. One, I have final say if there's a movie I don't think is appropriate for this. You're not going to make me show it because I'm not going to show it. He also went on family vacations. There was one that he took to England and that turned into a family classics show about King Arthur.
So he was actually using the travel time. It gave him ideas and he did the shows. And he was such a huge, huge part of WGN. Yeah. So to hear him when he was still a lot younger. Yeah. Now, the main one on Fountain of Fun is Bob Jellison. And this guy, he did have quite a long list of credits. Do you remember these?
the episodes of I Love Lucy, where they went to Hollywood and there was like a chubby bellhop, Benny the bellhop. Vaguely. That was Bob Jellison. And the first role he played on I Love Lucy was as a milkman. And they had him playing Benny the bellhop. And then there was another episode, I think, set at a golf club, you know, a year or so later. And he also played a bellhop there, but this time they called him Henry.
But he started out, Bob Jellison started out when he was only about 12. Oh. And he was on kiddie shows that just traveled around the States. you know, stage shows, his parents, you know, I think his mom was a vocal coach or his dad was a vocal coach. So, you know, he was performing from a very young age. So he was on That Brewster Boy. He was the love rival on it. Knickerbocker Playhouse.
Cavalcade of America, and once he got to Hollywood, he was on some episodes of the Jack Benny Show, Seal Test Village Store, the Danny Kaye Show, the Fitch Bandwagon, and when it became the Harris Faye Show. He was on it under both titles. Okay. Oh, he was on Let George Do It, The Edgar Bergen Show, Great Gildersleeve. He's got 63 hits on Golden.
you know, Radio Gold Index. So we know there's probably heaps more that recordings are not circulating of. When he went into TV, he was on I Love Lucy, Adam's Family, Beverly Hillbillies. He was on heaps of stuff. And then in about 1970, he disappeared. He retired. He was having health issues. He just retired with his wife. And I did find something online that said he had cut ties with his family. I don't know what that was about.
And there was a woman who had the apartment below his. I think it was below or above his. And, you know, she and her family, they would... They'd hang out with Bob and his wife and talk pretty much every day. And then after Bob died, one of his nephews did a play called Whatever Happened to Bob Jellison. this lady saw it and she said yeah it was an entertaining play but it was absolutely nothing like the bob jellison that i really knew
So there was that. But yeah, you know, he'd retired because he was having health issues. You know, he was in his 60s then. And of course, in your 60s then was a lot older than in your 60s now. So, yeah, and then he, I think he died of a heart attack in, I think it was about 1980 or so. But, yeah, that's what I was able to find out about him.
He did an awful lot, and he was even featured. There was an article about him, I think it was a 1945 episode of Radio Life. It was an article just about him, so that's where I found out. at least about his past and working up to that point. And then in 1947, it featured him and Frank Nelson and Hans Conrad in an article about these three really reliable radio actors, supporting players. Oh, yeah. Well, I love Hans Conry. Yeah, I do, too.
and frank nelson yes yeah but um bob jellison was also quite the artist sculptor just you know once he retired he he did this this was his spare time work Yeah, just hobbies, enjoying himself. Outstanding. But what about the show itself? What do you think of this particular program?
She's been stalling. She didn't want to talk about that. It's typical of this kind of show of the time. It's kind of like junk programming. It's something for the kids. It doesn't have to be sophisticated. It's got to be fun. And since this was wartime...
it's almost like they had a list they have to check the boxes okay we got to have some digs at hitler we got to have some jokes about that we got to have some references to military life and make it seem interesting and desirable if you're going to get drafted we want you to be pleased to go there but hey even if you're not drafted come on and join us it's a great life yeah uh the characters again are typical of the period deliberately funny names yeah
Like Old Doc Fiddle Faddle. Tickety Boo, boys. Tickety Boo. And Veronica Lagoon. Not Veronica Lake. She's Veronica Lagoon. I missed that. I didn't catch that. You got really silly characters. The niece of Mrs. Updike. And she ain't classy. Let me have a pack of Beatman's peps and gum, please. I wonder if Mars made that. Yeah. Well, I can't get that snail polish. Mail pouch. yeah the dishwasher like who the heck talks like that nobody talks like that i was reading the comics
So it's not sophisticated. It's a fun little bit of fluff. The music was pretty good. You know, the girl singers, the Thrasher sisters, which would be a terrific name for a punk band or, you know, something violent.
Yeah, that's probably why their agent said, no, we're going to call you the Morgan sisters. Yeah, so it's a nice little bit of fluff. It certainly was a lot easier to listen to than... black figurine of death and its ilk is this halfway decently written you know um yeah just as an example of this kind of stuff yeah it's it's pretty good example Pleasant enough. Paul, what do you think? Yeah. It was... There were no surprises. I mean, there is...
Everything was what it was supposed to be. Like she said, there was like a checkbox. Okay, we need somebody that sounds like this. We need an old timer. We need a kid. We need this. Okay. And I tell you what, it wasn't until that episode... I never really thought about enjoying a Milky Way candy bar so much. It sounded so wonderful that I might have to go out and buy one now.
Well, you notice the writing for those commercials. There is a difference between writing for the eyes and writing for the ears. And it's whoever wrote that copy. They were clearly just writing for the eyes, not for something to be read aloud and listened to. Yeah, it was like, I'm trying to think of a good way to describe the commercial.
I think hyperbole would be a good term to use for that. It was just a little bit of hyperbole. It was the greatest candy bar on the face of the earth. And highly nutritious. Delicious, smooth. milk chocolate, layer of caramel and chocolate nougat. I wonder when somebody went, what's nougat?
It's a type of candy. You whip it up full of air. I used to wonder what it was when I was a kid. It's all air. I would get nugget and nougat mixed up when I was a kid. Well, it's French. It's nougat. Do I have a chicken McNougat? Yeah. But I mean, it was, it wasn't terrible. It wasn't great. I mean, it was one of those, I'm glad it was as short as it was. There was that. The jokes were... Yeah, you tell this was...
Hate to say, because, I mean, you listen to comedy nowadays, and comedy nowadays sounds so much more sophisticated than comedy from the 40s, you know? But yet... Comedy from the 40s for adults sounded so much more sophisticated than this. I mean, it was like barely missing a why the chicken crossed the road kind of thing. And yeah. Yeah, and it shows that it was not for adults. The one song there that the girls were doing, shoe, shoe, buddy. I just remember.
There is this movie that I love that would come out every year around Christmas, but it's not a Christmas movie. It's very weird. It's called Stairway to Heaven, and it's got David Niven and Kim Hunter in it. And he's a bomber during World War II, gets shot down, gets a head injury. And next thing you know, they're trying to tell him, no, you were supposed to have died. And you got to come with us.
up to heaven he's like no no no no you guys were supposed to get me you missed me you screwed up and so they end up having this trial and one of the things they use is to to show how uncouth america is this guy turns on a radio and is playing that song but i think it's i think it's sinatra that's singing it back in his uh uh bebopper not bebopper his big band days His big band days. And they're like, I didn't understand a single word. And I'm thinking...
You didn't understand a word of that? I mean, he's singing it just like that. Shoo, shoo, baby. Papa's come back to the land of sea. You know, and it's very easy to understand. I didn't understand a word of that. But it wasn't terrible. It wasn't point and laugh at it. I... I wasn't that interested in the science, so I didn't listen to the other 10 episodes like Pat did. But I'll take her word for it, and it fits in with the rest of them. So I would say...
I'm glad that's over with. It's your turn, Pete. Okay. Now... I recognized a couple of the jokes because when I was younger, I came up with... uh phrase like you know you got one foot in the gutter and the other in the grave i came up with one foot in the butter and the other in the gravy and they made a joke like that we got one foot in the gravy it's like hey
I was ahead of my time, you know? I thought of that myself all on my own before I'd ever heard this show. So, yeah, it's very... I have an idea that dads all over the country would listen to this so they could get their dad jokes to tell their kids because it's full of just high... high volumes of corn and the fact that it came from America's heartlands in Cincinnati, Ohio is definitely a clue that, you know, it's not too far from the cornfield for sure. But.
I have to say, I really loved the music. The musical selections were good. I thought the boy singer went a little flat from time to time. But a lot of it was really good. And then the sisters were just terrific. They were just as good as... The Andrews sisters or the DeMarco sisters or the Lennon sisters. Boswells. Yeah, the Boswells. Later on on the Lawrence Welk show when the...
The Lennon sisters would be there. Their harmonies were spot on and their bopping sound, their jauntiness was terrific. So really... for a locally produced radio show i don't have a lot of complaints I think the corniness was perfect for the time. It was wartime, and people needed escape. And even though it might have been directed as kids, I'll bet that housewives listened to this and laughed. They chuckled.
they would uh sundays at 5 30 to 6 okay so people are getting ready for dinner anyway for dinner so they're listening to that yeah so to me it was uh corny But funny because you've got characters that you'd recognize from other shows that might have been a little better. Because you've got the doc who walks in and he's like the old timer from Fibber McGee and Molly. You've got... the uh the ditzy girl who washes the dishes and she's like another character on another show like gladys uh
Zabisco? Zabisco in the Jack Benny show. But they're low-budget Gladys Zabisco and low-budget old-timer because they're on a local radio station. It's interesting that you mentioned that...
The power of the station reached... all over the country and up into canada and that may have been a reason why eminem mars was a sponsor of it instead of some local business because they were reaching such a wide audience you wouldn't have found i mean it would have been like uh joe's bar and grill or something as the sponsor of a show like this if it hadn't been on
There was a little blurb about it from the time Mars back on the air. I can't remember what date this was. I mean, obviously it would have been like 1942, I guess. Yeah, here, Mars back on the air. Hmm. Mars Incorporated Chicago, brackets candy bars, has returned to radio, testing a half-hour weekly variety program on WLW Cincinnati starting October 4th. Titled Fountain of Fun, program is heard Sundays, 5.30 to 6 p.m.
And if test is successful, we'll probably go network the early part of next year, according to the agency, Grant Advertising Agency Chicago. Hmm. I guess it didn't though, right? It didn't go network? No, I think that one station was powerful enough that it went all over the place anyway. It didn't really need to be networked. Right, right. Kind of like... WXYZ in Detroit. And I did find another article. Phil Brito, baritone, is celebrating one year with WLW Cincinnati.
Before joining, Brito was the featured vocalist with Al Donahue and also soloist with Freddie Martin on the Lady Esther program. Brito's heard five nights a week on the Moon River program, five times a week for VIX. twice weekly on program called Ballads by Burrito, and on Sundays on the Fountain of Fun program sponsored by the Mars Candy Company for Milky Way. He was making money. Yeah, he was.
Now, you know, considering it wasn't a major, major market, you know, he'd at least be making scale, but probably better than scale. But what is scale there versus scale in Los Angeles or New York?
He's putting food on the table, I'm sure. So that's good. I did find a picture of Bob Jellison in the featured article about him called What Price Comedy. He talks about always... doing the funny part always being the stooge doing the feed lines to the lead comic you know the lead comic gets the laugh and he said i'm the perfect audience producers like to try gags out on me i laugh at anything
And the other thing he's known for is loud sports clothes. I call them my protection clothes, he said merrily. You can always get a laugh when you're wearing funny pants. i would add that's true that's very true yeah and i would add you can make any pants funny if you just forget to do up the zipper excellent so are we ready to vote i think we are let's vote What are we voting on, dear listener? As a reminder, we are voting on
A, whether this particular episode is a true representative installment of the overall series, and two, whether or not it is a true essential, a standalone show that belongs in every radio aficionado's collection. And again, Pat, since this was your selection, you go first. Well, it's a nice bit of fluff that's typical, you know, if you're curious about what a local station might have done, although it was a really big, far-reaching local station.
It's an interesting little time capsule because of the references to Hitler and the references to the military life and all that. It's a product of its time. The music's really good. It's a fun little bit of fluff. If you go for that kind of thing, then it probably should be in your collection. It's not something really like...
you know, Jack Benny or Gildersleeve or Harris Faye, where you can listen to it over and over and always find new stuff. This, it's pretty much laid out in front of you when you start. You know what you're going to get. So it's... I don't know. I suppose that there are other shows very much like it, but this one does have Frasier Thomas. This one does have Bob Jellison, Benny the Bellhop.
from uh i love lucy so it's kind of neat to hear that stuff but it's uh i'm kind of on the fence on this one okay interesting oh what about you paul
Well, it wasn't the greatest. I'll definitely give you that. But there's not a lot of depth to it, as in we don't have... 7,000 episodes like we do on like suspense or something to where if you wanted to listen to all of it you know 11 you can do that easy enough so that's okay if you wanted to chew the whole thing up but In a way, if somebody decided that they wanted to get into old time radio and they're not used to the sense and sensibilities of that era.
You know, they're not used to what was considered a joke back then as opposed to now. You know, that it might be a good entry for them to listen to that and just go... Okay, because then when you do move on to like Fibber or Jack Benny or that, it's going to sound so much slicker and so much more polished and everything. That you're like, oh, okay. To me, it'll kind of just make it sound better to you overall. If you listen to this and...
It passes, and you're like, okay, all right, now I've had enough of the appetizer, let's move on to a main course. So I think it's kind of an entry-level, very entry-level of an old-time radio show. you know like you said the singing was really good in there um and it really didn't need to go any further than it did so that's about it okay
Well, good. Well, I'm in accord with the two of you. I think this would be a great show to play for my grandkids who are school age. I think they'd enjoy the humor in this. They'd get some giggles out of the... the jokes especially about the uh the part of the the turkey that the guy won at the beginning of the show and i don't like that part
We would call that the Parsons nose or we'd call that the end of the turkey that went over the fence last or whatever the case may be. Stuff that they couldn't say on the air in 1942 or whenever this aired. But... I just, I loved the orchestra. I loved the singers. I think they did a terrific job. It's fascinating to me that even though Frasier Thomas was in this.
They called him Tommy, so they didn't call him Frasier. And his voice had not reached that beautiful, sonorous... bass tone that he eventually had when he was on um wgn yeah in in the 70s when i saw when i first saw him so um it was tough for me to figure out okay is that Frasier? Who's that talking right now? I have no idea. But I would have to say, I didn't listen to all 11 of these like you did, Pat, but I would say...
A show like this is going to follow a certain formula. Yeah. So, yes, it is a representative installment of the overall series, even though it deals with Thanksgiving. throughout. I'm sure they're telling a lot of the same types of jokes in the other episodes. But I can't say that it would really belong in every Radio Aficionados collection. If you like... Comedy from a local station, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Maybe, but not everybody. So I would say A is yes and B is no.
or two is no. And that's my vote. Anybody else have anything else they want to add? Well, I think that covers it. Okay. Great. Well... That's excellent. Well, folks, this brings us to the end of episode 45, or if you live in a parallel universe, episode eight of season four with Paul Arbisi, Pete Lutz, and me, Pat Rosebank. Next go round, it'll be Paul's pick. And what show will you be bringing us, Paul? Well, since it is the Christmas season...
I have brought all of you this package that is so beautifully gift wrapped with a ribbon and a bow. And as you can tell with the gift wrapping and the ribbon and the bow. You can't see the freaking product. And that's exactly what I'm giving you. It's an empty box, isn't it? No, it better be an empty box because if there's something worse in there, I really don't want to see that.
Don't worry about the air holes or for something else. He's recycling the box. Don't worry. That's right. But you will be told at a later date. His name is Richard. I'm going to scream. All right. Well, terrific, Paul. Terrific. I'm sure you'll come up with something good. You always do. And now, Pat, Paul, tell the masses what they need to know. Oh, that's me! Hey, alright.
Old Time Radio Essentials is a production of 63 Audio, a proud member of the Mutual Audio Network. Subscribe on any podcatcher you may use by searching under Mutual Audio Network. Narada Radio Company and Moonlight Audio Theater. Please follow us on Blue Sky. We're brand new there at naradaradio.bsky.com. or on the Instagram at Narada Radio, and join our group at The Facebook.
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By the way, friends, not only do we three put out this podcast, we're also pretty active in the audio drama community, providing voices for various shows, or in Pete's case, producing a number of different series. If you're a regular podcast listener, look for our names in the credits of the shows you listen to. What am I doing lately?
well i'm cleaning my apartment because i figure if you hit your head on the ceiling when you're walking across the floor it's time to get out the shovel i haven't heard that podcast before It sounds so interesting. What part are you playing? The Shoveler. The shoveler. I am the shoveler, and I know many things, for I shovel by night. Well, what I know is my kitchen floor isn't brown, it's white.
Pete, I like that. We should do a parody one. I shovel by night. It just sounds like it'd be something there. You hear the sound of a shovel dragging across the pavement at night. I shovel at night. That's the shovel. Let's see. I do my work on Madison. Madison is on the air. And also I have something in the works with Fishbonious Productions. And, oh, I've got one other in the works with somebody else, but I always have room for more. And people see my name out there and go, hey.
hey, this idiot sounds like he could work with us. Give me a call. And you'll be definitely, once we start season three of Federated Tech, you'll be part of that. Speaking of which, I'm currently working on the season two finale of Adventures of the Federated Tech, and I've got a live production coming up, my adults-only adaptation of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, which spoofs the 1960s kids movie.
We'll be putting on three performances next month in South Texas. Now, if you didn't catch her email when Pat spelled it out, rewind and listen again, or just look for it in the show notes. We love hearing from listeners. So if you have feedback or a suggestion, for a future episode, write to us. If we take your suggestion, you'll get some really nifty Narada swag. But we don't have a Patreon.
We don't ask for any money. Just your time and those big years of yours. Hey, now, that's rude. The listeners. Anyway, feedback is the only way we can tell if you're listening, listening, listening. So be sure to drop us a line. And thanks. Hey ain't that thing done cooking yet?
Okay. Our food's getting cold, so let's wrap things up, hey? Thanks, Pauly. Thanks, Pat. And please, dear listener, join us next time, won't you, for another fun installment of Old Time Radio Essentials. Happy Thanksgiving and bye-bye for now. Bye. Hey, who's going to do the dishes? Somebody pass the giblets. I want the giblets. We're out of giblets. The cat ate them. Okay, cranberries? Where's the cranberries? The dog ate them. even the stuff that slides out of the can with that nice
It looks like dog food. That's why the dog ate it. I got a squashed Milky Way. It's been in my pocket a while. I was kind of saving myself for after Thanksgiving so I could have that. Wait a minute. We don't have a Patreon. We don't ask for any money. We just screw things up again. God damn it. See, that's what I get for not drinking beforehand. I've been drinking this whole time. 63 audio. This is Mutual.
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