Gimme that Old Time Radio
I bought my parents a CD collection of Stan Freberg’s radio show for Christmas this year, and they loved it. I knew they would because many a year ago, I came across an old double album of his comedy in my grandmother’s house which my dad had gotten back when the earth was new.
Anyway, Stan Freberg is a brilliant comedian, and his show was a perfect use of the medium. Insane stereo tests, faux commercials taking the place of sponsors he couldn’t get, satires of everything from history to popular TV shows to network censorship to politics.
Thanks to the marvels of the modern era, you too can listen to his short lived and much mourned radio show: The Stan Freberg Show. If that just whets your appetite for the good ol’ days of pre-visualization, you can browse 11,985 other radio shows in the Old Time Radio library.
Thanks!
Wotcha. I know you’ll love it.
Freberg is an all time favorite and references a lot of the great radio comedy in the years just after the golden era of radio (the 20’s - 1959). I get my daily does of Old Time Radio from OTRCAT.com - they have a ‘daily’ which is a broadcast of the same day in years past - quite an interesting ‘blast from the past’.
B.W.
I was surprised when I first discovered how recently The Stan Freberg Show was on the air. As you say, it’s such a strong exponent of the radio comedy tradition, I expected it to come from the apex period instead of the decline.
Thank you for the OTRCAT.com tip. I’ll be sure to check it out.