Baby Snooks 38-09-22 (x) Aunt Sophie and her new baby

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Baby Snooks 38-09-22 (x) Aunt Sophie and her new baby
Host: Harold’s Old Time Radio
Date: October 13, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode features a classic installment of “Baby Snooks,” starring Fanny Brice as the precocious Snooks and Henley Stafford as her long-suffering Daddy. The scene unfolds in the family home, where chaos reigns after a hectic day, only to be interrupted by big news: Aunt Sophie has just had a baby. The episode brims with mischief, misunderstandings, and the charming banter between Snooks and her father.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Aftermath of "Playing House" (00:26 - 01:26)

• Daddy returns from work to a home in disarray after Snooks’ imaginative play.
  • Snooks is dressed in her mother’s clothes, having cleaned the stove with Daddy’s new shirt and polished the floor with Mommy’s rouge.
  • Quote:
    • Snooks: "It's your new shape."
    • Daddy: "You cleaned the stove with my new shirt?" (00:50)
    • Snooks: "And I polished the floors with it too." (00:55)
  • The comedy of errors establishes Snooks’ mischievous tone and Daddy’s growing exasperation.

2. Family News: Aunt Sophie Goes to the Hospital (01:36 - 02:44)

• Daddy learns from Snooks that Mommy is out with Uncle Louie and Aunt Sophie has gone to the hospital—allegedly for a “headache.”
  • Snooks is confused by the adults’ spelling and code, unaware of the real reason.
  • Quote:
    • Snooks: "They told me she had a headache." (01:43)
    • Daddy: "People don't go to the hospital for a headache." (01:48)

3. The Baby Announcement (02:18 - 03:17)

• Snooks drops the big news that the hospital called: Aunt Sophie has a new baby.
  • Daddy is delighted and tries to glean more details from Snooks, who offers up her trademark confusion.
  • Quote:
    • Snooks: "Me and Sophie got a new baby." (02:29)
    • Daddy: "Did they just call up? Was it a boy or a girl?"
    • Snooks: "It was Mommy." (02:36)
  • This exchange highlights the innocence and confusion of childhood.

4. The New Cousin and “Who Does He Look Like?” (03:17 - 03:56)

• Daddy calls the hospital, and Snooks peppers the conversation with irreverent humor.
  • Snooks hopes Aunt Sophie brings her a "little yellow dog" instead of a cousin.
  • The family enthusiastically debates who the baby resembles (Uncle Louie’s nose, Sophie’s hair, Daddy’s eyes).
  • Quote:
    • Snooks: "He got nothing of his own." (03:52)

5. Snooks’ Bedtime Antics (04:00 - 05:15)

• Daddy tries to get Snooks into bed so he can visit the hospital.
  • Snooks bargains, whines, and ultimately demands a story, threatening comedic self-harm to get her way.
  • Quote:
    • Snooks: "If you go, I'll choke myself till my head falls off." (04:51)
  • She negotiates for a haircut like Uncle Louie and wriggles for extra stories.
  • The father-daughter dynamic provides the heart of the show, mixing exasperation with affection.

6. Bedtime Story: "Little Red Riding Hood" with a Twist (05:15 - 06:05)

• Daddy tells Snooks a quick version of “Little Red Riding Hood,” but Snooks keeps interrupting.
  • In a final comic moment, Snooks interrupts the story’s climax:
  • Quote:
    • Daddy: "Do you know who that was?"
    • Snooks: "Uncle Louis." (06:05)
  • The episode ends on a perfectly Snooks-ian punchline, linking the day’s news to her irrepressible wit.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Snooks (on cleaning): "I couldn't find any polish, so I used Mommy's room." (01:02)
• Snooks (on family resemblance): "He got nothing of his own." (03:52)
• Snooks (on getting into the hospital): "How did Aunt Sophie get that one in?" (04:05)
• Snooks (on bedtime): "If you go, I'll choke myself till my head falls off." (04:51)
• Snooks (about the story villain): "Uncle Louis." (06:05)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:26: Homecoming chaos and Snooks’ “housework” misadventures
• 01:36: Revelation that Aunt Sophie is in the hospital
• 02:18: Snooks announces the new baby
• 03:17: Discussion about the new cousin’s appearance
• 04:00: Snooks resists bedtime and bargains for stories
• 05:15: “Little Red Riding Hood”—with a unique Snooks twist

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Tone and Style

The episode is filled with classic fast-paced banter, witty repartee, and gentle slapstick humor. Snooks’ innocent mischief collides with her father’s escalating exasperation, creating a comedic rhythm that captures the warmth and chaos of pre-TV family life. The language remains light, affectionate, and packed with clever one-liners characteristic of Golden Age radio.

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For fans and new listeners alike, this episode of “Baby Snooks” is an endearing window into a bygone era, filled with wholesome laughter, timeless family foibles, and the magic of radio storytelling.

Transcript

[A]

Into each man's life a little rain must fall. But when Baby Smuts was born, it really poured. Here she is, Fanny Brice as that impossible rascal Baby Snooks. At this moment, Daddy, played by Henley Stafford, is returning after a hard day at the office. We hear him put the key in the lock of the front door. Door opens and Daddy walks in.

[B]

Phew.

[A]

What a day. Mother?

[B]

Mother?

[A]

Is anybody home?

[B]

Hello, Daddy.

[A]

Snooks, what is. Well, whose dress have you got on?

[B]

It's Mommy. I've been playing house.

[A]

Playing house?

[B]

Uh huh. And I just cleaned the stove.

[A]

Oh, do you look cute. Your face is all smudged. And what's that filthy rag in your hand?

[B]

It's your new shape.

[A]

What? You cleaned the stove with my new shirt.

[B]

And I polished the floors with it too.

[A]

Oh, what's that? What's this red stuff all over the floors?

[B]

I couldn't find any polish, so I used Mommy's room.

[A]

Oh, look at this place. My shirt's ruined, the floor's all wrecked, the whole house upset. And I've got you to thank for this.

[B]

You're welcome, Daddy.

[A]

Snooks, I ought to take you. What are you laughing at?

[B]

Cause you're neck that's all red.

[A]

And I don't want you laughing in my face when I'm scolding you. You understand? Why you did it again?

[B]

I didn't mean it, Daddy. I was smiling and the smile busted.

[A]

Oh, what a mess this place is. How come your mother let you do it?

[B]

Mommy ain't here.

[A]

Oh, where is she?

[B]

She went away with Uncle Louie.

[A]

Uncle Louie?

[B]

Uh huh. And I took Aunt Sophie to the hospital. What for? They told me she had a headache.

[A]

Oh, don't be silly. People don't go to the hospital for a headache.

[B]

That's what I thought when they started spelling things.

[A]

Oh, wait a minute. Did you say Aunt Sophie?

[B]

Yes, dad.

[A]

Oh, that's different. I've got a telephone.

[B]

What's the matter with her, Daddy?

[A]

Oh, nothing, nothing at all. She's. Well, she's. Maybe she did have a pretty bad headache. Snooks. I'd better run down to the hospital.

[B]

Why?

[A]

Well, I'm. Well, I'm going to take Aunt Sophie some aspirins for a headache.

[B]

Daddy?

[A]

Yes?

[B]

You better take a rattle for the baby too. Baby?

[A]

How do you know about the baby?

[B]

Well, a telephone called up.

[A]

Oh really? What did they say?

[B]

Me and Sophie got a new baby. Oh good.

[A]

Did they just call up?

[B]

Uh huh.

[A]

Was it a boy or a girl?

[B]

It was Mommy.

[A]

No. I mean. Oh, never mind. Say, this is marvelous. Sophie's got a baby. I better call her right away.

[B]

You don't have to, Daddy.

[A]

Why not?

[B]

I think she knows about it.

[A]

Now, don't be silly. I wonder who it looks like. Oh, just think, Snooks, you've got a little cousin. Hello, Central Hospital. Mrs. L. Higgins, please. Well, Snooks, aren't you happy?

[B]

No, I am.

[A]

Oh, of course you are. You'll have a wonderful little playmate. Now, which would you rather have Aunt Sophie bring you, a boy cousin or a girl cousin?

[B]

Don't it make no difference to Aunt Sophie?

[A]

Of course not.

[B]

I ought to bring me a little yellow dog.

[A]

Oh, stop that. Hello, who is this? Oh, hello, Mother. How's Sophie? Oh, that's fine.

[B]

A boy. Great.

[A]

Who does he look like?

[B]

Oh, who does he look like, Daddy? Uncle Louie. Oh, are they gonna keep him quiet?

[A]

Huh? What's that? Oh, he's got my eyes. Oh, fine. And Sophie's hair. He's got Louie's nose, Daddy. What?

[B]

And he got nothing of his own. Hello.

[A]

Oh, okay, dear. I'll put Snooks to bed and come right down there as soon as I clean her.

[B]

Goodbye. I want to go with you.

[A]

Oh, you can't go, Snooks.

[B]

Why?

[A]

Because they don't allow children there.

[B]

Well, how did Aunt Sophie get that one in?

[A]

That's a different thing. The doctor brought that one. Why, my. I'll bet he's a little angel.

[B]

Do angels wear clothes, Daddy?

[A]

Oh, no.

[B]

And where did they put the handkerchief?

[A]

Now, what kind of a question is that, Snokes?

[B]

I think it's all right.

[A]

Handkerchiefs. Angels are very beautiful. Remember that little poem I taught you? I want to be an angel, and with the angel stand a crown upon my forehead, a harp within my hand. That's beautiful. Don't you want to be an angel and fly with wings?

[B]

I want to be a monkey and swing on my tail.

[A]

That's enough. Come on, now, off with your clothes and hop right into bed.

[B]

No, I don't want to go to bed.

[A]

Now, don't start any nonsense. You can yell all you like. I'm leaving.

[B]

If you go, I'll choke myself till my head falls off.

[A]

Now, listen, Snooks, Please, please go to bed like a good girl. I've got to stop for a shave and the barbershop closes in 10 minutes.

[B]

I want to get a haircut.

[A]

You want a haircut?

[B]

Yeah, like Uncle Louie with a hole in the pocket.

[A]

Will you stop this idiotic, Darling, I've got to get out of here now, Snooks. Mother's waiting up for me at the hospital.

[B]

Come on, tell me a story.

[A]

Oh, all right, but a quick one. Now, which one do you want?

[B]

Goldilocks in the Rose and Jack and a Beanstalk?

[A]

No, you can only hear one of those three. Now, which one?

[B]

Little Red Riding Hood.

[A]

All right, but no interruptions. And you'll be undressing in the meantime.

[B]

All right, Daddy. All right.

[A]

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Little Red Riding Hood. Her mother told her, who was my daddy? Red Riding Hood. She told her to. No, her mother told her, Red Riding Hood.

[B]

Ah.

[A]

If you interrupt me once more, I'll leave. Her mother told her to take a basket of food to her grandmother, who was very ill, and to be careful not to stop and talk to anybody in the forest, and especially wolves. And then something happened. And then some else. Anyway, it doesn't matter. When she finally got in the cabin, instead of her grandmother, she found somebody else in the bed who was very ugly and had shaggy hair, horrible teeth and a mean, vicious look. Do you know who that was?

[B]

Uncle Louis.