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Harold's Old Time Radio
Big Broadcast of 1965 65-11-25 Host-Ruth Ashton
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Big Broadcast of 1965 65-11-25 Host-Ruth Ashton
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Ruth Ashton
Professionals spend nearly half the workweek on written communication, so focus is important. With Grammarly as your AI writing partner, focus and quickly get through work with relevant real time suggestions and it works across 500,000 apps and websites so you can sound more confident and persuasive wherever you write. 93% of professionals report that Grammarly helps them get more work done. Download Grammarly for free@Grammarly.com podcast that's Grammarly.com podcast KNX proudly presents the big broadcast of 1965 featuring Amos and Andy, Jack Benny, Ken Murray, Ed Gaburgan and Charlie McCarthy, my friend Irma and George Burns and Gracie. Good afternoon everyone. This is Ruth Ashton inviting you for today to turn your radio dial back in time and enjoy with us some of the golden moments of radio comedy. A Thanksgiving look into our family album at the scenes that made all America laugh. There were Amos and Andy, the team that came in with the crystal set and kept the killer cycle swinging. Charles Carell played Andy. And how did it all come about? We met while we were putting on home talent shows and we worked at that business for five or six years and we worked ourselves into heads of departments of the company that put on these shows in Chicago. And we got the rooming together and I played piano, he played ukulele, and we got to singing songs just for the fun of it. And somebody said, why don't you put those on radio? Why don't you go up to radio station and put these songs on? We thought, well, why not have a little fun? So we did. We went up to WBBH in Chicago, that's the Edgewater Beach Hotel, and started to sing these songs. Got no pay, of course, but we were there for a year for nothing. And WGN's musical director happened to hear us and called us down. They wanted somebody to fill in at their station. In those days, nobody was getting paid, it was all for free. And we went down there and we got a job working at WGN, the Chicago Tribune in 1925. So we started there and then the manager of the radio station had an idea of doing something like the Gumps Andy Gump in the Chicago Tribunal, one of their syndicate features, and asked us about it. But we didn't know anything about Andy Gump or about doing things on married life. But we had been putting on shows and did minstrel shows and do a lot of gags and jokes that we had piled up over a period of years. And at the last minute we decided just to take two boys and bring them from Birmingham to Chicago Just let them go down to depot, get on the train, come to Chicago and take them around Chicago on bus rides, into shooting galleries and fortune tellers and what have you. In fact, we didn't know from one day to the next what we were going to do. But we made that decision. And instead of doing jokes, we made this decision to make a natural thing out of it. And all we ever did was to kid human nature. That's all we ever did. And then we tried to make the characters a kind of a cross section of life. Everybody knows a fellow like in the Amos Natty show, like the Kingfish, a fellow who tries to get by on his wits all the time. Everybody knows a fellow like Andy. Fellow don't want to work if he can help it. There's a good many of us that don't want to work if we can help it, of course. And everybody knows somebody like another character by the name of Henry Van Porter, who was a society fellow. He thought he was society, and he was no more society than a monkey. And he was the type of fellow that said, well, I got to leave you now, boys, because I got to deal with my tailor. He's going to fit a patch on the seat of my pants. That's the kind of a society fellow he was, you see. And everybody knew a fellow like Lightning. A very slow, lazy fellow. There's millions of them in the world. Getting more all the time, too. But anyway, we tried to make it a cross section of life rather than an individual, you see. And I think that's one reason that we lasted as long as we did. And now let's look in on Amos and Andy. The Kingfish is calling on Andy with a small problem about Thanksgiving dinner. Come in. It's open. Oh, hi, Kingfish. Hello there, brother Andy. What you doing there, boy? Oh, I changing my socks. I do it every Sunday morning. She engineered your socks, huh? Yeah. Changing the one from the right foot to the left, from the left one to the right. Yeah, rotating the socks is a good idea. That way the hole don't always come up on the big toe. Yeah. What you doing up here anyway, Kingfish? Cause I worried about you spending this gay holiday season alone, Andy. You know, it made me sad. It did, huh? Oh, yeah. Me and Sapphire. And Mama was talking about you only this morning. Yeah, we got all choked up. No fooling. You did? Oh, yeah. I blubbered so much at breakfast, Andy, that I cried right in my plate. My tears filled all them little squares in my waffle. Tell you, Andy, it's one of the saltiest syrups that I ever tasted in my life. Well, that's fine, Kingfish. All that weeping and everything. But what is you driving at? What is I driving at, Andy? I is inviting you up to my pleas for Thanksgiving dinner with the relatives. Now, wait a minute, Kingfish. You invited me up there five years ago for dinner with the relatives. You done charged me 10 bucks and then sat me way down at the end of the table. Now, I don't know what was on the table or on my plate at the head of the table, but the relatives sure worked it over on the way down. They did, huh? Yeah. By the time it got to me, there was nothing on it but a curled up giblet, eight olive pits, a pivot tooth and your Uncle Oliver's toupee. Tell you something, if I hadn't had some gravy for the toupee, I would have starved. Boy, that was like eating pig's feet before they pulled the hair off. Well, Andy, don't forget you only paid $10. And when it come to getting a whack at the bird, why, you was back in the cheap seats. Now, this year, for a slightly increased stipend, we gonna move you further up on the fuselage. Up where the white meat and the drumstick crowd sits, you see? Well, I like moving up on the fuselage. Oh, yeah, Andy. And when it comes time for the carving, why, you gonna be sitting right up there next to the co pilot this time. Yeah. Well, how much is I gonna have to increase the stipend to get there in round figures, Andy? $50. I'd like to come, but all I got is $3 and a quarter. And I's afraid I can't forge your generous hospitality this year, King 3. We'll still seat you for three and a quarter, Ender, but I'll advise you to bring your own gravy. You liable to get stuck with that. 2. Pay again, boy. And do you remember the telephone that had 100 million people answering their radios? Granny's, I believe that's our ring, Abner. That was a sound that brought you around the cracker barrel of the jot em down store. Remember where you always met a couple of the boys? Lum and Abner Norris? Gough feels he was actually kind of the Abner type. We started in 1931. Chet Locke, who was lum of the series, and myself were living in the little town of Mena, Arkansas. And Chet was in the automobile business. And I was in the wholesale grocery business. And we used to put on Little skits there in town. And so we went to Hot Springs, Arkansas station, kths. And just for the fun of it, and did a program and called it Lum and Abner. They were composites of people we had known down in Arkansas and the rural areas of Arkansas. And for some reason, Chet and I always got a big kick out of these old characters back in hill country there. And so when we were over at Hot Springs the first time, we had not decided upon a name. And just as we were going on the air, one of the announcers said, what do you call the act? And we didn't know exactly. So Chet said, call me Lum. And for no reason at all, I said, call me Abner. And with that, we were on the air. And he said, I'll bring you Lum and Abner. And that's how we originated the name. We had to have a locale. So we tried to think of a name of a town that meant the mountains and hills and trees and all that. So we came up with the name of Pine Ridge. Then we had to do something in Pine Ridge. So we decided that we would be two grocery men running a store in a small town. And that was the beginning of the store. And then we. Later on, we had a naming contest. And because of the fact that Abner couldn't remember anything. And they were always having to remind him to jot everything down, why, somebody sent in the name of Jot em Down store. And we accepted it. And that was the beginning of the Jot Em down store. Now down to Pine Ridge and the Jotm down store and Lum and Abner. Abner, will you come over here and help me put this sign on the door? Why, sure, Lum. Just hold this nail in place while I whack it with a hammer. Suppose you hold a nail in place while I whack it with a hammer. You think I'm crazy? Trouble here is we're suffering from an oversupply of whackers. Have you ever seen me hit anybody on the thumb with a hammer? Yes. Last summer when Opie Cates helped you put up the screens. That was just a little tap. Tap. You smacked that thumb so flat, it looked like he's carrying around a pancake flipper. Why, he didn't even holler. He let out such a beller all the time at the sawmill. Knocked off for lunch. Will you stop exaggerating and hold that nail? Granny Lom, you. You couldn't hit that nail no matter if your whole life be taken. Oh, now be Quiet, huh? This is my page flipping finger here. Lom. Be careful. Just hold the nail in place. Okay, here goes. Now, how was that? Not bad. Just aim it two more feet to the left and I think you'll have it. Trouble is, the top of the nail is too small. You couldn't drive that nail if I stuck it in between my teeth and let you hit me on the back of the head. Don't give me any idea. Now just hold it in place. This time I'll keep. Every idea starts with a problem. Warby Parker's was simple. Glasses are too expensive. So they set out to change that. By designing glasses in house and selling directly to customers, they're able to offer prescription eyewear that's expertly crafted and unexpectedly affordable. Warby Parker glasses are made from premium materials like impact resistant polycarbonate and custom acetate. And they start at just $95, including prescription lenses. Get glasses made from the good stuff. Stop by a Warby Parker store near you. Nowtaxes is 100% free when you file in the TurboTax app. If you didn't file with us last year. Oh, yeah, yeah. Just do your own taxes in the app by 218. What if I have lots of forms? All good. All 100% free. What if I had three jobs? Still 100% free. What if I once saw Bigfoot? That has nothing to do with taxes. So still 100% free. Now that's what I'm talking about. Now this is taxes. See if you qualify in the TurboTax app. Excludes TurboTax Live. Must start and file an app by 2:18. My eyes open. Good. Think one of us ought to know what's going on? You ready now? Yeah. Here it goes. Oh, you idiot. Why don't you watch what you're doing, Abner Peabody? I didn't even touch that hand. I know you didn't. You got the one I had in my pocket. In television, you start with Ed Sullivan. If you're lucky. It was Rudy Valli in the old days. And a fellow named Edgar Bergen got his break and took himself and a special piece of talking wood to radio stardom. After 10 years of vaudeville, I was made a headliner by playing a club, the Shapery in Chicago. Because then I doubled at the Chicago the. And I guess it had been because my humor was a little subtle for the vaudeville audience and little sophisticated. So I made my success in vaudeville headlining by playing a club. From then on, I tried to get on radio. I auditioned for NBC in Chicago and they said no. It would never go, and the comedy wasn't right and they wouldn't laugh. I said, but they're laughing at it at the Shapery. They said, no, it wouldn't go well. He went on to become vice president and I would go out of my way to go in and see him. Then I was doing a show in New York. It was for Elsa Maxwell. It was her 400 party and Noel Coward was the guest of honor. And I was hired with Charlie to sort of heckle and rib Noel Card rather than pay great tribute. Well, it went over very well and Elsa Maxwell was on the Rudy Valli show and she told about how she ribs the guests of honor rather than flatters them. So they thought it might be a good idea to put the ventriloquist on too. Well, of course, that was a pretty daring thing to put a ventriloquist on radio. Of course, I never should have gone on radio because a ventriloquist doesn't belong on radio. But then it became a success, so. And it was Rudy Valli's show that made it possible. So they hired me for the second week and a third week I asked for $100 more each week and they would give me $50 more each week. Now I was worried about running out of material. Where would I get more comedy? Then they asked me to sign for 13 weeks and I stayed awake all night wondering where to get that much comedy material. Of course, in those days you just wouldn't go and hire a writer because they just weren't there. No one would think of writing sketches every week. The good writers would write a vaudeville act and then sit back and rest and collect a royalty on it, that sort of thing. So I went on Rudy Vallis show in December of 36, and in May of 37, I had my own show. Coming from Hollywood then, that was a big hour show with many guests and important people. One of the most hilarious things that happened was that years ago, Fred Allen had an eagle, I suppose you've heard about that, brought in an eagle into the studio, had him on his arm and the eel got a little frightened and flew up on a loudspeaker above the stage over Fred Allen and then proved that he was frightened. There was a long laugh. That was difficult to explain, that eagle. But the show must go on, and it did in most cases. And now, ladies and gentlemen, here is Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. Oh, thank you. Thank you, McCarthy fans. Thank you one and all. Yeah, shouldn't you thank my fans too? I did. I thanked him first When I said one and all. Oh, yes. And now, folks, for a brief commercial announcement. Just a moment, please, Charlie. Ladies, what about termites? Have you checked your foundation lately? Do you have ants in your pantries? No, no, no. Is your house all loused up? Now, wait a minute. Is it squirming with vermin? What in the world is all this about? Well, if you must know, I'm a pest exterminator. Oh, I see. Of course. Don't let that make you feel self conscious. No, no, no. A pest exterminator. That's my new racket. I see. We guarantee to make your aunts say uncle. So you're in the exterminating business. Well, I hope you start by getting rid of that mouse in my garage. I'm working on him. I've been feeding him a lot of spinach. What in the world's the idea of that? Well, that's simple. When he gets enough iron in his system, you just drop a magnet down the hole and you got him. Yeah. Did it work? Well, no, it didn't. No. I think I gave him too much spinach. Yeah, he came out of the hole and beat up on a cat. Oh, I. We'll get him, though. We exterminate anything. Actually, what do you know about exterminating? For instance, how do you keep ants from spreading? Make them wear girdles. No, no, no. I'll be serious. Now, what are the various types of termites? Well, there are two types, male and female. I'm so glad to know termites are happy about it, too. Yes. Did you know that the queen termite lays several thousand eggs a day? What a performance. Must bring the house down. Yeah, and at certain times of the year, the king and queen termite leave the colony and start a colony of little termites of their own. Now, that is called swarming. Isn't he an innocent old duther? Termites are very dangerous. If not controlled, they can undermine and destroy any building. Oh, love those little rascals. What do you mean? I just planted 200 of them under my school tinder. There was a time when static was one of the biggest shows on radio. But along came a fellow with a cigar that you could smell even over the air. And a lady who wasn't your sister. She didn't remind you of Mom. She was just lovable Gracie. And they brought laughs that turned static into background music. George Burns. We started in England on BBC. See, everybody thinks we started here, but we didn't. And we were working then at the Victoria Palace. That was before The Palladium Theater, you know, the Palladium came a little after that and they asked us to go on BBC. And we went on once and they liked us and we stayed on for, oh, about 12 weeks. And then when we came back here, we were playing the Palace Theater with Eddie Cantor. And Eddie Cantor asked me if I would mind if I'd let Gracie do a four minute spot for them on the Chase and Sanborn Show. And I said, no, no, I said, be fine if you let me. If you do straight for Gracie, you know, I'll give you, I'll give you the material. He says he'd love it. So he went on, Gracie went out with him and, you know, he said, how was your brother? And she spoke for four minutes. She got a lot of laughs. And from then on we were on radio here. And the next week we went on the Rudy Valli Show. And then the following week we went on with Guy Lombardo and we stayed with Guy Lombardo for about a year. And then Guy Lombardo left the show and we kept it and we stayed on and we were in radio for 19 years. We were on radio before Jack Many. And in those days, everybody was a hitting radio because if you'd meet somebody, they wouldn't say, you're funny. They'd say, I heard you from Cleveland or I heard you. And oh, if they got static from San Francisco, radio was the sensation. Well, you, you were able to rattle the paper. Then when you read the script because the static was louder than the rattle. So to kill the static, you'd rattle the paper, you know. And then radio developed, you know, it got so that we all thought radio was, was a big thing. But when you look back now with the television, radio was so easy. Really, everybody did everything for you. You know, if you came in, somebody opened the door, and if you left, somebody closed the door. And if the telephone rang, somebody picked up the receiver. And you got paid for that. You kept taking vows and somebody else was opening the door. And the funny thing is, yeah, I remember the first time we auditioned for a program for NBC. This is a thousand years ago. And the fellow was at the head, the head of NBC. He says, they're good. He says, but the girl can't laugh. She has a funny kind of a voice. We did a show once, and in the middle of the radio show, the lights went out. Now you're standing there, you know, you got five or six more pages to read and no lights. But it was lucky that we were from Boardwalk, because when the lights Went out. I told the audience. I said, the lights just went out. And here we go into one of our border routines. Gracie, what do we talk about? Well, we can only talk about five minutes. That's all they want us to talk about. I meant, what subject would you like to talk about? Oh, I got a letter from my sister Hazel today that was interesting. What did she say in the letter? Well, she was telling me about her son, Wilbur. He's very tall, you know. I know, I know. He seems even taller because he's got high blood pressure. Kid has to stand on a chair to put his hat on. Please, I'm a little too funny, I guess. High blood pressure is no laughing matter. In fact, Wilbur has to sleep on the floor to keep it lower. Yeah, well, he's smart to know that. Of course, Hazel and her husband haven't seen much of Wilbur because he ran away from home when he was only 39. Then it upset the folks when they found out the kid was missing. Well, they would have been upset, but they didn't know he was missing for three years. How'd they find out? Oh, well, you see, every morning, Hazel used to bring him up a plate of oatmeal. And after three years, she looked in his room and found it full of oatmeal. And she said to herself, well, the poor kid must be sick. He's not eating. That's how she found out he was missing. Mm. Did she send for the police? No. She ate the oatmeal herself and the radio, you know, the actual producer and. And of the show did nothing. They used to stay in a control room with that glass front and all he'd have to do if they show. If you were talking slow, he would wind one finger around another, telling you that to speed it up. And if he wanted, you would talking too fast, he would sort of spread his hands out slowly, which meant slow up. Now, those were two motions that he had and the other one that he had. And if you were right, he would point to his nose, meaning you're on the nose. Now, those are. To be a producer, you had to be able to do those three things. So we had this young producer J. Walter Thompson gave us, and this was his first job, and he wanted to produce. You know, he wanted to do something. He didn't just want to cycle one finger around another and spread it out and point to his nose. He thought a producer. And there was nothing for them to do because they were in back of this glass thing, the studio with a glass window. So when the show went on. He spread his legs apart and he looked at a stopwatch and he pointed to us and very loud he said, go. And he pointed to us and broke his finger against the glass. George, if you had to do it all over again, would you still marry me? Are you kidding? With vaudeville coming back. Good night Everybody. For a 39 year old, this next fellow has been around for a long time. And when we went looking for him, he wasn't in Anaheim or Azusa or Cucamonga. We called all the way to Paris to ask Jack Benny how it all started. I got the job to be a guest on an Ed Sullivan radio show. That's where they heard me and that's how I got this job. It was very similar to what we're doing because we actually have no format. You see, we never do any two shows alike, so we've never had a format. And the characters. How did you decide everybody should be who he was? Well, I merely had to hire people for different characters to play on the show. And when I found out they were real good, I kept them. And one final question, Jack. How did a nice fellow like you ever wind up in the basement with a vault for even small change? In other words, how did you get that reputation as a tightwad? This was done by accident. Every characterization that I portray is done by accident. We do it for a couple of shows to get laughs and finally it becomes established whether we like it or not. And I liked it. And week after week millions liked it. And week after week millions of Jack Benny fans wondered if perhaps tonight Jack would have to travel down a now very famous staircase. In a way, I feel kind of sorry for poor Ed down there alone in the vault all these years. The moat looks pretty full. Well, I think I'll open the safe now. Let's see, the combination is right to 45, left to 60, back to 15, then left to 110 there. Ken Murray likes to be known as the Boswell of Hollywood. Others seem to think of him as the man who discovered Marie Wilson. I started in radio about 1930. I. The first show I ever had. Well, the first appearance I made on radio was the Rudy Valley Fleischmanauer. And the next day I was signed up for a year with my own half hour show. And it was very difficult. I found radio very difficult because particularly in the beginning and through the entire time everybody was looking for funny voices. Everybody wanted. For instance, I'd come out and say, I want to tell you a very interesting story. And the director would stop Me. And he'd say, ken, that sounds just like announcement. So I'd wind up saying, I got to tell you a very funny story. And that's all he wanted, because this was the age of. Wanna buy a duck and wash you there, Charlie? And who's your Hootie a little bit later? And then I thought, well, I've got to get in the swim of this thing. So I. I had. Had seen a fellow in vaudeville and used him in the Earl Carroll's sketchbook on Broadway called Tony Labriola, which I called, whom I called Oswald. And we did a. We did a sketch. And this. This served for the. Served the purpose that was necessary. The need at that time for funny voices. So he was a fellow that I used to say, you know, Oswald, Is that your name? Well, Oswald, my boy, I suppose you're thrilled to be here tonight. Oh, well, you should be. This is one of the most important broadcasts in radio history. You realize that tonight every dial in the country is on the station. Yeah. What's a dial? Oh, Oswald, don't be ridiculous. When people came home this Saturday night, what's the first thing they turned on? The water and the bathtub? No, no, no, no. I'm talking about radio dials. In fact, some sets. Listen, some sets don't even need them. They have what they call automatic tuning. Automatic tuning? Yes. You know, instead of twisting a dial, you just press a button and one. Your radio is Two. What? Could you ask for more than that? Press a button, 1, 2, 3. And my radio is paid for. Oh, that's what you bought. And here's the Ken Murray discovery. Who made it fashionable to be beautiful but dumb like a rich fox. Cy Howard said, I want to find the dumbest girl in the world. And his wife says, I know her. She says, let's go to the theater. So they went, and when they came backstage, he says, you're it. And I started doing radio. So I got a little scared, and I'd have a terrible time reading. It should be very easy. But it wasn't. I don't know. I must have not taken enough phonics in school or something. So I'd come to Al's name, and I'd call him all. And I'd call Jane June. And one day, Cy Howard screamed over the mic. He says, not June. And I said, july. And then a couple of times, I would start to giggle about something I don't know, for no reason at all. John Brown said, she's the only person who gets more laughs over mistakes than she does when she reads it, right? It was a wonderful medium. There's a funny thing about the audiences. A boy sort of controlled the. The heat or the cold, you know. And he'd say, now let's get it. I'll get it real cold, Marie. Because when they're real cold, they laugh. I don't know, they get sort of nervous or hysterical, you know, and they laugh at everything. So he'd get real cold. I'd always played a dumb blonde, so it really wasn't much of a departure. I could never face the booth because Cy would be carrying on and pulling his hair out, you know, hair by hair and dying. So I never watched him because, as I said, I seem to be having a language problem. My friend Irma had a friend. Her name was Kathy, played by Kathy Lewis. And now here is Kathy spending another happy day as Irma's roommate. Thanksgiving, a day of thanks. And I'll be thankful if this Thanksgiving is not like last Thanksgiving. And I won't go through what I did last year. What a nightmare that was. I should have sensed what was coming. By the way, the day started. We just finished breakfast and Irma said, Jane, I think we're going to have to buy a turkey after all. What do you mean, honey? Well, that turkey egg I bought last August hasn't hatched yet. You bought a turkey egg? Yes, it's still there under the radiator. Where? Right here. Oh, Jane, no wonder it hasn't hatched. It's got a big crack in it. Let me see. Irma, this isn't a real turkey egg. It's a plastic penny bank. It is? Yeah. And after all the trouble I went through keeping it warm on cold days with hot mustard plasters. Oh, no. What did you do during the hot spell, little mother? Fan it, Irma, just forget about the turkey. You and I'll go to a nice restaurant and we'll have very nice. Jane. Let's have a real old fashioned Thanksgiving dinner at home. We can invite all our friends. The professor, Mrs. O'Reilly, Richard and Al, Violet Murphy, the Martins. Hold it, hold it. What's the matter? Nothing at all. You left out the other three. Which three? The army, the Navy and the Marines. Jane, Thanksgiving is a very important holiday. Last night I. I read all about it. You did, huh? Yes. How the fierce Indians attacked the Pilgrims when they landed on the rock in their Plymouth. How's that again? Well, you know, Jane, in those days the women used to get scalped. Isn't it strange how women's hairstyles have changed through the ages. Yeah. Have you seen the new horse's tail? No. I think they should bring back scalping. When I read how John Alden said, speak for yourself, Pocahontas. Herma doll. Honey, don't you want me to finish? Honey, you don't have to tell me about the pilgrims. I happen to be one. You're a pilgrim. That's right. If you look it up in the dictionary, a pilgrim is one who's been punished and oppressed. Remember, I've been living with you five years. And here's a fellow who came early and is staying late. He's kept us laughing through depression and war, and he's still at it. Red Skelton. And now here is Red Skelton as the mean widow Kid. Junior, where are you? Over here. Can you. Are you hungry? Well, now that you mention it, yes, I is. That's strange. Junior, I want you to look at this cake I baked this morning. Yeah. Boy, if you wasn't around, I could sure make that cake look sick. And vice versa. Now, this cake has a big dent on one side. Oh, And I was wondering if you could explain it. The dent? Mm. Well, maybe somebody put it there when they were racking their car in. Now, look over here. Yes, Someone has pinched a big hunk out of it. Now, who would do the thing like that? I wonder. Yeah. Junior, have you touched this cake? No, Mommy, I hacking. Oh, then I believe you. I'm gonna have to use that tone of voice more often. Oh, boy. Saves a lot of hand motion. Hey. Oh, look, Mamia, I'm out. Good heavens. Where? Over there. Over there. No, no. He's over here. No. Yeah, here. There. Oh, where is he now? Wait till I'm crossing my eyes, will ya? You got to get him, Junior. Well, get down off the ice. Boxing. Help me, Junior. What are you doing? I'm gonna throw this at the mouse. Junior, you put that bowl down. Oh, he put it down a little too fast, didn't I? What you got on horseshoes? Boy, that's the fattest mouse I ever heard. Boy, oh, boy. I'll ride him to school. You wouldn't have to buy me an encyclopedia. Hey, look. There he is. There's that mouse. He's sticking his nasty little head out of that hole again. Look, he's smiling at me. Do mouses brush their teeth? Of course not. Do they take a bath? No. Move over, kid. You got a partner. Stop acting silly and do something. Well, you leave it to me. I'll get him. I'll get Him. I go. No, I'm going to go get something. I'm going to go get something. I'm going to go get something. I'm going to get something. We live in an awful big house. Now I'll teach him to muscle in on my sweet territory. Okay, mouse, come out of there with you paw. Jeff, Jr. Put your father's shotgun down. Come out of there, Humphrey. Hey, he's squeaking. Maybe he needs oil. There he goes. I think I blew down the whole block. Boy, a nice spot for an open fireplace anyway. Don't you ever do a thing like that again. Look, help me get out of this bread box, will ya? Boy, that thing's got more kick to it than a mule that's backed into a hornet's nest. Look. There he is again. Boy, he sure do like trouble, don't he? That mouse is after me own heart. Just let the mouse alone. He'll go away. No, I'm sorry, KJo. I can't take the chance. I heard of a man that slept once with his mouth open. And he swallowed a mouse. Junior, how awful. Yeah, he did. He swallowed a mouse, and then he put a big cat on his stomach, see? And he put a piece of cheese on his chest, see? What happened? Well, the mouse came up to eat the cheese. And the cat gave a leaf for the mouse. Yes, he swallowed whack cat, cheese and all. Humor on the radio has changed over the years. Television now bears the load. But radio comedy does still exist in personalities such as Ree Kordick, soon to be heard on knx. And Reid has some strong feelings about this medium. The necessity for imagination doesn't exist in television or in the motion pictures. And it's a rather precious thing, I think, with radio comedy. Because there's so much more you can do. You've got to magnificent stage in the individual's mind. All these things which have been said over and over again. In relation to radio drama as opposed to television drama. I think applies to radio comedy as opposed to television comedy. There aren't many people doing radio comedy. In the way that it can be done best. Which is to utilize every facet of the imagination. I've done things where all of a sudden a train appears. Now, in television to do this sort of thing, you have to go buy some rails and a locomotive. But on radio, all you need is a few sound effect records. And the whole illusion is there. So that I think the practitioner of radio comedy in its purest sense these days has, well, is almost a blank sheet. The way a cartoonist might. And a lot of times I like to consider what I do in the area of a cartoonist. In that we can take liberties with the scenery, with the background. Even with a human body. You can, if you feel like it. You can make a man fly if it's essential to the routine. Which can't be done in the more literal forms of comedy that exist these days, television or motion pictures. And so just a few of the many moments of humor heard on radio over the past 335 years. Who knows, in 1990, maybe some young fellow may find this program. And comment on what they were doing in the old days. Have a very happy Thanksgiving, everyone. The big broadcast of 1965 featured Amos and Andy, Jack Benny, Ken Murray, Red Skelton, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Marie Wilson, Kathy Lewis, Maureen Tuttle, Mel Blanc and George Burns and Gracie Allen, whose talents and personal cooperation made this program possible. We also wish to thank the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists for their cooperation and assistance. Program material was selected from the CBS archives. With additional material from the Frank Bresee Radio Collection. The program was written by Ruth Ashton and produced by Gerald Zellinger. This is Dennis Bracken speaking. Come in. Mr. Benny? Yes. I represent the National Radio magazine. And on behalf of our readers, I want to present you with this award. Award? Yes, it's for meritorious service toward all the radio listeners in America. Why? What did I do? Here it is Thanksgiving week, and you didn't have one joke on your program about a turkey. Well, thank you very much. Good night, folks.